Monroe County kicks off tourism week with paddleboard proclamation

Monroe County used a floating proclamation at Old Wooden Bridge Marina on Big Pine Key to put its largest industry front and center: tourism, the sector Visit Florida Keys says supports more than 24,000 jobs across the county.

More than 100 people gathered on May 4 to watch county leaders sign the National Travel and Tourism Week proclamation from paddleboards offshore, turning a civic ceremony into a distinctly Keys display. Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln stood on a board in the water as she signed, while Visit Florida Keys President and CEO Kara Franker and other local officials joined the floating event. A conch shell call, business suits and paddles in the water gave the scene the kind of local branding mainland destinations cannot easily copy.

Franker helped come up with the idea, and the county even held a practice session so Lincoln could balance and sign before the public ceremony. The result was part ceremony, part stunt, but the economic message behind it was serious. Franker has said tourism remains the largest economic driver for the Florida Keys, and the county’s dependence on visitors, hotels, restaurants, boat rentals and attractions was the backdrop for the day’s celebration.

The proclamation also marked the start of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations in the Keys, linking the tourism kickoff to a broader year of commemorations. In Monroe County, where the visitor economy shapes everything from seasonal hiring to daily traffic at marinas and restaurants, the event served as a reminder that branding matters as much as ceremony.

Lincoln described the paddleboard setting as a fitting way to reflect leadership in the islands, where balance is part of the job. That message matched the scene at Old Wooden Bridge Marina, where county officials used the water itself as the stage and the Keys’ recognizable image as the selling point.

For Monroe County businesses, the moment was less about spectacle than strategy. The paddleboard proclamation gave tourism week a visual hook and underscored a simple fact: in the Keys, the local brand is the business model.