Sugarloaf Key seawall repair: long canals, small tides

Get to know your waterfront

Sugarloaf Key covers mile markers 17 to 20 in the county canal inventory, with Upper Sugarloaf and Lower Sugarloaf Shores. Its 55 canal sections are mostly oceanside, and Sugarloaf Boulevard alone touches 25 of them. Tide range fields are low, about 0.4 to 0.8 ft. In Irma, Sugarloaf sat just west of Cudjoe Key, where the Hurricane Center’s inundation estimate jumped from 2 to 4 ft up to 5 to 8 ft.

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) · Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), current version dated 8 July 2026

Low tides, long canals: reading a Sugarloaf shoreline

Sugarloaf sits right where Irma’s surge changed. The Hurricane Center found 5 to 8 ft of inundation from Cudjoe Key east, and 2 to 4 ft from west of Cudjoe to Key West. Sugarloaf lies on the western, lower side of that line. Hurricane Center Irma report

Its canals are quieter most days. The county lists 55 canal sections on Sugarloaf, 48 of them oceanside, serving 653 parcels along about 41,500 ft. Their tide range fields run only about 0.4 to 0.8 ft. County canal inventory

Find your canal

• Sugarloaf Boulevard: tied to 25 canal numbers between 387 and 430.
• Lower Sugarloaf: Shore Drive, Westpoint Drive, South Point Drive, Venetian Way and the fish lanes: Bonefish, Bonita, Kingfish, Starfish, Angelfish, Wahoo and Amberjack.
• Upper Sugarloaf: Crane Boulevard, Loggerhead Lane and Hawksbill Lane, on canal 307.

These links come from the county lookup, and one street can touch several canals. County canal street list Canal 430 has a connector cut through to give it two mouths. County canal inventory

Slow water and the restoration list

The county says many Keys canals are too deep, with too little tidal flushing, so they trap stormwater, debris and dead seagrass. County canal restoration requests With tides this small, many Sugarloaf canals likely flush slowly.

Other Sugarloaf canals on the list include 411 (53rd), 413 (62nd), 318 (64th) and 385 (67th). 2021 county canal ranking These are public water-quality estimates, never seawall prices. Ask the canal program at (305) 453-8774 if yours is scheduled. County canal restoration page

Sewer hookups matter to canal water too. Upper Sugarloaf had the lowest connection rate the state monitored, with 73 percent of its 592 equivalent dwelling units connected. FloridaCommerce Keys oversight report

Roads in the county flood study

• Lower Sugarloaf has 50 road segments, about 27,437 ft, on the county’s list of its most critical roads, across Sugarloaf Shores and Orchid Park. County critical roads list
• The study’s 2025 group includes Upper Sugarloaf along SR 939B (4,512 ft, criticality 4.89) and Sugarloaf Shores sections A-F with Orchid Park (3,630 ft). County road study
• The larger Sugarloaf Shores area, 31,857 ft, falls in the 2035 group. County road study
• The county singles out Upper Sugarloaf’s Johnson Road as a segment it already knew was very vulnerable. County critical roads list
• Sugarloaf Key is Hot Spot 5, at risk from present-day rainfall and future sea-level rise, with the school and an FKAA lift station on the list. County vulnerability assessment

Key deer range reaches Sugarloaf

The county says more than 85 percent of Key deer live on Big Pine and No Name, with other deer found through mile marker 16. State of the County 2023 Sugarloaf’s canals sit at mile markers 17 to 20, inside that range. County canal inventory

The federal species focus area maps, not the mile marker, decide if your permit goes to Fish and Wildlife. Ask county environmental staff to check your parcel before design. Monroe County code Ch. 122

During Wilma, the NOAA Weather Radio transmitter on Sugarloaf went silent when its generator’s fuel tank floated away. NWS Key West Wilma summary For a dock alongside the wall, see docks and boat lifts.

What could the work cost?

Sugarloaf’s canal system runs about 41,500 ft, so a barge may travel a long way to reach your lot. Ask each bidder how they will get there and what that adds, and keep dock or lift work as a separate line from the 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.

A Sugarloaf planning checklist

Four things a Sugarloaf owner can do this week.

1. Match your street to a canal number

   Use the county’s Residential Canals map file to confirm your canal number, depth and ranking. Sugarloaf Boulevard alone touches 25 canals.

   Canal, Roads Names and Areas (List of Keys Residential Canals by location) · Canal Restoration

2. Check the species maps early

   Ask county environmental staff if your parcel is in a species focus area. If it is, the permit can be held until Fish and Wildlife weighs in.

   Monroe County Land Development Code, Chapter 122 - Floodplain Management · State of the County 2023

3. Photograph king tides

   The county expects king tides from September through December and asks for flood photos with address, date and time at greenkeys@monroecounty-fl.gov. The same photos record how water meets your cap.

   King Tides & High Tides

4. Time any seagrass survey

   If a new dock or riprap could reach seagrass, the sanctuary’s survey window runs June 1 to September 30. Plan around it.

   Resource Assessment Survey Protocols for Nearshore Construction Projects

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Big Coppitt, Rockland & Geiger Key, Cudjoe Key & Cudjoe Gardens, Summerland Key

View the local guide directory.