Marine pile driving in Key Largo

Who needs pile driving

Owners building a new dock or lift slip, adding mooring piles, or replacing failed pilings.

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.

We order and drive piles to that rule.[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.

Barges and spuds are kept off grass beds.[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.

Pile driving stops whenever a manatee comes within 50 ft, so watchers are posted.[2][3][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 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.

Rules that shape pile work

Under SPGP VI, impact-hammer installation of metal pipe or metal sheet piles was not authorised, so steel piles needed a separate federal review. All in-water work stops when a manatee comes within 50 ft and restarts once it has moved beyond 50 ft or 30 minutes pass without it reappearing; project vessels run at idle speed and no wake.[5][6]

Frequently asked questions