Floating docks in Key Largo

Who a floating dock suits

Owners with deep water at the wall, frequent wakes, a small boat, kayaks or a jet ski, or a seawall too high for an easy step down.

Floating lifts and docks need deep water

Floats are allowed in Key Largo only over water at least 4 ft deep at mean low water. Floating lifts and vessel platforms must also stay off benthic resources and out of manatee zones, be secured to a fixed dock, and keep the whole structure within 25% of the navigable width.

A floating dock needs that water under it at low tide, or the floats sit on the bottom.[1]

Four feet of water, and more over grass

A Key Largo dock must end in at least 4 ft of water at mean low water. Over seagrass or hard bottom, the water must be 4 ft deep above the organisms, the deck at least 5 ft above mean high water, and the terminal platform no larger than 160 sq ft (8 by 20 ft), with a benthic survey to prove it.

Floats shade the bottom, so they are kept off seagrass.[1]

Ocean side tide at Rock Harbor

NOAA's Rock Harbor station on the Atlantic side of Key Largo records a 2.09 ft mean range and a 2.37 ft great diurnal range, with mean higher high water about 0.25 ft above NAVD 88 (1983 to 2001 epoch). There is no NOAA datum station on the bay side near Key Largo, so for bay side lots we measure the water on site.

Floats, guide piles and gangway length are sized from that range so the gangway stays walkable at low water.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4][5]

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.

Do you need a permit for a floating dock?

Usually yes, at county and city level. Florida's exemptions cover private docks on pilings or floating up to 1,000 sq ft and floating vessel platforms up to 500 sq ft, but they do not remove county and municipal requirements. In Miami-Dade any structure over tidal water needs a DERM Class I permit.[7][8]

What goes into the install

• Float sections and decking
• Anchoring to pilings or the seawall
• Aluminium gangway with hinges for the tidal range
• Cleats, bumpers and lighting

Frequently asked questions