New Town Key West seawall repair: the Riviera Canal and the south shore
New Town’s seawalls line one long residential canal and an exposed south shore. The City of Key West permits the work, while Monroe County numbers the canal and is rebuilding Flagler Avenue’s drainage.
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Key West: New Town, Riviera Canal & Salt Ponds at a glance
- Who permits it
- City of Key West Building Department, (305) 809-3956
- The water
- Riviera Canal (county canal 480): 211 parcels, about 10,600 ft, two mouths
- Street project
- Flagler Avenue pump and injection-well rebuild; county Hot Spot 12
- Storm record
- Wilma put 1 to 2 ft of salt water on Flagler east of First Street
- Local rule to know
- Sec. 110-181 names the Riviera Canal and Salt Ponds for shoreline plans
Get to know your waterfront
New Town’s residential waterfront is the Riviera Canal, which the county inventory lists as canal 480: 211 parcels along about 10,600 ft, with two mouths. Flagler Avenue, one of its streets, is set for a county drainage rebuild with pumps and injection wells. On the south shore, Wilma left pieces of seawall on South Roosevelt Boulevard near Smathers Beach, and salt water reached Flagler east of First Street by 3:01 a.m.
Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information') · Canal, Roads Names and Areas (List of Keys Residential Canals by location) · County Road Projects · Hurricane Wilma (2005) event summary
The Riviera Canal and the south shore: what shapes a New Town wall
New Town is where Key West’s first Wilma flooding was logged. NWS recorded South Roosevelt and Atlantic Boulevards flooding at 1:31 a.m. By 3:01 a.m., Flagler Avenue east of First Street was under 1 to 2 ft of salt water. NWS Key West Wilma summary
The Riviera Canal is county canal 480
The canal lies inside city limits, yet Monroe County’s canal inventory numbers it and records its basics. County canal inventory
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
Canal number | 480 (mile marker 3, oceanside) |
Parcels on the canal | 211 |
Length | About 10,600 ft |
Mouths | Two |
Existing treatment | Culvert |
Water-quality label | Good |
Tide range field | About 0.8 ft |
The county ties canal 480 to Flagler Avenue, Riviera Street, Venetian Drive, Sunrise Drive and Lane, Seidenberg and Staples Avenues, Harris Avenue, and Bahama, Jamaica, Trinidad and Gulfview Drives. Gilmore Drive, David Porter Road, Farragut Road and Truxton Road are listed on canal 477 instead. County canal street list
Flagler Avenue: drains that connect to the sea
Monroe County is designing a full rebuild of Flagler Avenue, with the City of Key West as a partner. The county says the old gravity drains there are “hydrologically connected to the ocean.” Its plan swaps them for two pump stations, injection wells and a road on an asphalt base. County update, Feb. 2026 County road projects
- The county calls the mile of Flagler from White Street to Palm Avenue Hot Spot 12, at risk from storm surge by 2040. County vulnerability assessment
- FEMA funding of $54,394,037 depends on finished design and a benefit-cost test. County update, Feb. 2026
- The road study put Flagler (10,450 ft) and Eaton Street with Palm Avenue (3,938 ft) in its 2025 adaptation group. County road study
- Nearby, the county rebuilt 1st and Bertha Streets on asphalt rather than limerock to limit damage from rising groundwater. State of the County 2023
For a canal owner, the lesson is that salt water can reach a yard through pipes and ground, not only over the cap. Before paying for a taller cap, find out how water actually gets onto your lot. The soil loss and drainage guide shows what to look for.
The south shore takes the waves
- Rita in 2005 pushed 4 to 5 ft of surge onto south-facing Key West shores, flooded the airport runway and sent water about 3 ft deep up to four blocks inland. Hurricane Center Rita report
- After Wilma, South Roosevelt Boulevard stayed closed for nearly three weeks while crews cleared sand and large pieces of seawall near Smathers Beach. NWS Key West Wilma summary
- In flood zone V, city code allows a seawall only with a design professional’s analysis showing it will not push floodwater or waves onto neighboring buildings. Key West Code Sec. 34-139
City code that names your canal
Sec. 110-181 names the Salt Ponds and the Riviera Canal. Work there must show how it protects shoreline plants, water quality, seagrass and other habitat, and nothing is approved until harm is prevented or offset. Key West Code Sec. 110-181
Sec. 110-183 carries seagrass and hardbottom protection 600 ft out into tidal water beyond the city limits, and it can require turbidity controls such as weirs. Key West Code Sec. 110-183 For harbor walls, HARC and the gauge record, see the Old Town guide.
What could the work cost?
Expect the city to want a complete package on day one, since incomplete applications are now denied after 10 business days. Ask bidders whether their price includes sealed drawings, a survey showing the mean high-water line and any turbidity controls on canal work.
Calculator ranges come from a 2026 national cost guide and one Key West public bid. None is a quote; your written, itemized scope sets your price.
Compare quotes and plan a budget →Find the relevant permits and records
| Starting point | What to resolve | Prepare and look up |
|---|---|---|
City of Key West Building Department | Building permits for Riviera Canal and south-shore seawalls and docks. Incomplete applications get a letter within 5 business days and 10 business days to fix. | Survey, site photos, a site plan showing the mean high-water line and sealed drawings, as on the city dock checklist. (305) 809-3956. |
Key West Planning Department | Shoreline plans under Sec. 110-181 and coordination of shoreline stabilization with state and federal agencies under Sec. 110-190. | Ask if your scope goes to the multiagency review. City Planner line: (305) 809-3746. |
Key West Adaptation & Resiliency Division | The city’s Climate Adaptation Plan, which will set a 10-year project list and construction standards. | Resiliency Manager: (305) 809-3726. Ask about planned work near your canal. |
Florida DEP (Marathon) and the Army Corps Keys section | State exemption for seawall repair in residential canals, and federal authorization. | DEP (305) 289-7070; Corps (305) 526-7181. |
A Riviera Canal planning checklist
Start with these four steps before you ask anyone to price a New Town wall.
Confirm your canal number
Find your street in the county canal list. Most Riviera Canal streets are on canal 480; Gilmore, David Porter, Farragut and Truxton are listed on 477.
Canal, Roads Names and Areas (List of Keys Residential Canals by location) · Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information')
Build a complete application
Key West now denies applications left incomplete after its cure period. Gather the survey, photos, high-water line site plan and sealed drawings first.
Expedited Building Permit Policy & Procedures (Effective 1/01/2025) · Checklist for Dock Permit Application
Follow the Flagler schedule
If you live on or near Flagler Avenue, check the county road-projects page before booking work. Funding still depends on a FEMA benefit-cost review.
County Road Projects · February 2026 Updates Presentation (Monroe Resilience & Environmental Projects)
Ask the city about resilience plans
Call the Resiliency Manager at (305) 809-3726 to ask what the coming Climate Adaptation Plan may mean for your street.
Plan your Riviera Canal or south-shore seawall
Share your street, what the wall faces and whether water reaches your yard through drains or over the cap. We will help you work out the next step.
Every answer here links to the public record behind it.
Key West: New Town, Riviera Canal & Salt Ponds project questions
Is the Riviera Canal a city canal or a county canal?
It lies inside Key West, so the City of Key West Building Department permits seawall work on it. Monroe County’s canal inventory still lists it as canal 480, with 211 parcels and two mouths. Use the county number to look up canal data and the city for permits.
Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information') · Building Department
Will the Flagler Avenue project affect my seawall?
It is a road and drainage project, not a seawall program. The county plans pump stations, injection wells and an asphalt road base to replace drains connected to the ocean. FEMA funding of $54,394,037 still depends on design and a benefit-cost test.
February 2026 Updates Presentation (Monroe Resilience & Environmental Projects) · County Road Projects
Where did Wilma’s flooding start in Key West?
In the first surge, NWS logged South Roosevelt and Atlantic Boulevards flooding at 1:31 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2005, and Flagler Avenue east of First Street under 1 to 2 ft of water by 3:01 a.m. Old Town’s higher ground, above 8 ft MSL, blocked much of the surge.
Does a south-shore seawall need an engineer’s flood analysis?
In a V zone, yes. Key West’s flood code allows a seawall there only if a registered design professional shows it will not divert floodwater or reflect waves onto neighboring buildings. The wall also needs every required federal, state and local approval.
Code of Ordinances, Ch. 34 Floods, Sec. 34-139 Other development
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Key West: Old Town, the Bight & Garrison Bight, Key Haven (Raccoon Key), Stock Island
Show sourcesHide sources
- Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information')Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Canal, Roads Names and Areas (List of Keys Residential Canals by location)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- County Road ProjectsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Hurricane Wilma (2005) event summarySource reviewed 2026-10-28
- February 2026 Updates Presentation (Monroe Resilience & Environmental Projects)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Monroe County Vulnerability Assessment Update & Compliance, Final Project Report (DEP Agreement No. 22PLN66)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Monroe County Roadway Vulnerability Study Final Report (Table 2: Adaptation Plan List)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- State of the County 2023Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Rita (AL182005), 17 March 2006, updated 14 September 2011Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Code of Ordinances, Ch. 34 Floods, Sec. 34-139 Other developmentSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Code of Ordinances, Subpart B Land Development Regulations, Ch. 110 Resource Protection, Art. IV Coastal ResourcesSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building Department - About UsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Expedited Building Permit Policy & Procedures (Effective 1/01/2025)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Checklist for Dock Permit ApplicationSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Planning DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Adaptation & Resiliency DivisionSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- SED Marathon OfficeSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Rule 62-330.051, F.A.C. (Exempt Activities)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Jacksonville District Regulatory Office LocationsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-28