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136-466: More than 95% of the land area lies in Monroe County , but a small portion extends northeast into Miami-Dade County , such as Totten Key . The total land area is 137.3 square miles (356 km). At the 2010 census the population was 73,090, with an average density of 532.34 per square mile (205.54/km), although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as

272-487: A 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge railway that began service in 1883 between South Jacksonville and St. Augustine. While the JStA&;HR was used to transport building materials for the hotel's construction, Flagler found it was poorly constructed and its passenger services would be inadequate for patrons to reach his hotel. Flagler joined the board of the JStA&HR on December 10, 1885, before fully purchasing

408-470: A channel, built streets and The Royal Palm Hotel , instituted the first water and power systems, and financed the town's first newspaper, the Metropolis . In 1903, Flagler extended the main line an additional 12 miles from Downtown Miami southwest to access much of the unsettled lowlands near Cutler Ridge which he felt could generate agricultural traffic. This proved successful and the following year,

544-439: A crew not obeying signaling. . FEC has what is called by some a "prime" railroad right-of-way. The heavy weight of the rock trains required very good trackage and bridges. The railroad has mostly 136 pound-per-yard (66 kg/m) continuous-welded rail attached to concrete ties, which sits on a high quality granite roadbed. The entire railroad is controlled by centralized traffic control with constant radio communication. Because

680-534: A dry season from November through April, that features little rainfall, sunny skies, and warm breezy conditions. The warm and sunny winter climate, with average highs around 75 °F (24 °C) and lows above 60 °F (16 °C), is the main tourist season in the Florida Keys. Key West is the driest city in Florida, and most of the Florida Keys can become quite dry at the height of the dry season. Some of

816-574: A first language, and 17.56% spoke Spanish, 0.96% spoke French Creole (mainly Haitian Creole ), 0.74% spoke French, and 0.50% spoke Russian as their primary language. In total, 22.43% of the population spoke a main language other than English. Monroe County cultural organizations include the Key West Literary Seminar , The Studios of Key West , the Red Barn Theatre, Key West Symphony, Sculpture Key West, Fantasy Fest ,

952-667: A focus of management activities in Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge . About 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West is Dry Tortugas National Park . The waters surrounding the Keys are part of a protected area known as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . The climate of the Florida Keys is tropical savanna ( Köppen climate classification : Aw). Other than some areas of coastal Miami (Miami Beach),

1088-541: A future rail expansion to Tampa is currently in the planning stages. A lifeblood of the FEC is its transportation of high-grade limestone , which is used in the formulation for concrete and other construction purposes. The limestone is quarried near Miami in the "Lake Belt" area of Dade County and Broward County just west of Hialeah . The rock trains come out of the FEC yard at Medley in Miami-Dade County and

1224-399: A household in the county was $ 42,283, and the median income for a family was $ 50,734. Males had a median income of $ 31,266 versus $ 25,709 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 26,102. About 6.80% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over. As of 2010, 77.57% spoke English as

1360-595: A legal injunction against the blockade failed in federal court in Miami , on April 23, 1982, Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow and the city council declared the independence of the city of Key West , calling it the " Conch Republic ". After one minute of secession, he (as "Prime Minister") surrendered to an officer of the Key West Naval Air Station (NAS) and requested US$ 1,000,000,000 in " foreign aid ". The stunt succeeded in generating great publicity for

1496-463: A line from Central Florida to West Palm Beach (built by the Seaboard's Florida Western and Northern Railroad subsidiary) in 1925. This line was extended by their Seaboard-All Florida Railway subsidiary to Miami and Homestead on a route nearly parallel to the FEC two years later. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and Great Depression were harsh on the FEC. The railroad declared bankruptcy and

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1632-425: A move surprising to many employees and railroad industry observers alike, the FEC was purchased for over US$ 3 billion (including non-rail assets) by Fortress Investment Group , the principal investors who also control short line railroad operator RailAmerica . John Giles was named chairman, and David Rohal was named president. Both men were also principals with major responsibilities at RailAmerica as well, although

1768-513: A new station was planned at NE 36th Street and NE 2nd Avenue, it was never built. Further, while freight trains were operated with non-union and supervisory crews, passenger runs were not reinstated until August 2, 1965, after the City of Miami sued and the Florida courts ruled that the FEC corporate charter required both coach and first class passenger services to be offered. In response, FEC sold "parlor car seating" for first class accommodations in

1904-428: A privately owned and operated service between Miami and Orlando along its route, to be named All Aboard Florida. New high speed trackage would be built between Brevard County (the oceanside county east of Orlando) and Orlando International Airport . In addition to the new track, the main line is once again being expanded to double track from Brevard County to Miami (some of the bridges still have adequate width from

2040-434: A prolonged work stoppage by non-operating unions, beginning January 23, 1963, and whose picket lines were honored by the operating unions (the train crews). Because the strike was by the non-operating unions, a federal judge ordered the railroad to continue observing their work rules, while the railroad was free to change the work rules for the operating unions, who were technically not on strike and thus had no standing in

2176-422: A settlement. According to historian Burton Altman: After the settlement, workers were earning at least one dollar an hour less than their counterparts on other railroads. Wages were well below the industry's scale and the work force had been cut in half. When the strike began, 1,600 walked out. In time, 900 went back to work on the company's terms; others found employment elsewhere. Only about 100 stayed out until

2312-612: A small island that housed workers building Henry Flagler 's Florida East Coast Railway in the 1900s, that the original Seven Mile Bridge crossed. A 2.2-mile (3.5 km) section of the old bridge remains for access to the island, although it was closed to vehicular traffic on March 4, 2008. The aging structure has been deemed unsafe by the Florida Department of Transportation . Costly repairs, estimated to be as much as $ 34 million, were expected to begin in July 2008. Monroe County

2448-748: A submerged oolitic deposit. The bars lithified into Miami Limestone, and with changes in sea level are presently exposed as the islands, while the channels between the bars now separate the islands. Just offshore of the Florida Keys along the edge of the Florida Straits is the Florida Reef (also known as the Florida Reef Tract), separated from the keys by the Hawk Channel . The Florida Reef extends 170 miles (270 km) from Fowey Rocks just east of Soldier Key to just south of

2584-534: A total area of 3,738 square miles (9,680 km ), of which 983 square miles (2,550 km ) (26.3%) is land and 2,754 square miles (7,130 km ) (73.7%) is water. It is the largest county in Florida by total area. More than 99.9 percent of the Monroe County population lives in the island chain known as the Florida Keys . Two thirds of the large area in what local residents call "mainland Monroe"

2720-576: A week until it was finally discontinued on July 31, 1968. The Florida East Coast Railway has operated from its relocated headquarters in Jacksonville since it sold the original General Office Building in St. Augustine to Flagler College in late 2006. Its trains run over nearly the same route developed by Henry Flagler, with the addition of the Moultrie Cutoff (St. Augustine to Bunnell ), which

2856-507: A winter resort for the wealthy members of America's Gilded Age . Palm Beach was to be the terminus of the Flagler railroad, but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit all of Central Florida , whereas the Miami area remained unaffected, causing Flagler to rethink his original decision not to move the railroad south of Palm Beach. The fable that Julia Tuttle , one of two main landowners in

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2992-456: Is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida , currently owned by Grupo México . Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Flagler . He originally visited Florida with his first wife, Mary; they sought assistance with the health issues she faced. A key strategist who worked closely with John D. Rockefeller building

3128-555: Is coterminous with the Key West-Key Largo, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), with Key Largo and Key West designated as principal cities . The μSA was first defined in 2003 as the Key West-Marathon, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area. The name was changed to Key West, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area in 2006, and to Key West-Key Largo, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area in 2023. The μSA

3264-531: Is home to Winter Star Party , a prominent annual amateur astronomy event in the United States, and one of the Top 10 star parties in the world according to BBC Sky at Night . It is an international gathering that attracts 500+ people each year who enjoy stargazing, astrophotography and Milky Way photography. Bahia Honda State Park is a well known dark skies location among locals offering unobstructed views of

3400-502: Is home to a large LGBT community, particularly in Key West . Due to the influence of this community, Monroe County was the only county in Florida to reject 2008 Florida Amendment 2 , which banned same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state. The amendment passed in the state with 60% of the vote. Monroe County is politically divided by geography, with Key West voting reliably Democratic, Stock Island being politically variable, and

3536-481: Is it that you propose?" To convince Flagler to continue the railroad to Miami, both Tuttle and William Brickell offered half of their holdings north and south of the Miami River to him. Tuttle added 50 acres (200,000 m ) for shops and yards if Flagler would extend his railroad to the shores of Biscayne Bay and build one of his great hotels. An agreement was made and contracts were signed. On September 7, 1895,

3672-592: Is not one of the Florida Keys, but the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida. The main chain of Keys islands can be traveled by motor vehicles on the Overseas Highway , a 127-mile (204 km) section of U.S. 1 , which runs from Key West to Fort Kent, Maine in its entirety. The highway was built parallel to the original route of the Overseas Railway , which

3808-703: Is part of the Miami-Port Saint Lucie-Fort Lauderdale Combined Statistical Area . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 82,874 people, 32,839 households, and 18,586 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2010, there were 73,090 people, 32,629 households, and 18,219 families living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% White (71.3% Non-Hispanic White), 5.7% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American , 1.1% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 1.4% from other races , and 1.8% from two or more races. 20.6% of

3944-502: Is served by the Miami-Dade County subregional library of Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Books Library. 54% of the people in the county work in the tourist industry. In 2016, tourism brought $ 2.7 billion to the county. 25°07′N 81°09′W  /  25.12°N 81.15°W  / 25.12; -81.15 Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway ( reporting mark FEC )

4080-932: Is the primary college education provider with main campus in Key West, Florida. FKCC also operates two additional campuses in the Florida Keys; one in Marathon and another in Key Largo. Like much of the Solid South, in the first two-thirds of the 20th century, Monroe was a solidly Democratic county, supporting landslide losers like James M. Cox and John W. Davis . However, unlike most Southern Democrats, Monroe County voters tended to be far more liberal on social issues such as civil rights and later gay rights, voting powerfully for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and even supporting Hubert Humphrey in 1968, one of only three counties to do so. Despite this, Richard Nixon did easily carry

4216-599: Is uninhabited by virtue of being part of the Everglades National Park , and the remainder by the Big Cypress National Preserve in the northeastern interior. The area, officially named Cape Sable Census County Division , is virtually uninhabited. This area has 87.4 percent of the county's land area (859.6 out of 983 sq mi (2,546 km )), but it had only 0.022 percent of the county's population (18 out of 82,170) as of

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4352-529: The Atlantic Coast Line which had proposed an alternate plan of reorganization. That same year, a labor contract negotiation turned sour. Ball was determined to save the railroad from the bankruptcy that had continued for more than a decade. Ball was certain that if the company didn't become profitable, the equipment and track would deteriorate to the point where some lines would become unsafe or unusable and require partial abandonment. Later, in 1962,

4488-590: The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad . The Key West extension was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 . An FEC rescue train, with the exception of steam locomotive 447, was overturned by the storm surge at Islamorada . 42 miles (68 km) of track were washed away by the hurricane, two miles of which ended up washing ashore on the mainland at Cape Sable . The FEC's Long Key Fishing Camp

4624-536: The Calusa and Tequesta tribes and were charted by Juan Ponce de León in 1513. De León named the islands Los Martires ("The Martyrs"), as they looked like suffering men from a distance. "Key" is derived from the Spanish word cayo , meaning small island. For many years, Key West was the largest town in Florida, and it grew prosperous on wrecking revenues. The isolated outpost was well located for trade with Cuba and

4760-691: The Casa Monica Hotel , which he renamed Cordova. He then built a third hotel, the Hotel Alcazar , which opened in 1898. With the success of his three St. Augustine hotels, Flagler incorporated the Jacksonville Bridge Company to build a bridge across the St. Johns River and connect the JStA&HR to the rest of Jacksonville's railroads. Passengers needed to be ferried across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville to access

4896-595: The Florida land boom of the 1920s , which led to increased traffic. By 1923, the FEC was running five daily passenger trains roundtrip between Jacksonville and Miami. Two of these trains, the Havana Special and the Key West Express continued to Key West. The following year, the number of passenger trains between Jacksonville and Miami increased to eight with two continuing to Key West. In response to

5032-761: The Ormond Hotel in Ormond Beach . Flagler created the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company in 1892 as a holding company for his railroad network. Beginning in 1892, when landowners south of Daytona petitioned him to extend the railroad 80 miles (130 km) south, Flagler began laying new railroad tracks; no longer did he follow his traditional practice of purchasing existing railroads and merging them into his growing rail system. Under Florida's generous land-grant laws passed in 1893, 8,000 acres (3,237 ha) could be claimed from

5168-514: The Overseas Highway to Key West, using much of the remaining railway infrastructure. A rebuilt Overseas Highway ( U.S. Route 1 ), taking an alignment that closely follows the Overseas Railroad's original routing, continues to provide the only highway link to Key West, ending near the southernmost point in the continental United States. The remaining Long Key Viaduct , Seven Mile Bridge , and Bahia Honda Rail Bridge that once carried

5304-699: The Panama Canal was announced by the United States in 1905. As the closest deep-water port in the United States to the canal, Key West was positioned to take advantage of significant new trade with the west that would be enabled by the opening of the canal – this, in addition to the city's existing involvement with Cuban and Latin American trade. Key West was a major coaling station for ship traffic between South America and New York. Flagler thought it would be profitable for coal to be brought by railroad to Key West for coaling those ships. Though, by

5440-490: The St. Joe Company prior to 1983. The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) was developed by Henry Morrison Flagler , an American tycoon , real estate promoter, railroad developer and John D. Rockefeller 's partner in Standard Oil . Formed at Cleveland, Ohio , as Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler in 1867, Standard Oil moved its headquarters in 1877 to New York City . Flagler and his family relocated there as well. He

5576-421: The St. Johns River at Tocoi Landing. The St. Johns Railway first opened in 1858 and Flagler purchased the line from New York millionaire William Astor. Flagler also acquired another railroad from Astor, the St. Augustine and Palatka Railway which ran from Tocoi Junction (about halfway between St. Augustine and Tocoi Landing) on the St. Johns Railway and ran southwest to East Palatka. Finally, Flagler acquired

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5712-628: The St. Johns and Halifax River Railroad which opened in the early 1880s from East Palatka southeast to Ormond Beach and Daytona . It was extended west into Palatka after the completion of a bridge over the St. Johns River in 1888. In addition to expanding the network, the acquired railroads gave Flagler two additional accesses to the St. Johns River at Tocoi Landing and East Palatka, as well as additional connections to other railroads in Palatka. Continuing to develop hotel facilities to entice northern tourists to visit Florida, Flagler bought and expanded

5848-547: The United States Border Patrol established a roadblock and inspection points on US Highway 1 , stopping all northbound traffic returning to the mainland at Florida City , to search vehicles for illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants. The Key West City Council repeatedly complained about the roadblocks, which were a major inconvenience for travellers, and hurt the Keys' important tourism industry. After various unsuccessful complaints and attempts to get

5984-634: The United States Supreme Court . The FEC continued operation with heavily reduced non-union crews (often former strikers), at the cost of a high turnover rate, low morale, and deteriorating infrastructure. Most of the unions struck an agreement with the FEC in 1971; the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers remained on strike until March 1, 1974, until the courts forced

6120-672: The 1980s, when new highway bridges were built alongside. Many of the original railroad and highway bridges remain today as pedestrian fishing piers. The Florida Keys has public bus transportation. Despite this reconstruction, U.S. 1 was not widened on a large scale, and today most of the route consists of just two lanes. Due to their tropical climate, the Florida Keys attract several hundred thousand tourists annually. While some visitors arrive via Key West International Airport and Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon , cruise ship or ferry from Miami , Fort Myers , or Marco Island, Florida,

6256-465: The 2021 American Community Survey. The Census Bureau defines this area as Census Tract 9800 of Monroe County, Florida. In mainland Monroe, the only three populated places appearing on detailed maps and in the USGS geographic name database are Flamingo , Pinecrest , (not to be confused with much larger Pinecrest of neighboring Miami-Dade County ), and Trail City . Flamingo, on the south coast and at

6392-735: The Arts Corporation. The name was changed to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts in 2001. Today the organization is the liaison among cultural organizations, all levels of government and the private sector in encouraging and promoting the arts throughout Monroe County. The council endeavors to make the arts a part of the fabric of daily life. From its inception through fiscal year end 2006, FKCA has awarded $ 433,916 in privately raised funds and grants to literary, visual and performing artists and cultural organizations. Add to that sum

6528-511: The Arts, a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation in a public-private partnership with local county government since 1997 serves 76,329 local residents and three million visitors annually. A ten-member board of directors guides the council, assisted by three alternate directors, two directors Emeritus and twenty-five advisory board members. The Monroe County School District serves the entire county, as well as several private schools for primary and secondary education. Florida Keys Community College

6664-566: The Bahamas and was on the main trade route from New Orleans . Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West went into a decline in the late nineteenth century. The Keys were long accessible only by water. This changed with the completion of Henry Flagler 's Overseas Railway in the early 1910s. Flagler, a major developer of Florida's Atlantic coast, extended his Florida East Coast Railway down to Key West with an ambitious series of oversea railroad trestles. Three hurricanes disrupted

6800-556: The Board of Directors of Standard Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement in the firm in order to pursue his Florida interests. When Flagler returned to Florida, in 1885 he began building a grand St. Augustine hotel, the Ponce de Leon Hotel . Flagler realized that the key to developing Florida was a solid transportation system. At the time, St. Augustine was served by the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway (JStA&HR),

6936-633: The Cultural Umbrella event funding, the South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual & Media Artists Fellowships and The Art in Public Places commissions, and the total distributed in the Keys cultural community through FKCA's efforts come to $ 2.5 million to date. The annual economic impact of the non-profit cultural community in the Keys is estimated at over $ 22 million. The Florida Keys Council of

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7072-627: The FEC line might be used for a commuter rail service to complement the existing Tri-Rail line (which follows former CSX tracks to the west). There has also been some discussion about Amtrak or the State of Florida using FEC lines for a more direct route between Jacksonville and Miami. The company has more recently indicated that it is open to allowing commuter rail services along its lines, with potential service areas in Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Jacksonville's First Coast Commuter Rail . In March 2012 FEC Industries (not FEC Railway) proposed

7208-406: The FEC. Passenger service became a political issue in Florida during the early years of the labor strike, which essentially lasted 14 years, from 1963 to 1977. At the insistence of the City of Miami—which had long fought to get rid of the tracks in the downtown section just north of the county courthouse—Miami's wooden-constructed downtown passenger terminal was demolished by November 1963. Although

7344-499: The Florida East Coast Railway in 1893 to 1909. Flager and his lawyers defeated all legal challenges and neither the company or its employees were ever convicted in court. However, there were many reports of harsh working conditions and forced indebtedness to the company, and malfeasance by labor agents who hired men for the railway. Knetsch concludes that "Flagler in fact provided health care for his employees and

7480-445: The Florida Keys are the only areas in the continental United States to never report freezing temperatures since settlement. The record low in Key West is 41 °F (5 °C) (in both 1886 and 1981), and low temperatures below 48 °F (9 °C) are rare. Most of the Florida Keys fall into USDA zone 11a to 11b; Key West is zone 12a. There are two main "seasons" in the Florida Keys, a hot and wet season from June through October, and

7616-541: The Key West extension still stand and are on the National Register of Historic Places. In the early 1960s, Edward Ball , who controlled the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust , bought a majority ownership of FEC, buying its bonds on the open market, allowing the FEC to emerge from bankruptcy following protracted litigation with a group of the company's other bondholders, led by S.A. Lynch and associated with

7752-548: The Keys' plight, and the inspection station roadblock was removed. The idea of the Conch Republic has provided a new source of revenue for the Keys by way of tourist keepsake sales, and the Conch Republic has participated in later protests. The northern and central sections of the Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef , the Key Largo Limestone . The northernmost island arising from

7888-673: The Loop Road Education Center. Trail City is 4 mi (6 km) west of Pinecrest on Loop Road. Loop Road can be found on most maps as CR 94, although the roadway no longer has a numbered designation and is now managed by the National Park Service. Between the south coast of Florida's mainland and the Florida Keys is Florida Bay , which is encompassed by the Everglades National Park and contains numerous islets or keys. The county

8024-530: The Lower Keys in 1998, before making landfall in Mississippi . In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina , Rita and Wilma affected the Keys (although none made a direct hit), causing widespread damage and flooding. The most severe hurricane to hit the area was the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 , a Category 5 hurricane. Tropical cyclones present special dangers and challenges to the entire Keys. Because no area of

8160-618: The Lower Keys may be uninhabitable for months. U.S. Highway 1 , the " Overseas Highway ", runs over most of the inhabited islands of the Florida Keys. The islands are listed in order from southwest to north. Mile markers are listed for keys that the Overseas Highway runs across or near: The Seven Mile Bridge (MM 40-46¾) separates the Lower Keys from the Middle Keys: (Knights, Vaca, Boot, Long Point, Crawl, and Grassy Keys, as well as most of Fat Deer Key, are incorporated in

8296-608: The Marquesas Keys. It is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world. The climate and environment of the Florida Keys are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida, though unlike the Caribbean's volcanic islands, the Keys were built by plants and animals. The Upper Keys islands are composed of sandy-type accumulations of limestone grains produced by plants and marine organisms. The Lower Keys are

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8432-559: The Miami Limestone that is the current surface bedrock of the lower Florida peninsula and the lower keys from Big Pine Key to Key West. To the west of Key West the ancient reef is covered by recent calcareous sand. While the islands of the upper and middle keys, consisting of Key Largo Limestone, form a long narrow arc, the islands of the lower keys are perpendicular to the line of that arc. This configuration arose from an ancient tidal-bar system, in which tidal channels cut through

8568-590: The Miami area along with the Brickell family, sent orange blossoms to Flagler to prove to him that Miami, unlike the rest of the state, was unaffected by the frost , is untrue. The truth is that she wired him to advise him that "the region around the shores of Biscayne Bay is untouched by the freezes." He sent his two lieutenants, James E. Ingraham and Joseph R. Parrott —now famous in Florida history—to investigate; they brought boxes of truck (produce) and citrus back to Flagler, who then wired Tuttle, asking, "Madam, what

8704-429: The Monroe County community, including job finding tools. There is a program that preserves the history of the Keys for use by customers. In 2010 the library worked to digitize historical photographs of the Keys. Annual visitors cards can be purchased for $ 30. The library provides access to PCs with internet and word processing capabilities. The library also provides free Wi-Fi for all. The Monroe County Public Library

8840-421: The Moultrie Cutoff was built to shorten the distance between St. Augustine and Bunnell (just north of Ormond Beach ) on the main line by bypassing its turn towards Palatka. The main line was also expanded to double track from Jacksonville to Miami in 1926, along with the installation of automatic block signaling . Many of the bridges were rebuilt when the main line was expanded to double track, including

8976-550: The San Carlos Institute, Hemingway House and Museum , Customs House Museum , and Key West Art and Historical Society. The Florida Keys Council for the Arts is the primary cultural umbrella for the Florida Keys, and serves the population from Key Largo to Key West . A non-profit local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages

9112-399: The Standard Oil Trust, Flagler noted both great potential and a lack of services during his stay at St. Augustine . He subsequently began what amounted to his second career, developing resorts, industries, and communities all along Florida's shores abutting the Atlantic Ocean . The FEC is possibly best known for building the railroad to Key West , completed in 1912. When the FEC's line from

9248-404: The US mainland and the largest coral reef chain in the United States. Following the Cuban Revolution , many Cubans emigrated to South Florida. Key West traditionally had strong links with its neighbor ninety miles south by water, and large numbers of Cubans settled there. The Keys still attract Cubans leaving their home country, and stories of "rafters" coming ashore are not uncommon. In 1982,

9384-489: The advice of his physician, he traveled to Jacksonville, Florida , for the winter with his first wife, Mary, who was quite ill. Two years after she died in 1881, he married Mary's former caregiver, Ida Alice Shourds. After their wedding, the couple traveled to St. Augustine, Florida , in 1883. Flagler found the city charming, but the hotel facilities and transportation systems inadequate. He recognized Florida's potential to attract out-of-state visitors. Though Flagler remained on

9520-477: The ancient reef formation is Elliott Key , in Biscayne National Park . North of Elliott Key are several small transitional keys, composed of sand built up around small areas of exposed ancient reef. Further north, Key Biscayne and places north are barrier islands , built up of sand. The islands in the southwestern part of the chain, from Big Pine Key to the Marquesas Keys , are exposed areas of Miami Limestone . The Florida Keys have taken their present form as

9656-455: The area's protected waters. A ferry takes riders between Key West and Fort Myers , as well as Marco Island due north on the mainland, along the western edge of Florida Bay. Middle and Lower Florida Keys are among a few remaining South Florida dark skies locations accessible by car, thanks to their position along the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore with southern skies unobstructed by light pollution associated with urban development. Scout Key

9792-490: The central interior of the peninsula south from Jacksonville to Auburndale , and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad route south from Auburndale completed the trip to West Palm Beach and Miami. The strike and the resulting interior rerouting marked the end of long-distance coastal service between Jacksonville and West Palm Beach. Any resumed service later, in 1965, was strictly intrastate trains operated by

9928-878: The city of Marathon . The remaining portion of Fat Deer Key and most of Shelter Key are part of Key Colony Beach .): The Long Key Bridge (MM 63¼-65¼) separates the Middle Keys from the Upper Keys: (Lower Matecumbe through Plantation Keys are incorporated as Islamorada , Village of Islands. The "towns" of Key Largo , North Key Largo and Tavernier , all on the island of Key Largo, are not incorporated.): All keys north of Broad Creek are in Biscayne National Park and Miami-Dade County . The following are "true" Florida Keys (exposed ancient coral reefs): The following are "transitional keys", made of exposed ancient reef surrounded by sand: Key Biscayne

10064-444: The city of Key West, which has 32% of the Keys' total population. The 2014 Census population estimate was 77,136. The 2020 Census population estimate was 82,874. The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County . The county consists of a section on the mainland which is almost entirely in Everglades National Park , and the Keys islands from Key Largo to Dry Tortugas National Park . The Keys were originally inhabited by

10200-679: The company effective December 31, 2017, and was replaced by Nathan Asplund as the railway was purchased by Grupo México and now manages it along with its other transport interests. The FEC operations today are dominated by "intermodal" trains and unit rock (limestone) trains. Passenger service was discontinued in 1968 after labor unrest but later resumed (under a different operator) with the introduction of Brightline in 2018. The company's major income-earning sources are its rock trains, transporting primarily limestone, and intermodal trains. FEC freight trains operate on precise schedules. Trains are not held for missed connections or late loadings. Most of

10336-575: The county in his 1972 landslide, becoming the first Republican winner since 1888 and taking over 70% of the vote. Since the 1970s, Monroe has been a competitive swing county in presidential elections. Although Monroe County has voted mostly for the Democratic candidate since 1992 , it is a competitive county in presidential elections; it was won by the Democratic Party by margins of 5% in 2008 and 0.5% in 2004 and 2012 . Barack Obama

10472-463: The county's population lives on the Florida Keys. The mainland, which is part of the Everglades , comprises 87% of the county's land area and is virtually uninhabited with only 17 people recorded in the 2020 census. Monroe County was created in 1823. It was named for James Monroe , the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has

10608-629: The damaged tracks were never rebuilt, and the Overseas Highway ( U.S. Highway 1 ) replaced the railroad as the main transportation route from Miami to Key West. One of the longest bridges when it was built, the Seven Mile Bridge connects Knight's Key (part of the city of Marathon in the Middle Keys) to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. The piling-supported concrete bridge is 35,862 ft (10,931 m) or 6.79 miles (10.93 km) long. The current bridge bypasses Pigeon Key ,

10744-488: The destruction of the Keys railway by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 , the railroad bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge, were converted to automobile roadways. This roadway, U.S. Highway 1, became the Overseas Highway that runs from Key Largo south to Key West. Today this highway allows travel through the tropical islands of the Florida Keys and the viewing of exotic plants and animals found nowhere else on

10880-725: The end of State Road 9336 (Flamingo Lodge Highway), is the location of the Flamingo Lodge and the Flamingo Ranger Station (with Visitor Center & Marina). 7 mi (11 km) northeast on the highway is the West Lake Trail (station). Pinecrest, located in the northern interior of the county (in the Big Cypress National Preserve) on Loop Road (given that name since it forms a loop with U.S. Highway 41 further north), hosts

11016-466: The end, and many of them could not return to work because they could no longer pass the required physical examinations or were too old to work. The end of the strike also ended their meager benefits that had enabled members to survive. After Ball's death in 1981, Raymond Wyckoff took the helm of the company on May 30, 1984. From the beginning of the strike, the long-distance named passenger trains rerouted over an Atlantic Coast Line Railroad route through

11152-432: The expanded Cuban embargo added to the woes. Having gained total control of the FEC by 1960, Ball sought to make the railroad profitable again by holding down wages. Despite the recommendation of a National Mediation Board convened by President Kennedy in 1962, Ball refused to grant FEC workers a 10-cents-an-hour raise, accepted by 192 other railroads, claiming that the FEC could not afford to raise wages. This led to

11288-399: The federal court regarding the strike. Ball's use of replacement workers to keep the railroad running during the strike led to violence by strikers that included shootings and bombings; a number of freight trains were derailed or blown up. Eventually, federal intervention helped quell the violence, and the railroad's right to operate during the strike with replacement workers was affirmed by

11424-630: The first day of service on the new route, a proud Henry Flagler rode the first passenger train into Key West, marking the completion of the railroad's oversea connection to Key West and the linkage by railway of the entire east coast of Florida. The completed extension was widely known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Upon his arrival in Key West, Flagler stated "Now I can die in peace" with pride in his achievement. Flagler died 16 months later in May 1913. The Florida East Coast Railway benefitted greatly from

11560-565: The house. Nonetheless, Monroe County, as reported in the Federal Register, has estimated that there are between 8,000 and 12,000 illegal enclosures inhabited by people. Because of the threat from storm surge, evacuations are routinely ordered when the National Weather Service issues a hurricane watch or warning, and are sometimes ordered for a tropical storm warning. Evacuation of the Keys depends on causeways and

11696-404: The houses on the Keys and another 65% suffered major damage. Most residents had evacuated before the storm hit the area. On September 12, parts of the Keys were still inaccessible by causeway and some areas were closed to the public. Governor Rick Scott reported devastation; most areas were without power or water. The damage was the worst in the Lower Keys, though less severe in Key West; parts of

11832-405: The islands is more than 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level (and many are only a few feet elevation), and water surrounds the islands, nearly every neighborhood is subject to flooding as well as hurricane winds. In response, many homes in the Keys are built on concrete stilts with the first floor being not legally habitable and enclosed by breakaway walls that are not strongly attached to the rest of

11968-645: The islands of the Keys. The Keys are also home to unique animal species, including the American crocodile , Key deer (protected by the National Key Deer Refuge ), and the Key Largo woodrat . The Keys are part of the northernmost range of the American crocodile, which is found throughout the Neotropics . The Key Largo Woodrat is found only in the northern part of its namesake island and is

12104-651: The land boom, the FEC made investments to their network to increase capacity. Within the decade, FEC built Bowden Yard in Jacksonville and the Miller Shops in St. Augustine. In 1923, the FEC built the Miami Belt Line, a freight route that ran from Little River through Hialeah that reconnected with the main line in Larkin (near Kendall ), bypassing downtown Miami. A yard was also built in Hialeah. In 1925,

12240-498: The letter of the law, the passenger service was bare bones. The trains carried no baggage , remains, mail or express and honored no inter-line tickets or passes. The only food service was a box lunch (at Cocoa-Rockledge in 1966). On-board beverage service was limited to soft drinks and coffee. Without a station in Miami, the 1950s-era station in North Miami became the southern terminus. This stripped-down service operated six days

12376-579: The limestone, where soil accumulates and trees root. The Florida Keys have distinctive plant and animals species, some found nowhere else in the United States, as the Keys define the northern extent of their ranges. The climate also allows many imported plants to thrive. Some exotic species which arrived as landscape plants now invade and threaten natural areas. The native flora of the Keys is diverse, including members of both temperate families, such as red maple ( Acer rubrum ), slash pine ( Pinus elliottii var. densa ) and oaks ( Quercus spp.), growing at

12512-453: The line at the time, which was a time-consuming process. Construction began in 1889 and the bridge opened on January 5, 1890, allowing a direct connection for private railcars and Pullman coaches to reach St. Augustine. By 1888, Flagler was interested in expanding his network beyond St. Augustine. He acquired three additional railroads that year to expand further south. He acquired the St. Johns Railway , which ran from St. Augustine west to

12648-429: The line three weeks later. Flagler then rehabilitated the line to his standards, purchased new rolling stock, and converting the track to standard gauge. He built a modern depot facility as well as schools, hospitals and churches, systematically revitalizing the largely abandoned historic city. The Ponce de Leon Hotel opened on January 10, 1888. By April of that year, Flagler acquired a second hotel in St. Augustine,

12784-516: The line was extended to Homestead . Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the fledgling rail empire extensively employed convict labor from largely African-American convicts. While most Southern states employed a form of convict lease at the time, renting prisoners' labor to various businesses, Florida's version of convict lease was considered "especially violent" compared to the others. According to historian Joe Knetsch, reformers and muckrakers exaggerated charges of peonage regarding construction of

12920-435: The longest and more violent labor conflicts of the 20th century. Ultimately, federal authorities had to intervene to stop the violence, which included bombings, shootings and vandalism. However, the courts ruled in the FEC's favor with regard to the right to employ strikebreakers . During this time Ball invested heavily in numerous steps to improve the railroad's physical plant, and installed various forms of automation. The FEC

13056-484: The mainland to Key West was heavily damaged by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 , the State of Florida purchased the remaining right-of-way and bridges south of Dade County , and they were rebuilt into road bridges for vehicle traffic and became known as the Overseas Highway . However, a greater and lasting Flagler legacy was the developments along Florida's eastern coast. During the Great Depression, control

13192-408: The more exposed vegetation in the keys is scrub , stunted due to the intense sun, quick draining sandy soil, and arid winter climate. The Keys are occasionally threatened by tropical storms and hurricanes , leading to evacuations to the mainland. Hurricane Georges , after destroying much of the housing and infrastructure on many of the Caribbean islands , caused damage and extensive flooding in

13328-512: The name of Flagler's system was officially changed from the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company to the Florida East Coast Railway Company and incorporated. The Florida East Coast Railway reached Fort Lauderdale on March 3, 1896. On April 15, 1896, track reached Biscayne Bay , the site of present-day downtown Miami. At the time, it was a small settlement of less than 50 inhabitants. When

13464-453: The number of deaths at more than 600. The Labor Day hurricane was one of only four hurricanes to make landfall at Category 5 strength on the U.S. coast since reliable weather records began (about 1850). The other storms were Hurricane Camille (1969), Hurricane Andrew (1992), and Hurricane Michael (2018). In 1935, new bridges were under construction to connect a highway through the entire Keys. Hundreds of World War I veterans working on

13600-482: The on-line cultural calendar for the region. It also manages the county's Tourism Development Council arts marketing grants and serves as a leading advocate for cultural tourism in lower Florida. In 1998, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was designated by the Board of Monroe County Commissioners as the area's Local Arts Agency as provided by Florida Statute 286.011. Established in 1997 as the Monroe Council of

13736-407: The original bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville which was replaced by the current Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge . By the end of 1926, the number of passenger trains from Jacksonville to Miami increased to 12, with some continuing to Key West. Due to the prosperity of South Florida during the land boom, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad brought competition to the region by building

13872-471: The ownership of FEC and RailAmerica were not linked corporately, and the spinoff of RailAmerica as a publicly traded company did not include FEC. In May 2010, James Hertwig was named as president and chief executive officer of the company effective July 1, 2010. Hertwig had recently retired from CSX , most recently having served as president of CSX Intermodal, one of CSX's major operating units. James Hertwig retired as president and chief executive officer of

14008-545: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 79,589 people, 35,086 households, and 20,384 families living in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile (31 people/km ). There were 51,617 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 90.65% White, 4.77% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. 15.77% of

14144-515: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2005 Monroe County had a population that was 75.1% non-Hispanic white, 17.7% Latino, 5.4% African-American and 1.1% Asian. In 2000 there were 35,086 households, out of which 20.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.80% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who

14280-627: The present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. This reef formed the Key Largo Limestone that is exposed on the surface from Soldier Key (midway between Key Biscayne and Elliott Key) to the southeast portion of Big Pine Key and the Newfound Harbor Keys. The types of coral that formed Key Largo Limestone can be identified on the exposed surface of these keys. Minor fluctuations in sea level exposed parts of

14416-766: The previous double track). In 2014 the very first beginnings of All Aboard Florida commenced with studies and actual construction of the first phase, and construction began in November 2014. In 2015, AAF announced they would operate the service under the name Brightline. Since 2018, Brightline has had service on an initial stretch between West Palm Beach and Miami , with a station in Fort Lauderdale in between. In 2022, two additional stations in Boca Raton and Aventura were added. A new railway extension to Orlando International Airport started service in 2023, and

14552-467: The project in 1906 , 1909 , and 1910 . The strongest hurricane to strike the U.S. made landfall near Islamorada in the Upper Keys on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 1935. Winds were estimated to have gusted to 200 mph (320 km/h), raising a storm surge more than 17.5 feet (5.3 m) above sea level that washed over the islands. More than 400 people were killed, though some estimates place

14688-407: The railroad has only minor grades, it takes very little horsepower to pull very long trains at speed. 60 mph (97 km/h) trains are a normal FEC operating standard. The FEC was already in the freight-only business when Amtrak was created and assumed passenger operations of nearly all U.S. railroads' passenger services in 1971. Periodically, there has been speculation that the southern end of

14824-523: The rear lounge section of a tavern-lounge-observation car. Train service operated daily, except Sunday. This new state-mandated passenger service consisted of a single diesel locomotive and two streamlined passenger cars, which, in addition to the operating crew, were staffed by a passenger service agent and a coach attendant, who were "non-operating". The mini-streamliner operated all of the way across three previously observed crew districts (Jacksonville to New Smyrna Beach to Fort Pierce to Miami). Following

14960-432: The reef, subjecting it to erosion. Acidic water, which can result from decaying vegetation, dissolves limestone. Some of the dissolved limestone redeposited as a denser cap rock , which can be seen as outcrops overlying the Key Largo and Miami limestones throughout the Keys. The limestone that eroded from the reef formed oolites in the shallow sea behind the reef, and together with the skeletal remains of bryozoans , formed

15096-416: The remnants of large coral reefs, which became fossilized and exposed when the sea level dropped. The natural habitats of the Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and shoreline zones. Soil ranges from sand to marl to rich, decomposed leaf litter . In some places, "caprock" (the eroded surface of coral formations) covers the ground. Rain falling through leaf debris becomes acidic and dissolves holes in

15232-574: The rest of the archipelago voting reliably Republican. The western part of Key West is more strongly Democratic than the eastern part of the island. On July 17, 2014, a county court judge ruled the state's ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional, ordering the county clerk of court to issue marriage licenses on July 22, 2014. The Monroe County Public Library system serves residents of the Florida Keys in five locations: Key West , Big Pine , Marathon , Key Largo , and Islamorada . The Monroe County Public Library provides various programs and services to

15368-479: The result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages . Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamonian Stage raised sea levels about 25 feet (7.6 m) feet above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida Platform , stretching south and then west from

15504-469: The roadway as part of a government relief program were housed in non-reinforced buildings in three construction camps in the Upper Keys. When the evacuation train failed to reach the camps before the storm, more than 200 veterans perished. Their deaths caused anger and charges of mismanagement that led to a Congressional investigation. The storm also ended the 23-year run of the Overseas Railway;

15640-611: The seven years of construction, three hurricanes threatened to halt the project. This included the 1906 Florida Keys hurricane , which killed 135 of Flagler's workers. The Key West extension cost $ 50 million and the lives of hundreds of workmen. Workers toiled under conditions sufficiently cruel and harsh that the US Justice Department prosecuted the FECR under a federal slave-kidnapping law. Journalists also chronicled conditions of debt peonage wherein immigrant labor

15776-423: The southern end of their ranges, and tropical families, including mahogany ( Swietenia mahagoni ), gumbo limbo ( Bursera simaruba ), stoppers ( Eugenia spp.), Jamaican dogwood ( Piscidia piscipula ), and many others, which grow only in tropical climates. Several types of palms are native to the Florida Keys, including the Florida thatch palm ( Thrinax radiata ), which grows to its greatest size in Florida on

15912-528: The southern night sky year-round. It also hosts amateur astronomy gatherings. Monroe County, Florida Monroe County is the southernmost county of the state of Florida . As of the 2020 census , the population was 82,874. Its county seat is Key West . Monroe County includes the islands of the Florida Keys and comprises the Key West-Key Largo Micropolitan Statistical Area . Over 99.9% of

16048-549: The state for every mile (1.6 km) built. Flagler would eventually claim in excess of two million acres (809,371 ha; 8,094 km ) for building his railroad, and land development and trading would become one of his most profitable endeavors. Flagler obtained a charter from the state of Florida authorizing him to build a railroad along the Indian River to Miami , and as the railroad progressed southward, cities such as New Smyrna and Titusville began to develop along

16184-492: The time the extension was finished, the range of ships had been extended to such a degree that they no longer stopped in Key West for coal. The construction of the Overseas Railroad required many engineering innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. Many considered the Key West extension a folly as it was one of the most daring infrastructure ever built exclusively with private funds. At one time during construction, four thousand men were employed. During

16320-496: The town incorporated, on July 28, 1896, its citizens wanted to honor the man responsible for the city's development by naming it Flagler. He declined the honor, persuading them to retain its old Indian name, "Miami." The area was actually previously known as Fort Dallas after the fort built there in 1836 during the Second Seminole War . To further develop the area surrounding the Miami railroad station, Flagler dredged

16456-792: The tracks. The railroad reached Fort Pierce January 29, 1894. By March 22 of the same year, the railroad system reached what is today known as West Palm Beach . Flagler constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach overlooking the Lake Worth Lagoon . He also built the Breakers Hotel on the ocean side of Palm Beach, and Whitehall , his private 55-room, 60,000 square foot (5,600 m ) winter home. The development of these three structures, coupled with railroad access to them, established Palm Beach as

16592-406: The trains are paired so that they leave simultaneously from their starting points and meet halfway through the run and swap crews, so they are back home at the end of their runs. The FEC pioneered operation with 2 man crews with no crew districts, which they were able to start doing after the 1963 strike. The entire railroad adopted automatic train control (ATC) after a fatal 1987 collision caused by

16728-556: The two-lane highway to the mainland. Time estimates for evacuating the entire Keys range from 12 to 24 hours. Evacuation estimates are significant in emergency planning, of course, but also because they are a factor in local and state regulations for controlling development. The building permit allocation was increased in 2005 when local governments reduced estimates for evacuation. On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Cudjoe Key. The storm destroyed an estimated 25% of

16864-459: The vast majority of tourists drive down from the mainland on U.S. 1. This influx of traffic, coupled with the two-lane nature of U.S. 1 through most of its length in the Keys, and the fact that no alternative road routes are available mean that Monroe County has the highest per capita rate of fatal automobile accidents in the state of Florida. The major industries are fishing and tourism, including ecotourism , with many visitors scuba diving in

17000-459: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73. In the county, the population was spread out, with 17.10% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 30.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 113.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.80 males. The median income for

17136-418: Was a far better employer than the press alleged." Once the railroad reached Homestead in 1904, Flagler then sought perhaps his greatest challenge: the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city of almost 20,000 inhabitants located 128 miles (206 km) beyond the end of the Florida peninsula . He became particularly interested in linking Key West to the mainland after the construction of

17272-418: Was also destroyed in the storm. Traffic was immediately embargoed south of Florida City after the storm while the Florida East Coast Railway decided whether or not to restore the line. The Florida East Coast Railway quickly determined that it was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections. The roadbed and remaining bridges south of Florida City were then sold to the state of Florida, which built

17408-416: Was built in 1925 to shorten the main line south of St. Augustine. In March 2005, Robert Anestis stepped down as CEO of Florida East Coast Industries after a four-year stint, allowing Adolfo Henriquez to assume that position, with John D. McPherson, a long-time railroad man, continuing as president of the railway itself. By this time, the railroad had long since made peace with its workers. In late 2007, in

17544-432: Was in receivership by September 1931, 18 years after Flagler's death. Bus service began to be substituted for trains on the branches in 1932. Streamliners plied the rails between 1939 and 1963, including The East Coast Champion (from New York), The Florida Special (from New York), City of Miami (from Chicago), Dixie Flagler (from Chicago) and South Wind (from Chicago), all of which were jointly operated with

17680-558: Was joined by Henry H. Rogers , another leader of Standard Oil who also became involved in the development of America's railroads, including those on nearby Staten Island , the Union Pacific , and later in West Virginia , where he eventually built the remarkable Virginian Railway to transport coal to Hampton Roads , Virginia . Flagler's non-Standard Oil interests went in a different direction, however, when in 1878, on

17816-468: Was not rebuilt following the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 . Even before the hurricane, road sections and highway bridges allowed automobile traffic to travel from Miami to Lower Matecumbe Key, where a car ferry connected with another roadway section through the Lower Keys. Following the hurricane, some of the original railway bridges were converted to carry the highway roadbeds. These bridges were used until

17952-480: Was purchased by heirs of the du Pont family . After 30 years of fragile financial condition, the FEC, under leadership of a new president, Ed Ball , took on the labor unions . Ball claimed the company could not afford the same costs as larger Class 1 railroads and needed to invest saved funds in its infrastructure, the condition of which was fast becoming a safety issue. The company—using replacement workers—and some of its employees engaged from 1963 until 1977 in one of

18088-484: Was the first US railroad to operate two-man train crews, eliminate cabooses , and end all of its passenger services (which were unprofitable) by 1968. Today, the company's primary rail revenues come from its intermodal and rock trains. Brightline , an inter-city rail route, uses FEC tracks between Cocoa and Miami . The FEC was historically a Class I railroad owned by Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) from 2000 to 2016, FOXX Holdings between 1983 and 2000, and

18224-423: Was the first candidate for president to win a majority, 51.7%, of the vote since George H. W. Bush 's national 7.7% victory in 1988 . In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican to carry the county in almost three decades, winning a majority and winning it by an even larger margin than Obama had won it by in 2008. In 2020, he won it by a still wider margin, and in 2024 he won by double digits. Monroe County

18360-412: Was threatened with prohibitive transportation fees to leave Key West after seeing the unsafe and disease-ridden conditions, essentially forcing them to stay. Despite the hardships, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway to Trumbo Point in Key West was completed in 1912. The first train, a construction engineers' train, arrived in Key West on January 21, 1912. The next day, which is considered

18496-411: Was unable to secure a $ 17 million loan through the state infrastructure bank, delaying work for at least a year. On June 14, 2008, the old bridge section leading to Pigeon Key was closed to fishing as well. While still open to pedestrians—walking, biking and jogging—if the bridge were closed altogether, only a ferry subsidized by FDOT and managed by the county would transport visitors to the island. After

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