Long Key, Layton and Conch Key seawall repair

Get to know your waterfront

Layton is a city of about 208 residents on Long Key, with City Hall at 68280 Overseas Highway. Long Key State Park takes up about 1,002 acres of the island. Conch Key, at mile marker 63, is a low county island already in line for road elevation.

Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 (SUB-EST2024) · Contact Us · 2025-2026 Jurisdiction Report: Florida State Park and Trail Units as of July 1, 2026 · Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information') · County Road Projects

Layton, Long Key and Conch Key: rules, canals and flooding

Sources: City of Layton contact page City of Layton staff page Monroe County Marathon office

The county canal layer does not say which canals fall inside Layton, so ask City Hall before you file. Monroe County canal inventory

How Layton handles a seawall permit

Layton has no building staff of its own. A contracted Building Code Administrator handles permits, and the City Clerk doubles as planning and zoning director. City of Layton staff page

• Volume is small: 41 permit applications and 39 permits issued in FY 2024/25. No fee schedule is posted, so get the fee in writing. Layton FY 2024/25 permit report
• The comprehensive plan calls for riprap, vegetation or cantilevered platforms "instead of vertical bulkheads." Layton Comprehensive Plan Policy 5.d
• Walkways over mangroves or submerged land are capped at 5 feet wide, and docks at 10 percent of a confined waterway's width. Layton Coastal Management Element
• Structures destroyed by an act of God may be rebuilt to their original dimensions. Layton Coastal Management Element

That plan policy matters most for replacement. Ask the city early if a failing wall can be rebuilt in kind or must shift toward riprap or a cantilevered deck. See riprap and shoreline stabilization.

Long Key canals and the state park

• Canal 159, oceanside, filed as Long Key/Layton: 107 parcels on South Layton Drive, Zane Gray Creek Drive and Buttonwood, Primrose and Sands Lanes. The layer notes aerators and a culvert.
• Canals 160 and 161, oceanside: 64 parcels on Snapper Creek Drive, Zane Gray Creek Drive and Long Key Lake Drive.
• Canals 162 and 163, bayside at mile marker 66: a culvert and a flushing channel.

All of them carry a tidal range field of about 1.2 feet. Monroe County canal inventory county canal street list

Long Key State Park dates to 1961 and covers about 1,002 acres. DEP park jurisdiction report At the Long Key Transfer Station, a county living shoreline would build 1,282 feet of structural and nature-based edge. It adds designed breaks and mangrove and seagrass plantings. Monroe County resilience update, Feb. 2026

The county expects rainfall flooding on Long Key by 2040, at assets from the transfer station to Long Key Lake. Monroe County vulnerability assessment See living shorelines.

Conch Key floods in ordinary rain

Conch Key does not wait for a hurricane. The county lists it as Hot Spot 15, already flooding in present-day rain because the ground is low and drainage is limited. Homes on Seaview Avenue are among the assets named. Monroe County vulnerability assessment

• Three canal sections, filed as "Conch Key Added" under canal 164, serve 56 parcels at mile marker 63, with a culvert and a cut through the jetty. Monroe County canal inventory
• Their streets are Conch Avenue North, South and West and Sea View Avenue. county canal street list
• Five road segments, 2,361 feet serving 28 homes, are on the county's most-critical list. county roadway prioritization
• The county's road elevation project adds a pump station, a force main and three injection wells. Design and permitting were 90% complete. Monroe County road projects

Ask the county for the planned road grade on your street before you set a new cap height. Then read the cap height guide with your engineer.

What could the work cost?

Layton posts no permit fee schedule, so get the fee from City Hall in writing. County lots on Long Key and Conch Key pay Monroe County's per-$1,000 bands, plus $976 for a Notice to Proceed when state or federal approval is pending. In Layton, ask bidders to price a riprap or cantilevered option beside any vertical wall.

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.

Find the relevant permits and records

Prepare the questions for the responsible office.

Long Key and Conch Key: first steps

Settle these before you request bids.

1. Confirm city or county

   The county canal layer does not mark the Layton line. Call City Hall at (305) 664-4667 to confirm which government permits your lot.

   Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information') · Contact Us

2. Ask Layton the replacement question

   Layton's plan favors riprap, vegetation or cantilevered platforms over vertical bulkheads. Ask what the city will accept for your failing wall before you pay for drawings.

   Comprehensive Plan Amendment Package (Ord. No. 2022-11-01), adopted June 1, 2023

3. On Conch Key, get the road plan

   The county's Conch Key road elevation design was 90% complete. Ask for the planned grade on your street before you set a cap height.

   County Road Projects

4. Check your flood insurance class

   Layton holds CRS Class 5, a 25% discount, and unincorporated Monroe County holds Class 3, a 35% discount. Make sure your policy reflects the right community.

   CRS Eligible Communities, October 1, 2026 Effective Date · Flood Information

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Duck Key, Grassy Key, Crawl Key & Coco Plum (east Marathon), Marathon: Vaca Key & Boot Key Harbor

View the local guide directory.