Old Town Key West seawall repair: Key West Bight and Garrison Bight
In Old Town Key West, the City of Key West permits seawall work, not Monroe County. Historic district parcels add a HARC review, and city code treats new vertical walls as a last resort.
Describe your project on this page ↓
Key West: Old Town, the Bight & Garrison Bight at a glance
- Who permits it
- City of Key West Building Department
- Call first
- Building Department, 1300 White Street, (305) 809-3956
- Historic district
- HARC approval for exterior work; staff at (305) 809-3975
- Storm record
- Wilma, Oct. 24, 2005: about 3.1 ft above the average high tide at the Key West gauge
- Local rule to know
- Sec. 110-182: riprap first; new hardening only for a critical peril
Get to know your waterfront
Old Town is Key West’s high ground and its oldest waterfront. NWS notes that land above 8 ft MSL across much of Old Town blocked Wilma’s surge, yet flooding began along the Old Town waterfront and Garrison Bight. City Marina’s 245 slips straddle the Palm Avenue causeway there, including Historic Charter Boat Row. The Key West tide gauge, with records back to 1913, logged its highest reading during Wilma on Oct. 24, 2005.
Hurricane Wilma (2005) event summary · Historic Seaport & Marinas · CO-OPS Derived Product API: relative sea level trends (sealvltrends.json) · CO-OPS Metadata API: datums for station 8724580 Key West, FL
What the city’s own seawalls teach an Old Town owner
Old Town’s seawalls are mostly harbor and beach walls, and the city’s capital plans show how they age. At City Marina in Garrison Bight, the city says its 50-plus-year-old wall at Charter Boat Row shows the failures expected of a concrete T-pile seawall. Key West FY 25/26 capital plan
Garrison Bight: build in front, leave the old wall
The city’s fix is a new sheet pile wall without tie-backs, driven waterward of the old one under a new concrete cap. The old wall stays where it is. Key West FY 25/26 capital plan
| Project | Scope | Budget | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
Charter Boat Row | Sheet pile in front of a 50+-year-old T-pile wall, new cap | $4,970,000 | Sept. 30, 2027 |
LAB Seawall | 1,180 ft of T-pile wall replaced with sheet pile and a cap | $5,225,000 | Sept. 30, 2028 |
Angelfish Pier, Palm Avenue | About 650 ft of sheet pile set in front of the old wall, plus 550 ft of marginal dock | $3,625,000 | Permit filed June 2026; work expected June 2027 |
Project sources: Key West FY 25/26 capital plan Key West FY 25/26 capital plan Key West FY 25/26 capital plan
A private owner cannot assume the same move. City code bars placing shoreline hardening waterward of mean high water except in the public interest. Key West Code Sec. 110-182 The state’s restoration exemption allows a rebuilt wall no more than 18 inches waterward of its old spot, and only under set conditions. Rule 62-330.051, F.A.C. Settle which line your wall may sit on before you compare bids.
Key West Bight and the beach walls
- Historic Seaport: over 1,800 ft of seawall on Key West Bight, last renovated in 1996. A 2017 job encased 245 ft of wall face in reinforced concrete at least 8 inches thick, with pile and dock work, for $444,840. Key West ITB 17-019 summary
- Ferry terminal: the city has finished relocating corals as part of a $2 million upgrade still in design. Key West active projects Sanctuary rules prohibit injuring living or dead coral. 15 CFR 922.163
- Higgs Beach: a $3.7 million seawall replacement and beach renourishment, with construction planned for summer 2027 and emergency repair permits in progress. Key West engineering projects
- Southernmost Point: the city’s 2023 state funding request called for a new sheet pile wall and a higher cap for sea-level rise. Florida Senate funding request 1134 Eight bids for Phase One in 2025 ran from $946,266 to $2,643,017. Key West ITB 25-010 memo
That spread, nearly three to one, is a strong reason to get more than one bid. The cost guide shows how to compare them line by line.
Water levels behind the high ground
Much of Old Town sits above 8 ft MSL, and that ground kept Wilma’s surge from reaching areas to its west and south. NWS Key West Wilma summary The waterfront edges still flooded first. NWS Key West Wilma summary
| Reading | Height |
|---|---|
NWS coastal flood statement | 1.1 ft |
NWS coastal flood advisory | 1.6 ft |
NWS coastal flood warning | 2.1 ft |
Milton, 2024 | about 1.2 ft |
Helene, 2024 | about 1.6 ft |
Ian, 2022 | about 2.5 ft |
Irma, 2017 | 2.7 ft |
Wilma, 2005 (gauge record) | about 3.1 ft |
Gauge sources: NWS Key West flood thresholds Hurricane Center Milton report Hurricane Center Helene report Hurricane Center Ian report Hurricane Center Irma report NOAA Key West datums
The gauge record starts in 1913 and shows sea level rising about an inch per decade. NOAA sea level trend, Key West At the gauge, the average high tide (MHHW) and the NAVD88 survey datum sit less than a tenth of a foot apart, so a cap surveyed in NAVD88 reads almost directly against this table. NOAA Key West datums
For cracks, joints and soft ground behind the cap, start with a seawall assessment. The New Town guide covers the Riviera Canal and the south shore.
What could the work cost?
The city charges $36 per $1,000 of contract price for seawall work, with a $100 minimum, plus a 0.1% processing fee and state surcharges. On a $100,000 job the base fee is about $3,600. Ask bidders to price coral relocation, water-side access and any HARC drawings as separate lines.
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 permit for any seawall or dock work valued over $1,000 inside city limits. | 1300 White Street, (305) 809-3956. Apply on eTRAKiT or at the front desk; fee is $36 per $1,000 of contract price. |
Historic Architectural Review Commission (HARC) | Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior work in the historic district, filed with the building permit on one combined application. | Check the HARC map first. Historic Preservation staff: (305) 809-3975, walk-in hours Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
Key West Planning Department | Shoreline hardening and mangrove questions under Sec. 110-182, including replanting at three to ten times the affected habitat. | Book a planner appointment, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. City Planner line: (305) 809-3746. |
Florida DEP Marathon branch and Army Corps Keys Permits Section | State exemption or permit, use of state-owned bottom, and federal authorization for harbor work. | DEP (305) 289-7070; Corps (305) 526-7181. The Keys general permit SAJ-82 expired June 24, 2026, so ask which federal permit now applies. |
An Old Town seawall checklist
These steps fit a historic district lot or a harbor-front wall. Most take an afternoon.
Check the HARC map
Look up your parcel on the city’s HARC map. Inside the historic district, exterior work needs HARC approval before the permit issues, even work that needs no building permit.
Use the Wednesday walk-in hours
Historic Preservation staff hold walk-in hours on Wednesdays at 1300 White Street. Bring photos and ask if your seawall scope needs a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Photograph the wall face at low tide
Take clear photos of the wall face and toe. Coral on harbor structures can bring sanctuary review and relocation, as it did at the ferry terminal.
Get the job defined in writing
Ask your engineer to state whether the work repairs an existing wall or adds new hardening. Repairs are exempt from the coastal article; new hardening must pass the critical-peril test.
Plan your Old Town or harbor seawall repair
Tell us where the wall is, whether the parcel is in the historic district and what you see at the cap and toe. We can help you map out the permits and the repair.
Every answer here links to the public record behind it.
Key West: Old Town, the Bight & Garrison Bight project questions
Does HARC review seawall work in Old Town Key West?
If the parcel is in the local historic district, HARC approval is required for exterior work, and the city files it with the building permit on one combined application. HARC’s list of reviewed items does not name seawalls or docks. Ask Historic Preservation staff at (305) 809-3975 if your scope needs a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Permits · Historic Preservation Division (HARC) · Is My Property Under HARC Jurisdiction?
Can I replace an Old Town seawall with a new vertical wall?
New shoreline hardening is restricted. City code allows it only when erosion is a critical peril and plantings have failed, puts riprap first and says hardening should generally not be vertical. Minor maintenance and emergency repair of existing structures are exempt from that article, so how your engineer defines the job matters.
How high did the water get in Key West during Wilma?
The Key West tide gauge logged its highest water level on record on Oct. 24, 2005, about 3.1 ft above the average high tide. City officials estimated about 60 percent of Key West flooded, starting along the Old Town waterfront and Garrison Bight. Old Town ground above 8 ft MSL kept the surge out of much of the interior.
CO-OPS Metadata API: datums for station 8724580 Key West, FL · Hurricane Wilma (2005) event summary
Are the Garrison Bight seawall budgets a guide to my cost?
No. They are public marina budgets for long commercial walls, such as $5,225,000 to replace 1,180 ft of T-pile wall at the LAB site. Their value to you is the method: new sheet pile set in front of a failing wall. For a home wall, use the cost guide and compare several bids.
City Marina at Garrison Bight Capital Projects (FY 25/26 CIP Project Detail, GB75512402)
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Key West: New Town, Riviera Canal & Salt Ponds, Stock Island, Key Haven (Raccoon Key)
Show sourcesHide sources
- Hurricane Wilma (2005) event summarySource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Historic Seaport & MarinasSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- CO-OPS Derived Product API: relative sea level trends (sealvltrends.json)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- CO-OPS Metadata API: datums for station 8724580 Key West, FLSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- City Marina at Garrison Bight Capital Projects (FY 25/26 CIP Project Detail, GB75511701)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Engineering Projects in Progress (Angelfish Pier)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Code of Ordinances, Subpart B Land Development Regulations, Ch. 110 Resource Protection, Art. IV Coastal ResourcesSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Rule 62-330.051, F.A.C. (Exempt Activities)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Executive Summary: Awarding of Contract for ITB #17-019 REBID: Half Shell Raw Bar Seawall Repairs - Key West Historic Seaport (Resolution 17-166)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Active Capital ProjectsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- 15 CFR 922.163, Prohibited activities - Sanctuary-wideSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Local Funding Initiative Request FY 2024-2025 LFIR #1134: Key West Southernmost Point Seawall RepairSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Memorandum: File ID 25-3925 - Award of Phase One Southernmost Seawall Project, ITB #25-010, to BDI Marine Contractors, LLCSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Coastal Flooding & the Florida KeysSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Milton (AL142024), 31 March 2025Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Helene (AL092024), current version dated 17 February 2026Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (AL092022), current version dated 12 March 2026 (original 2 April 2023)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), current version dated 8 July 2026Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building Department - About UsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- PermitsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Expedited Building Permit Policy & Procedures (Effective 1/01/2025)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building Fees (Code Sec. 14-1 and 14-2)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Historic Preservation Division (HARC)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Is My Property Under HARC Jurisdiction?Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Planning DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- SED Marathon OfficeSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Jacksonville District Regulatory Office LocationsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Regional General Permit SAJ-82Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Nearshore Construction PermitsSource reviewed 2026-10-28