Monroe County Schedules Key Largo, Stock Island Workshops on Food Truck Regulations

Monroe County has scheduled two community workshops to gather public input on proposed Land Development Code regulations aimed at food trucks the county defines as "mobile food-dispensing vehicles that operate at a fixed location for more than six months." The county posted the announcement on Feb. 11, 2026, and set the sessions for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Murray E. Nelson Government and Cultural Center in Key Largo, and 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, in the Bernstein Park Conference Room on Stock Island.

County officials say the workshops are open to the public and specifically invited residents, food truck vendors and business owners to participate. The county framed the sessions as a chance "to gain insight from community members into the impacts of each proposed regulation." KeysNews summarized the county staff goal as "to obtain feedback from community members about possible impacts of each new proposed regulation."

The workshops follow a July 2025 directive from the Board of County Commissioners to the Planning and Environmental Resources Department to pursue an amendment to the Land Development Code that would create specific regulations for these mobile vendors. County materials state that there will be additional opportunities to discuss the proposed regulations at public meetings once the proposals are ready to move through the county text amendment process.

Monroe County staff also prepared an online survey intended to supplement in-person input. The county says the survey takes about seven minutes to complete and "will close on March 6." Residents and vendors who cannot attend in person are encouraged to use the survey or contact county staff by email; the county published two contact addresses for questions: Tolpin-Devin@MonroeCounty-FL.Gov and Powell-Barbara@MonroeCounty-FL.Gov. The county points readers to its website for information on current regulations related to food truck uses within unincorporated Monroe County.

For local operators and small-business owners, the proposed focus on vehicles that remain at a fixed location for more than six months signals a shift from transient vendor rules toward regulation of semi-permanent operations. That distinction could change permitting, site-selection and enforcement practices for vendors who park long-term near marinas, commercial strips or residential neighborhoods. Residents may see changes to hours, setbacks, utility hookups or designated vendor zones if the text amendment proposes such measures; county materials do not yet list specific regulatory language.

Monroe County officials say the February workshops will inform the drafting and public-review stages that follow. For now, vendors, neighbors and business owners should note the meeting times, consider the county survey, and contact the Planning and Environmental Resources Department if they want copies of draft language or to request speaking time once formal hearings are scheduled. The meetings mark the start of a formal rulemaking process that could reshape how food trucks operate in the Keys.