The city of Key West now owns the beach and surrounding park in the heart of town.
For decades, Higgs Beach and its amenities belonged to Monroe County, which prompted occasional jurisdictional concerns when the city’s rules for parks and beaches differed from the county’s.
At a ceremony on April 30, Monroe County Mayor Michelle Coldiron officially handed the “key” to Higgs Beach to Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, marking the ownership transfer, which took effect at midnight on May 1.
The Key West City Commission voted 5-2 on April 1 to accept the Higgs Beach parcel from the county.
Key West gets Higgs Beach, the surrounding park, buildings and recreational amenities from the county, plus about $3.7 million in grants and insurance proceeds for planned repairs and improvements.
The county gets to position its parks and recreation staff and resources to serve countywide facilities more efficiently and effectively, as it never made much sense for the county to own a large beach and park in the heart of Key West.
As part of the agreement, the county will transfer about $3 million from insurance proceeds following Hurricane Ian claims and from Tourist Development Council (TDC) grants that cover long-term beach cleaning and maintenance as well as specific improvements. That $3 million would cover seawall repair, playground improvements, upgrades to the historic West Martello building and more.
“Higgs Beach is a valuable asset, but for the county to operate and maintain it is hard on our operation and we know there have always been differences of opinion on what should be there,” Monroe County Administrator Christine Hurley said at the April 1 city commission meeting.
