Dinghy Dock Closed, Tarpon Basin, Key Largo, FL, Inside Route Mile 1140
Our thanks to Martin and Cindy Dahm for this report of another door closed to cruisers. Will anchoring in the Basin be next? See https://cruisersnet.net/690 for more comments from Martin Dahm. Tarpon Basin lies on the east side of the Waterway in the northeast corner of Buttonwood Sound.
My wife and I have been anchored at Tarpon Basin in Key Largo for the last 3 weeks and have been using the dinghy dock at the Murray E. Nelson government building without any issues. However yesterday we returned from running errands ashore and found the attached signs had been posted in the parking lot and in several places on the dock. As of April 15, 2019 no one will be able to tie up to the dock, trees or moor within 25 feet of the dock. Overnight parking will also be prohibited. I suppose you could still use the dock to drop someone off and then pick them up later, but no can leave their dinghy tied up anywhere on the property. Looks like Monroe County is rolling up the welcome mat for the cruising community.
Best Regards,
Martin and Cindy Dahm
S/V Just One Dance
Lagoon 380 S2
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Tarpon Basin Anchorages
Comments from Cruisers (5)
When I saw the first photo I wondered, how many cruisers have their car parked overnight at the county property? These are not cruisers, but they sure are ruining it for those of us who are.
Spend your money where you are welcomed.
Amen to that. No matter what part of the proverbial “public” you work with, there will always be some that will spoil the amenities offered, and all will suffer.
It isn't the water, it's the land; or more specifically, the abuse of the shoreside facility by unthoughtful live-aboards. The county center had become a garbage dump, bathrooms were constantly fouled, and the parking lot had become an ersatz boatyard. Efforts were made to educate users of these issues, but the problems continued to be exacerbated. When we cruisers take advantage of community resources, we have to be responsible, and most of us are. Yet, some who decide that they want to "live off the grid" have taken the generosity of the public too far and the results are that we all lose some of the benefits that we as taxpayers and visitors should enjoy. This should be a lesson to us all.
Who owns the water??!!