Florida Keys municipalities to help keep checkpoints open amid COVID-19 crisis
The two checkpoints into the Florida Keys will remain open for now after Monroe County officials received backlash this weekend from residents and municipal officials because it was revealed late in the week that the blockades were only scheduled to remain open for two days.
In a deal worked out with officials in incorporated areas of the Keys, the checkpoints, on the 18 Mile Stretch of U.S. 1 at the county line with Miami-Dade, and the other on County Road 905, will be staffed by sheriff’s office deputies and officers from incorporated areas of the island chain.
Although only two cities have their own police — Key West and the small community of Key Colony Beach — others are policed by county deputies who are paid from local budgets. These include the Village of Islamorada and the city of Marathon.
“Due to heightened concerns of COVID-19, only residents, property owners, and those actively involved in work in the Florida Keys will be admitted, including fuel tankers, delivery and grocery trucks,” county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood said Sunday in a statement.
The checkpoints will also be staffed with county public works employees and county and municipal firefighters, Livengood said.
County officials had been reluctant to initiate the checkpoints but relented Tuesday at the urging of officials in areas like Islamorada who are concerned weekenders and day-trippers from Miami-Dade County, an active area for COVID-19, could spread the virus in the Keys.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay said Saturday that he could not continue to staff the checkpoints indefinitely with only his deputies, especially after Gov. Ron DeSantis prohibited Florida Highway Patrol troopers from helping man the roadblocks.
Ramsay said DeSantis pulled the troopers about two hours after they opened with much fanfare Friday morning.
Another blow to the checkpoints came Friday afternoon when officials in Islamorada received a copy of the county’s emergency management directive that stated the sheriff’s office was instructed to “terminate” the checkpoints at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The county never said publicly there was only a two-day time frame for the checkpoints, and several officials said they were not made aware of it. In an interview Friday at the opening of the checkpoint at the 18 Mile Stretch, county Mayor Heather Carruthers indicated the checkpoints would stay open indefinitely.
“The sooner we can get this under control, the sooner we can get back to doing what we do, and that’s enjoying our paradise,” she said then.
Saturday, the county insisted it had always been transparent about the issue, but because the situation with the novel coronavirus is fluid, Livengood said, “some of our press releases will be open ended.”
Livengood said that 788 cars were turned away from the checkpoints in the first 48 hours of operation.
“Before the checkpoint started on Friday morning, the Florida Department of Transportation traffic counters were about 47 to 49 percent of average traffic flow for this time of year,” she said. “Since the checkpoint was enacted, the traffic counters are at 23 to 26 percent of the average traffic flow for this time of year.”
Acceptable forms of proof or residency include a hurricane reentry sticker, one hard copy of local identification, utility bills, deeds, leases and tax bills, Livengood said.
Reentry stickers can be picked up at fire stations nearest to a person’s home.
“Residents will need to bring proof of Monroe County residency to include local identification, utility bill, deed, lease or tax bill and the registration of the car that will need a sticker,” she said.
People who work in the Keys will have to show police at the checkpoint either a letter from their employer, an employee ID, a pay stub or current construction contract.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published March 29, 2020 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Florida Keys municipalities to help keep checkpoints open amid COVID-19 crisis."
