Dock pilings in Islamorada

Signs a piling needs replacing

Check at low tide.

• Wood worn thin at the waterline (an hourglass shape)
• Deep splits or a piling that moves when you push it
• A dock that sags between pilings

The Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve

The 6,700 acre Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve lies inside the Village between Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys, with seagrass meadows and three navigable channels between Florida Bay and the Atlantic. It is recognised as an outstanding water resource of the state, which brings the smaller 500 sq ft dock exemption used for Outstanding Florida Waters.

New piles are placed to avoid grass beds.[1][2]

Sanctuary water from the high tide line

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary begins at the mean high water mark, so any dock, lift or pile work in Islamorada is Sanctuary work and needs the matching state and federal approvals. Monroe County waters carry FWC boating restricted areas under rule 68D-24.144 and the state manatee conditions.

Pile driving is in-water work, so the manatee rules set the pace.[3][4][5]

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.[6]

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.[7][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.

How pilings go in

Pilings are driven or jetted into the bottom from a barge or the dock. Federal SPGP VI did not authorise impact-hammer installation of metal pipe or metal sheet piles, so steel work takes a different federal route. All in-water work follows the state manatee conditions: work stops if a manatee comes within 50 ft.[7][5]

Frequently asked questions