Marine construction in Key Largo

No leaching piles

Every dock piling in unincorporated Monroe County must be non-CCA-leaching, such as recycled plastic or concrete, or be wrapped in an impermeable sleeve at least 30 mil thick from 6 in below the bottom to 2 ft above mean high water. That changes the piling order before a Key Largo job starts.

Piling rules apply to every structure we drive into the bottom.[1]

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.

Grass beds decide where barges can anchor and where piles can go.[1]

The Sanctuary starts at high water

The shoreward boundary of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is the mean high water mark, so once work steps into Key Largo's water it is inside the Sanctuary. Monroe County lists boating restricted areas under rule 68D-24.144, and County approvals wait on state and federal permits before a Notice to Proceed.

Marine construction is mostly in-water work, so the manatee rules set daily routines.[2][3][1]

Where a seawall is allowed at all

Monroe County allows vertical seawalls only to stabilise severely eroding shorelines on man-made canals, channels or basins, and never on open water. Lawfully existing walls may be repaired or replaced on the same footprint, the yard behind must sit at least 6 in below the top of the wall, and riprap goes at the toe wherever feasible.

Shoreline stabilisation follows that rock rule.[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.[4]

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.[5][6]

Permits for marine construction 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.

What is a marine contractor?

A marine contractor builds structures in, on or over the water: seawalls, bulkheads, docks, pilings and davits. In Florida, specialty contractors' scope is limited to a particular phase of construction, while a general contractor's scope is unlimited as to work requiring licensure under chapter 489. Always check a contractor's licence category on the DBPR licence search before you sign.[8][9]

Permits for work in the water

Most work needs a county environmental permit (in Miami-Dade, a DERM Class I permit), a city building permit, a state decision from FDEP or SFWMD and, where it applies, federal authorisation from the Army Corps of Engineers. Permits attach the state's manatee conditions to all in-water work.[10][11][6]

Frequently asked questions