Monroe County Seeks Fees for Nonresident Park and Boat Access

Monroe County commissioners voted on December 10 to instruct staff to prepare updates to the county code to permit charging nonresidents for vehicle parking, boat trailer parking and boat ramp launch and retrieval at all county parks and beaches. The directive would expand where the county may impose nonresident fees and would allow the board to set and adjust those fees by resolution rather than through repeated ordinance amendments.

The proposed changes would apply at existing locations that already charge or could soon charge nonresidents. Those include Harry Harris Park where nonresident admission is already charged, Higgs Beach in Key West, Pine Channel Nature Park on Big Pine Key, Rowell’s Waterfront Park and Mike Forster Memorial Park in Key Largo. County parks and beaches director John Allen told commissioners that the policy is intended to preserve resident access while shifting more of the upkeep cost to visitors. “The intent is not to restrict public access, but to ensure that the financial burden of maintaining these popular amenities is shared by those who don’t pay property taxes in Monroe County,” Allen said.

At present Monroe County charges nonresident admission only at Harry Harris Park. That fee is fifteen dollars per nonresident vehicle, with boat ramp fees of forty dollars on weekends that are not holidays and sixty dollars on holidays. Park admission is waived for active duty military, disabled veterans and qualifying individuals under Florida law, provided they present proper identification. Staff will prepare the proposed ordinance updates for board consideration at a future meeting.

Local impact could be immediate for visitors who travel to the Florida Keys for day recreation and for businesses that rely on tourist traffic near county parks and boat ramps. For residents the change promises continued free access while providing a new revenue stream dedicated to maintenance and operations. The procedural shift to fee setting by board resolution would allow faster adjustments in response to demand and cost pressures, while reducing the number of ordinance level votes required.

The board will consider the staff drafted ordinance at an upcoming meeting, where residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to review proposed fees and offer public comment.