By Jim McCarthy and Sara Matthis
Checkpoints at MM 112.5 and Card Sound Road in Key Largo will proceed long term and around the clock to keep non-county residents out of the island chain, county officials confirmed following a meeting on March 29.
The measure announced on March 24 to implement two checkpoints was only scheduled through the weekend. But that changed as public concern mounted over what might happen if the checkpoints were taken down and visitors allowed to access the Keys freely once again.
On March 28, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay questioned how much longer his agency could continue, just after the governor announced that all Florida Highway Patrol officers would be staffing checkpoints on big highways leading into the state.
“I have to have proper staffing to respond to calls, to do proactive policing, to have fast response to calls, to back up other officers and to prevent, deter and investigate crime that may occur,” he said.
An emergency meeting on March 29 yielded the answer. Monroe County will offer four employees every day and the cities of Marathon, Islamorada, Layton, Key Colony Beach and Key West will have two employees helping staff the checkpoints every day. State Attorney Dennis Ward said he will put his two state investigators on the checkpoints as well.
One of the biggest issues threatening the checkpoints’ continuation was manpower, Ramsay said. With 13 to 15 of his deputies staffing checkpoints around the clock, he was expecting assistance from Florida Highway Patrol troopers. They received that assistance March 27, but not for long.
It was the result of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order placing a 14-day quarantine on those coming from Louisiana into the state via Interstate 10. FHP was directed to enforce checkpoints into the state, which focus on the north end.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, 788 cars were turned around in the first 48 hours. They estimate that 2,000 people were sent back home.
Before the checkpoint started on the morning of March 27, the Florida Department of Transportation traffic counts were slightly less than half of average for this time of year. Since the checkpoint was enacted, the traffic counters are at about a fourth of the average for this time of year.
The decision to keep checkpoints going was welcome news to residents and officials in the Upper and Middle Keys.
“It’s a message to our constituency that we’re doing the best we can to help stay ahead of the curve so we don’t spread the virus that we already have in our town,” Islamorada Mayor Mike Forster said following the announcement on March 29. “What a great thing of showing unity, having all our municipalities share in the workload of the sheriff, sending our employees to the checkpoint to help since we’re not getting any assistance from the state.
Marathon City Manager Chuck Lindsey said he’s satisfied with the collaboration between governments and the solution.
“I already have volunteers from my staff,” Lindsey said. “Plus, going into the future, if necessary, I think we can call on the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteers.”
The decision to install checkpoints came in an effort to keep visitors and daytrippers, especially those in the hot spots such as Miami-Dade and Broward counties, out of the island chain to prevent community-spread coronavirus.
Only residents, property owners, and those actively involved in work in the Florida Keys will be admitted, including fuel, delivery and grocery trucks.
All in all, Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said, the checkpoints have been running smoothly. On the afternoon of March 30, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary James Wolfe issued an email to Gastesi acknowledging the checkpoint must end, as it was only approved for the weekend. After Gastesi requested that it continue, Wolfe approved the request.
“We’ll keep the checkpoint until we don’t need it any more,” Gastesi said. “There’s a lot of folks who want to step up and volunteer, which is great.”
Those actively engaged in work in the Keys, such as construction workers, must show a letter from their employer, employee identification, a paystub, or current construction contract in the Keys. First responders, healthcare workers and military actively engaged in work in the Keys will need proper IDs.
As for re-entry stickers, Monroe County residents will be able to pick them up at the county and some city fire stations between 1 and 5 p.m. until further notice. Stickers are also available at the tax collector’s Plantation Key, Marathon, and Key West offices from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Those in the City of Marathon may pick one up at the Marathon fire station. The City of Key West Fire Department and Islamorada fire stations are not participating. Key Largo Fire Department, the Tavernier station, and the Key Largo Department of Motor Vehicles are participating but are currently out of Key Largo stickers. They are on order.
