Key West Commissioners Vote 5-2 to Accept Higgs Beach From Monroe County

Key West residents will take their Higgs Beach complaints and repair requests directly to City Hall after the city commission voted 5-2 on April 9 to accept ownership of Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach Park from Monroe County, ending an arrangement in which the county managed a prominent 16.8-acre beachfront park inside city limits.

Mayor Danise Henriquez and Commissioners Greg Veliz, Monica Haskell, Lissette Carey, and Aaron Castillo voted in favor. Vice Mayor Donie Lee and Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who is also a mayoral candidate, dissented.

The transfer comes packaged with nearly $3.7 million: $500,000 directly from Monroe County, $834,448 from the Tourist Development Council, and roughly $987,000 in Hurricane Ian insurance proceeds and other grants. City Manager Brian L. Barroso and Monroe County Administrator Christine Hurley worked through the funding structure before the vote. But that money runs up quickly against a backlog city staff identified as nearly $2.9 million in non-recurring capital needs: $927,884 for Reynolds Street Pier repairs, $704,000 in West Martello Tower improvements, and $400,000 for seawall stabilization. Those three items alone exceed the full funding package before bathrooms, parking, or routine upkeep receive a dollar.

Commissioner Kaufman spelled out the math plainly: "Another gem is the waterfront park, and it doesn't pay for itself. Potential seawall replacement is millions. The writing is on the wall." He warned colleagues: "We are going to remember this two or three years from now — why are we in this position struggling to pay for Higgs Beach?" Vice Mayor Lee framed his opposition around timing: "We are embarking on our budget preparations. I can't go out in support of want as opposed to need. I just think there is too much uncertainty."

Mayor Henriquez was direct in response: "We should be in charge and in control of the beach within our city. We have to move forward."

A city cost-benefit analysis projected roughly $5.34 million in revenue over five years against about $5.11 million in costs, a net benefit of approximately $223,971, or less than $45,000 a year. Operating costs are projected to rise from about $936,810 in 2027 to more than $1.11 million by 2031, with roughly $240,000 in annual tenant rent supporting the revenue side.

Several residents opposed the deal at the hearing. Edie Hembright told commissioners the arrangement "seems to be a way for the county to give away something it doesn't want to be fiscally responsible for." Candidate Chris Massicotte called for a November voter referendum, arguing the commission was "taking on a long-term financial responsibility for an asset that already has known needs." Former Commissioner Margaret Romero said simply: "Don't do it."

The park the city now owns encompasses considerably more than sand. The 1040 Atlantic Blvd. property includes the 400-foot Reynolds Street Pier, tennis and pickleball courts, two gated dog parks, a children's playground, and a beachside café. It hosts the only shore-accessible underwater marine park in the United States and anchors the southern terminus of the Florida Overseas Heritage Trail, one of 31 nationally designated All-American Highways.

The park also holds two National Register of Historic Places sites: West Martello Tower, the Civil War-era fort operated by the Key West Garden Club, and the African Refugee Cemetery, where 294 of the 1,432 Africans brought to Key West after the U.S. Navy intercepted three slave ships in 1860 were buried in unmarked graves. Ground-penetrating radar confirmed the graves' location in 2002 and a memorial was installed in 2007. The city now inherits stewardship of both sites, with all attendant grant compliance and preservation obligations.

Monroe County Administrator Hurley framed the county's rationale directly: "Transferring this park will allow Key West residents to have greater input on how they want the park used, and it will streamline operations, allowing Monroe County Parks and Beaches staff to focus on areas in unincorporated Monroe County."

Budget workshops in the coming months will be the first public forum where Higgs Beach operating costs surface in city financial projections, giving the residents who packed the April 9 hearing their first concrete look at how far $3.7 million stretches against a backlog that was years in the making.