PWC and jet ski lifts in Islamorada

Who this is for

Owners with one or two jet skis or a small tender who want them out of the water and easy to launch.

Covered lifts only over cut-in slips

Ordinance 24-15 allows open-sided covered boat lifts in Islamorada only over a cut-in slip on a man-made canal. The roof may not reach past the mouth of the slip or over mangroves, seagrass or hard bottom, may be no more than 12 ft above grade, and may not carry a deck.

That rule decides whether a floating, drive-on or seawall-mounted PWC lift fits.[1]

Launching only from lawful docks and ramps

Motorised watercraft in Islamorada may be launched or taken out only at lawfully existing docks and ramps, and a private boat ramp may be no wider than 20 ft. A jet ski lift or davit on a permitted dock is the practical way to keep a small boat at home.

A PWC lift on a permitted dock gives a jet ski a lawful place to launch and come out of the water.[1]

Bay side and ocean side tides differ fourfold

NOAA's Florida Bay gauge at Upper Matecumbe Key shows a great diurnal range of only 0.61 ft, with mean higher high water about 0.41 ft below NAVD 88, while the Hawk Channel gauge a short way across the key shows 2.28 ft (1983 to 2001 epoch). A lift or floating dock sized for one side of Islamorada is wrong for the other.

The tide range sets how high a fixed PWC lift has to raise the craft.[2][3]

What makes Islamorada different

Principal buildings sit 20 ft from the mean high water line on altered shorelines such as canals, 30 ft on open water with conditions, and 50 ft on unaltered shorelines. Docks, lifts, davits, seawalls and riprap are water-dependent structures that may sit inside that setback under the Village's standards.[1]

Sanctuary and manatee layers

The federal small-project permit, SPGP VI, required Sanctuary sign-off before any Islamorada project in Keys waters, and crews follow the state manatee conditions on every in-water job.[4][5]

Permits in Islamorada

• Islamorada, Village of Islands, Planning and Development Services: Docks, lifts and shoreline structures under Village Code Chapter 30.
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Sanctuary waters surround every Islamorada key from the mean high water mark; we confirm what Sanctuary approval each project needs.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption; part of the Village's water is the Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in the Sanctuary waters around the Village.

Floating or fixed?

Floating drive-on lifts need no pilings and suit most canals. Fixed lifts and davits suit spots with strong wakes or where floats would ground at low tide. Floating lifts count toward the 500 sq ft state exemption together with any floating platform.[8]

Frequently asked questions