Extending Protections for Big Pine and No Name Keys

May 29, 2025 Sent by Email

RE: Agenda Item J.1. from the May 21, 2025 BOCC Meeting

Dear Mayor Scholl and County Commissioners:

Please ensure protections on Big Pine Key and No Name Key are maintained beyond the upcoming expiration of the twenty-year Habitat Conservation Plan.

Big Pine and No Name Keys are home to more than twenty Endangered and Threatened species, making the area unique and, therefore, in need of special regulations.

Protections to ensure an intact, healthy habitat must be continued and enforced to ensure the survival of the Endangered and Threatened species of this special area. Many Last Stand members have expressed concern over the potential negative impacts after the expiration of the Habitat Conservation Plan.

Last Stand of the Florida Keys is a non-profit organization established to preserve the Florida Keys and ensure a sustainable future for all. We advocate for promoting, preserving, and protecting the quality of life in the Florida Keys, with particular emphasis on the natural environment.

The recent history of low annual ROGO allocations for Big Pine and No Name Keys has been effective in allowing limited growth, without significantly diminishing critical habitat or Endangered and Threatened species. We ask that you extend special protections for Big Pine Key and No Name Key, while allowing for reasonable development, so that current residents, future generations of residents, and visitors to the Florida Keys may continue to experience the wonders of nature that are now available.

From the Last Stand Board of Directors

Cc: Christine Hurley, Monroe County Administrator

Chris Eggleston, Project Leader, USFWS Florida Keys Refuges Complex

Brian Powell, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, USFWS Florida Ecological Services, Vero Beach Office