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Commission approves Geiger Key boat-ramp license, asks code to review alleged encroachments
Summary
The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved a Navy license for nonfederal recreational use of the Geiger Key boat ramp but asked county staff and code enforcement to review public concerns that commercial activity and structures encroach into the licensed area.
Monroe County commissioners on Jan. 15 approved a Department of Navy license allowing nonfederal recreational use of a portion of land at the Geiger Key boat ramp, while directing county staff and code to examine public complaints that private users have encroached on the licensed area.
The license (contract N69450-24RP-94) grants Monroe County a right to use the described real property for recreation subject to the contract’s terms, the county attorney’s office said. The board voted to approve the license with a specific request that county code enforcement investigate whether commercial uses and fences extend into the shaded licensed area shown in the Navy exhibit.
The vote followed public comment from Ron Deems of Sugarloaf Key, who told commissioners he has monitored the site “since circa mid eighties” and said the license exhibits appear inconsistent and show a shaded licensed area that in places reaches up to the roadway. “The shaded area in the license, if you went out there, you would see that Geiger Key Marina has fences that they’ve used… and they put a grease tank in either the county right-of-way or the shaded area that appears to be in the licensed area,” Deems said. He asked the board to require removal of commercial signs, grease tanks and fencing from any area that is in the right-of-way or the licensed footprint.
County staff and a member of the board agreed that the item could be approved while staff and code follow up on the alleged encroachments. “If you approve it and give us direction to solve any of those encroachments, we’ll just do that rather than delaying it,” staff said during the meeting. Commissioner Cates made the motion to approve; Commissioner Lincoln seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: The license clarifies how the county may use a Navy-controlled parcel for public recreation, but neighbors’ complaints raise questions about whether private or commercial uses have expanded into areas the license intends to keep public and recreational. The board’s request for a code review preserves the license timetable while creating a compliance path if unauthorized activity is found.
The county clerk will retain the signed license in contract records; staff said any future conflicts on precise boundaries would be resolved through site inspections, title records and the license’s legal descriptions.
