Months of uncertainty surrounding the way forward for the Florida Keys Nationwide Marine Sanctuary’s Key Largo workplace are formally over.
Serving because the hub for marine operations, an 8,000-square-foot constructing at 95230 Abroad Freeway leased by the sanctuary was beneath scrutiny by President Donald Trump’s Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), which was headed for a time by billionaire Elon Musk. A DOGE web site lists 11,000-plus contracts totaling $44 billion that are up for termination.
In line with sanctuary officers, the lease’s termination was formally rescinded by the Normal Companies Administration final week. The sanctuary may have its present lease by means of 2031 — a win for workers who work on the workplace and efforts to guard every thing from coral and seagrass to shipwrecks.
The sanctuary’s lease, which DOGE calculated to be $252,011 a yr, was considered one of roughly 740 leases up for potential termination. The Monroe County Property Appraiser web site lists the proprietor of the constructing as Key Largo Ace {Hardware} Inc.
NOAA depends on the Key Largo facility as a crucial hub for marine operations within the mid- to northern Keys. Greater than half of the sanctuary’s employees relies on the facility, monitoring the well being of ecosystems throughout the sanctuary and safeguarding very important assets.
David Burke, performing sanctuary superintendent, mentioned the Key Largo Marine Operations Heart performs an important function in supporting NOAA’s mandates beneath the Nationwide Marine Sanctuaries Act by overseeing vessel upkeep, marine analysis, coastal and ocean monitoring and emergency response.
These actions “immediately contribute to the safety and administration of the Florida Keys marine assets,” Burke mentioned. “We couldn’t be extra excited to proceed to assist the Higher Keys neighborhood by means of this location.”
Designated Nov. 16, 1990, the sanctuary protects 2,900 sq. nautical miles of waters surrounding the Florida Keys, from south of Miami westward to the Dry Tortugas, excluding Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park, beginning on the imply high-water mark.