Monroe County notes

About Monroe County and its places

• History and culture

  John Pennekamp made Key Largo's reef a state park

  Dedicated in 1960, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park protects about 70 nautical square miles off Key Largo as the country's first undersea park.

• Rules and licenses

  Monroe County evacuation zones are not reentry zones

  Monroe County hurricane planning separates evacuation zones from Keys reentry sticker zones.

• Home and property

  Key West historic houses need the HARC map

  Key West's historic homes, porches, fences, paint, signs, and additions can sit inside a HARC review path, so the map matters before the work starts.

• Rules and licenses

  Key West residential parking is a permit system

  Key West residential parking permits shape daily parking for locals and visitors in the older part of the city.

• History and culture

  Hemingway Home keeps Key West's literary side close

  The Hemingway Home in Key West keeps the writer's island years close, with the old house, studio, pool, garden, and famous cats.

• Money and taxes

  Key West cruise and ferry days make the waterfront a money calendar

  Key West's port is a landmark waterfront system where cruise ships, ferries, foot traffic, shops, restaurants, and local schedules can all move together.

• Home and property

  Monroe County ROGO makes new homes a permit-allocation file

  In unincorporated Monroe County, a new home can require a ROGO allocation as well as an approved building permit, and the allocation schedule is changing.

• Home and property

  Audubon House keeps Key West's wrecking era inside one home

  Audubon House and Tropical Gardens gives Key West a historic home story tied to maritime pilots, wrecking, tropical gardens, and old-island restoration.

• History and culture

  Key West Cemetery makes island history a walking map

  Key West Cemetery turns island history into a walk, with hurricane memory, high ground, family plots, old markers, and a city-run cemetery still in use.

• Cars and driving

  Key West Old Town parking garage can save the circle

  Key West parking is easier when drivers know the Old Town garage, transit connection, and evacuation exception before circling tight streets.

Nearby and wider Florida

Nearby stories, regional connections, and broader rules mentioned alongside Monroe County; these are not all subjects or rules specific to Monroe County.

• Home and property

  Florida substantial damage review can change the repair plan

  After a bad flood or storm, a Florida repair may need local floodplain review before the owner treats the job like an ordinary rebuild.

• Outdoors

  Florida Keys mooring buoys are part of the water map

  In the Florida Keys, reef trips work better when boaters and snorkelers check sanctuary zones, mooring buoys, and current NOAA guidance first.

• History and culture

  Key West gave Pan Am its first Havana hop

  Pan American Airways used a Key West-to-Havana flight in 1927, then opened regular service from Key West the next year.

• Home and property

  Florida flood openings need the local floodplain check

  Lower enclosures under elevated Florida homes can look simple, but flood openings, permits, and local review can change what works.

• Rules and licenses

  Florida Keys sanctuary rules shape water days

  Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary rules affect boating, fishing, diving, snorkeling, swimming, and reef visits.

• Outdoors

  Dry Tortugas starts in Key West, but it is not a quick drive

  Dry Tortugas National Park sits almost 70 miles west of Key West and can only be reached by boat or seaplane.

• Home and property

  Florida CBRS check can change the coastal flood file

  Some Florida coastal properties may need a Coastal Barrier Resources System check because federal flood insurance rules can depend on the official map and the structure's timing.

• Rules and licenses

  South Florida sea turtle lighting is a local code check

  Sea turtle lighting rules along South Florida beaches depend on local ordinances, maps, and beachside property details.

• Outdoors

  Florida permit fish harvest changes in the Special Permit Zone

  Yes, permit fish can be kept for the table in Florida, but the current zone, size, season, bag, vessel, gear, and license rules decide whether one can go home.

• Rules and licenses

  Florida's state pie and dessert share the table

  Florida gives key lime pie and strawberry shortcake separate official places, which says a lot about the Keys, Plant City, and the state's food pride.

• Cars and driving

  Overseas Highway carries the Keys railroad ghost

  The Overseas Highway drive through the Florida Keys follows a travel story that began before the modern road, when bridges, boats, farms, and rail lines shaped the islands.

• Home and property

  Florida lead paint disclosure follows pre-1978 homes

  Most pre-1978 Florida homes, apartments, and condos carry a federal lead paint disclosure step before a sale or lease is signed.

• Cars and driving

  Florida moped, scooter, and e-bike labels change the road plan

  Florida uses different lanes for mopeds, motor scooters, motorized scooters, and e-bikes, so the label can change license, tag, title, and local-rule details.

• Money and taxes

  Florida spiny lobster season moves boats and dock talk

  Spiny lobster season gives the Keys and South Florida a busy water calendar, with sport season, regular season, size rules, bag limits, and no-take areas to check.