Wildfire closes Card Sound Road near Key Largo, blocking all lanes
Smoke shut Card Sound Road at C905/C905A, cutting one of the Keys’ two main mainland links. Key Largo traffic, deliveries and emergency access were hit.
A wildfire on Card Sound Road South at C905/C905A shut all lanes near Key Largo, blocking one of the Florida Keys’ two main routes to the mainland and immediately disrupting travel for commuters, workers, visitors and deliveries.
Florida Department of Transportation updates early on May 11 said the road remained closed as crews dealt with the fire. With Card Sound Road cut off, drivers moving between Miami-Dade County and the Upper Keys were pushed onto U.S. 1, putting extra pressure on the only other major corridor into the Keys.
The closure landed in a place that has seen major fire-related snarls before. In May 2025, a wildfire near Card Sound Road started around 2:30 p.m. and grew from about 6 acres to nearly 400 acres by the next day, forcing intermittent closures and delays into and out of the Florida Keys. Upper Keys schools stayed open during that fire, but bus transportation for some students was disrupted.
In March 2025, Monroe County described another nearby blaze as the 344 Fire. That fire burned about 24,000 acres and was 30% contained at one point, underscoring how fast dry grassland fires can move in the corridor. During that emergency, Monroe County Emergency Management said there were no unmet needs from partners, but local officials also warned people not to fly drones over the fire area because drones can stop aerial firefighting missions.
The latest closure adds another layer of strain to a road network that serves daily life in the Upper Keys. The Card Sound route is critical for residents heading to work, school and medical appointments, and for businesses that depend on steady access to and from Key Largo and the rest of Monroe County. During a similar disruption last year, some travelers said they were stuck for hours, and Upper Keys businesses took a hit.
For now, the fire has turned Card Sound Road into a dead end at one of the county’s most important choke points. Until the roadway reopens, the impact will ripple far beyond the blaze itself.
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