Standing tall for 150 years, Alligator Reef Lighthouse is more than a structure rising above the Atlantic Ocean.
Named after the U.S. Navy ship Alligator, the lighthouse helped guide the way for mariners. Today, it serves as a symbol of the Islamorada community’s resilience and maritime heritage.
The lighthouse represents the shipwrecks, pirates, pirate hunters, the earliest stories of lighthouse keepers, divers and anglers. The lighthouse and its surrounding turquoise waters have hosted weddings and burials at sea. In June, a former lighthouse keeper’s ashes were spread not far from Alligator Lighthouse. Jeffrery Kime, a U.S. Coast Guard member from 1959 to 1965, spent several months manning the towering, majestic lighthouse roughly 4 nautical miles off Islamorada.
Beneath the lighthouse, the waters and coral reef teem with fish for snorkelers to see up close. From land, it’s one of the more visible lighthouses from the Overseas Highway. And it hosts hundreds of swimmers from various states and countries every September for the Swim to Alligator Lighthouse.
First lit in 1873, the lighthouse stands guard in honor of Islamorada’s past, present and future. In 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard declared lighthouses in the Florida Keys, including Alligator Lighthouse, weren’t needed anymore. It led the General Services Administration, which preserves government buildings and manages real estate, to seek viable suitors for Alligator Lighthouse, so long as they agreed to preserve the light’s historic features while making it accessible to the public.
By September 2022, the U.S. Department of Interior granted the local nonprofit Friends of the Pool Inc. ownership of the lighthouse with the agreement that it would eventually be restored. It was a new endeavor for Rob Dixon, Larry Herlth and the Friends of the Pool. An all-out push for ownership of the lighthouse was successful; a plan to restore the lighthouse was the next gigantic challenge.
Dixon told Keys Weekly they have phase one restoration plans in the works. That includes restoring the platform, walkway to access the lighthouse and stairway up to the light.
A government shutdown, however, has slowed the progress a bit.
“We submitted permitting paperwork to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. They were in the process of reviewing our application, but everything’s been shut down for the last month now. We were also in the process of working with the Army Corps of Engineers on an application as well.”
Dixon added they’ve reached out to contractors regarding bids for phase one restoration work.
And while the government shutdown slowed the permit process, the fundraising efforts to restore the lighthouse to its old glory charges ahead. The Reignite the Light Gala is set for Saturday, Nov. 15 beginning at 5 p.m. and concluding at 10 p.m. on Tea Table Key in Islamorada. Guests will enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment from 5 to 7 p.m. Following a dinner catered by Green Turtle Inn, attendees will have the opportunity to place bids on trips, jewelry and more during a live auction.
Those who purchase a VIP table will enjoy a private bar while receiving a special goody bag. The evening will also feature raffles, a walking oyster bar and a Cuban coffee bar later in the night.
Jenn Weiden, event organizer, said the gala isn’t possible without the support of businesses including Keys Audio, HNO Productions, Green Turtle, Coral Keys Party Rentals and Island Time Trolley. Weiden also expressed thanks to Victor Ballestas for allowing the gala to be held on Tea Table Key, and all the sponsors that stepped up big time to support the lighthouse’s restoration.
Dixon said all the people he talks to care about the lighthouse and don’t want to see it toppling over.
“It’s our Statue of Liberty out there. We want it to shine and be a part of our history,” he said.
Visit Savealligatorlighthouse.org or Save Alligator Lighthouse on Facebook to grab your tickets.
