SENATOR ANA MARIA RODRIGUEZ PRESENTS $1.65 MILLION FOR BOCA CHICA MOORING FIELD

​STOCK ISLAND, FL – Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez met with Mayor Jim Scholl, District 1 County Commissioner Craig Cates, and Marine Resources Administrator Brittany Burtner today to present $1.65 million for funding the construction of the shoreside facility needed at the Boca Chica Mooring Field project. The county also thanks Representative Jim Mooney, the state legislature, and Gov. Ron DeSantis for the funding. The facilities will include restrooms, a dockmaster’s office, a sewage pump-out station, and recycling areas.
 
“This project is a game-changer for the lower Florida Keys,” said Cates, who has been championing the mooring field in his district. “By managing this harbor, we’re taking a huge step forward in protecting our marine environment, improving public safety, and supporting our liveaboard community.”
 
The project supports Florida’s statutory requirements for creating a designated, regulated anchorage under Section 327.4108, and it will help protect sensitive marine habitats by reducing damage from unmanaged anchoring, enhancing public safety, and providing needed shoreside infrastructure to support the boating community.
 
Monroe County has worked for over two decades to create a managed mooring field in the harbor. The harbor has long served as an unmanaged anchorage, resulting in significant environmental damage to coral, seagrass, and water quality. It is also home to numerous derelict vessels and has been plagued by improper waste disposal.
 
“The mooring field and facility will also help decrease the risk of vessel groundings, which can lead to fuel, oil, and sewage leaks in sensitive habitats and enable better regulation of vessel activity, including monitoring of vessel condition, proper sewage discharge, and use of pump-out services,” said Burtner.
 
It has been over 23 years since a public mooring field was established in the Florida Keys.
 
The mooring field will implement environmentally friendly anchoring systems that prevent damage to the harbor’s seafloor, enabling seagrasses and other marine ecosystems to recover and thrive. Additionally, the shoreside facilities will provide regulated access for boaters, enhancing safety and cleanliness in the area.
 
For more information, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/marineresources.