The Islamorada village manager, council members, business owners and artists recently packed the Moose Lodge to discuss plans for the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District. And the future is bright.
“Our fishing town is now becoming an art town,” said Stephanie Cox, executive director of the nonprofit Morada Way Arts & Cultural District (MWACD).
“We’ve seen an exponential growth in businesses,” said Emma Putney, an artist and the nonprofit’s events chairperson. “Five years ago the Jessica Ann Art boutique was the only one open. The past three years there’s been enormous growth.”
“Our mission is to create and maintain an environment that enables a creative and business community to thrive,” said Craig McBay, who led the May 14 meeting. He is the board chairman of MWACD and owner of Florida Keys Brewing Co., a business within the area that has seen much success itself.
Not bad for a district that was a sleepy street with more coconuts than people just a few years ago.
Here are the stats: The MWACD nonprofit was started in 2011, and at the time the district’s six-block area had a popular monthly art walk, a pottery studio and a gallery or two within its borders.
Now, MWACD owns 151 Morada Way, home to five art galleries and a shaved-ice truck; manages 140 Morada Way, formerly Morada Way Clay and now Wonder and Wyld Creative; has a four-member board and two employees; and is an essential part of the Islamorada Comprehensive Plan, which is required by the state of Florida in order for the village to formally propose a vision for its future.
The public can read the plan on the village’s website. Rather than being a definite blueprint set in stone, the document contains ideas for the future.
According to the plan, “Enhanced paving patterns, a welcoming entry arch, and integrated public art along Morada Way will create a distinctive and memorable gateway to the Arts District. These elements will serve as both a striking visual landmark and a functional improvement, guiding visitors toward key destinations while establishing a clear sense of place.”
Council members who attended the May 14 meeting also addressed a pain point that is a result of the district’s recent growth: lack of parking and too much traffic.
Manager Ron Saunders mentioned that an app is being considered as a solution to provide more control.
“Now it’s haphazard and you have to park under a tree,” he said.
The village is also considering a “loop system,” said councilwoman Deb Gillis, where people can hop on and off a vehicle that has a schedule.
But Gillis cautioned that plans like these to deal with traffic take time, pointing out that they had to “battle” with the Florida Department of Transportation over where to put parking spaces on the right-of-way.
“And that took forever,” she said.
Aside from these concerns, there is much to celebrate about the success of MWACD. According to its brochure (which has very appealing, Instagram-worthy photos), Morada Way is the “only walking district in Islamorada and the largest in the Keys, besides Key West, running from Green Turtle to the Hurricane Monument. Over 40 businesses!”
And let’s not forget the “arts” part of the arts district. In fall 2025, with a grant from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, MWACD “completely cleaned out and renovated the former Morada Way Clay building which is now a revamped pottery, art and plant studio called Wonder & Wyld Creative,” according to its brochure.
The studio is run by Holly Dayton, who said at the meeting, “Our plan was to breathe love into the space. We started art classes in late April and it’s been very successful.”
Wonder & Wyld Creative also holds 10-plus new local artists who are now displaying their work, and ideas for the studio’s future include a “craft cafe.”
At the end of the meeting, one of the attendees expressed gratitude for the district’s developments, and joked that Islamorada’s previous city center consisted of a grocery store and a movie theater.
“We now have a downtown,” he said. “We have needed this for a long time.”
More information on the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District is at moradaway.org. More information on the Islamorada Comprehensive Plan is at islamorada.fl.us.
