PWC and jet ski lifts in Key Largo

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.

Lift setbacks by type

Monroe County sets side setbacks by lift type: 7.5 ft for elevator lifts, 5 ft for personal watercraft lifts up to 1,500 lb, and 10 ft for a floating lift set along the shore. A four-post cradle lift is allowed only on a lot at least 70 ft wide on a man-made waterway at least 60 ft wide.

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

Davits and tie-downs

Davits in unincorporated Monroe County sit back from the side line by the principal building setback or 5 ft, whichever is greater, though one support may be closer if the arm swings inward. Any dock with a lift or davit also needs cleats or rings to tie the boat down out of the water in high winds.

Small boats may suit davits instead, under the same rules.[1]

10% of the water, 25% with the boat

Monroe County Code 118-12(m) keeps a Key Largo dock to 10% of the waterbody width, measured mean low water to mean low water, and the dock together with the moored boat and any lift to 25% of the navigable width. On a 50 ft canal that is a 5 ft dock.[1]

What makes Key Largo different

The special exception application asks owners to describe the submerged lands the dock crosses, such as sand, seagrass or coral, and the minimum extra length needed to reach adequate water depth. The site plan must be prepared by a Florida registered architect, engineer or landscape architect and show the mean high water line and shoreline setbacks.[2]

Sanctuary, seagrass and manatees

Projects inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary needed prior Sanctuary approval under SPGP VI. The same permit let boat lifts and minor structures in Monroe County go into existing boat slips without a seagrass survey. All in-water work follows the state manatee conditions.[3][4]

Permits in Key Largo

• Monroe County Planning and Environmental Resources Department: Dock length special exceptions under County Code section 118-12(m)(15).
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: The Sanctuary starts at mean high water, so Key Largo canal and bay work is inside it; SPGP VI required its prior approval.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption, which Monroe County needs to see before it issues a Notice to Proceed for docks, seawalls and ramps.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal permit, also required before the County's Notice to Proceed.

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.[7]

Frequently asked questions