Stock Island seawall repair on a working waterfront

Get to know your waterfront

Stock Island is an unincorporated census place with less than one square mile of land and more water than land inside its boundary. Its waterfront mixes marinas and fishing facilities with water treatment and power plants, mobile home parks and housing. Only two residential canals appear in the county inventory. A Monroe County permitting office sits on the island at 5503 College Road.

2020 Census Gazetteer Files: Places, Florida · Monroe County Vulnerability Assessment Update & Compliance, Final Project Report (DEP Agreement No. 22PLN66) · Monroe County Residential Canals (Google Earth KMZ layer 'Residential_Canals_WGS', linked as 'Google Earth Document with Downloaded Canal Information') · Building and Permitting

Stock Island’s flood picture, from the canals to the shrimp docks

On Stock Island, the county’s main flood worry is storm surge. It names the whole island Hot Spot 8, facing surge impacts by 2040 because of low ground and open coastal exposure. County vulnerability assessment

The assets on that list show what kind of shoreline this is: water treatment plants, power generation, marinas, fishing facilities, mobile home parks and low-income housing. County vulnerability assessment

Start by confirming the permit office. The city’s floodplain page lists only “Stock Island (South Side)” as outside Key West, so check your parcel record. Key West floodplain page County permits run through OPAL, with an office on the island at 5503 College Road. County permit offices

Two residential canals

The county inventory lists only two Stock Island canals, both oceanside at mile marker 4. Canal 478 is tied to 5th Avenue and canal 479 to 12th Avenue, with 37 parcels between them. County canal inventory County canal street list

Both carry a “Good” water-quality label and a tide range field of about 0.8 ft. County canal inventory If your wall faces a marina basin or commercial dock instead, the marina bulkhead guide fits better.

What Wilma did here

In Wilma’s first surge, some homes on the south side of the island took up to 4 ft of water. In the second, sea water stood up to 3 ft deep in the residential streets of the Key West Golf and Country Club. NWS Key West Wilma summary

Streets on the county’s flood lists

• 58 Stock Island road segments, about 39,003 ft, are on the county’s list of its most critical roads. County critical roads list
• The Maloney subdivision alone has 26 of those segments and 586 homes; Shrimp Road adds 3,311 ft and 105 units. County critical roads list
• The road study’s 2025 group includes a 45,542-ft area covering Maloney, Sun Krest, Lincoln Gardens, Balido 1 and 2, Lincoln Manor Estates, Robyn, Sunshine and Shrimp Road. County road study

For scale, the county’s adopted projection adds 10 to 17 inches of sea level from 2000 to 2040, the year Hot Spot 8 looks to. County resiliency page

A species check owners do not expect

Fish and Wildlife review is not only a Big Pine matter. The FEMA Biological Opinion covers nine species across unincorporated Monroe County, including the Stock Island tree snail. County HCP transition boards

The federal species focus area maps decide if your lot is reviewed at all. If the county sends your application to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the county fee is $825. Monroe County code Ch. 122 Monroe Res. 277-2025

Working-waterfront paperwork

• The county requires a notarized Work Over the Water Notice for seawalls, docks and lifts, and warns that federal Longshore coverage may be needed. County Work Over the Water Notice
• On state-owned bottom, a dock built to moor ten or more vessels in Monroe County needs a submerged land lease. A seawall placed there, up to 3 ft waterward of mean high water, needs a letter of consent. Rule 18-21.005, F.A.C.
• For coral or seagrass near the wall, the sanctuary will not queue a project until plans, the state approval, a seafloor (benthic) survey and any federal approval are all in hand. Florida Keys sanctuary

What could the work cost?

A dock that moors ten or more vessels in Monroe County needs a state submerged land lease, so settle that before bidding a marina wall. Ask bidders to list barge access, Longshore coverage and any seafloor (benthic) survey as separate costs.

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.

A Stock Island planning checklist

These steps cover the questions that slow Stock Island jobs most often.

1. Confirm city or county

   Key West names only the south side of Stock Island as outside the city. Check your parcel record before choosing an office.

   Floodplain Management (FEMA)

2. Ask about species focus areas

   Ask county environmental staff at (305) 289-2502 if your lot is on the federal species maps, which cover the Stock Island tree snail.

   Environmental Resources · Habitat Conservation Plan transition presentation boards

3. Collect the over-water paperwork

   Expect to sign the county’s Work Over the Water Notice. Ask your contractor for a certificate showing Longshore coverage, not just a promise.

   Work Over the Water Notice · Rule 61G4-15.100, Certified Specialty Contractors

4. Verify the contractor’s license

   Monroe County requires a Certificate of Competency in the trade. Call the Licensing Coordinator at (305) 289-2583 to check.

   Protect Yourself & Others

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Key West: New Town, Riviera Canal & Salt Ponds, Key Haven (Raccoon Key), Big Coppitt, Rockland & Geiger Key

View the local guide directory.