Florida Keys?

[BobAndDonna]

I'm in Sarasota, FL for a few months and am thinking about a first visit to the Keys. After the hurricane damage last year, I'm wondering how they've recovered. Friends have suggested that it may be too soon to visit.

If anyone is there now or has been recently, I'd like to hear what you're seeing. Is now the time to go?

[BobAndDonna]

Just to follow up on my own question, our four days on Cudjoe Key (Venture Out Resort) were delightful. While there were signs of damage in the "middle keys", Key West was 100% and most of what we saw was in good shape. While the KOA on Sugarloaf Key will be closed for some time, many other parks were open for business.

[avan]

My daughter and I took our motorhomes to Jolly Roger RV Park, Marathon, for a week at Thanksgiving. The park was just fine - very little damage and what there had been was fixed. About 1/2 of the restaurants in Marathon and nearby were again open for business and though there was still lots of debris, there was a continual stream of trucks hauling **** to the mainland. Heaviest damage is in the middle keys. We day tripped to KW and everything was open and we only say one tarped roof and zero evidence of any residual debris. I'm sure that since Thanksgiving they have made great strides with clean up. Rebuilding for many will take much more time, I'm sure. In the middle keys one or two large parks had been razed for development and the ORA park looked like it might take some time to fix - meaning that there are probably fewer sites than in prior years.

[beagles7278]

We were in the keys over Christmas at Blue Water Key RV Resort, it is at mile marker 14. Most of the damage there was repaired, only a few sites still had damage to docks and Tiki huts.

Further up there is still a lot of damage, lots of garbage still piled along the road for miles. Marathon was up and running but some of the stores still had not opened.

In Key West itself everything was normal, not much evidence of damage. We did not go snorkeling but were told some of the reefs were damaged and the water was still cloudy.

There were a number of destroyed boats and RV along the road the further up you went. There were 5 or 6 on the side of the road by the KOA. One of the RV resorts was completely destroyed, all of the utility poles and water spigots were in a big pile, they were in the process of bulldozing it, hopefully to rebuild.

[NanciL]

We live in Key Largo for six months of the year and are here now.
If you have never been here before you won't notice too much of the damage and should enjoy it.
If you come here often, I would advise waiting until next year. Many of the places that you know and enjoy might not be open and some will never recover or are still recovering.
Most of the tropical trees and mangroves that were stripped bare of their foliage are once again green but there are still bare ones here and there that will die if they haven't already

With that said, there is ongoing repairs all up and down the keys and contractors are in a shortage.

jack L

[2_Retired]

Friends just returned and said Key West is open and totally ready for business. They also stayed in Marathon. Said some of the Keys, notable Islamorada and the central areas, still are suffering but open for visitors. We went last year and can't wait to find time and the $ to go back again, ASAP!