Boating off Key West? Here are a few places you can’t go this weekend

The federal government has closed several islands off Key West for the weekend, saying it will help protect wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed Boca Grande Key, Woman Key and the Marquesas Keys at sunrise Friday. The closures will last through sunset Monday.

“All beach access will be closed to the public to protect wildlife and critical habitat from disturbance,” the Service announced Thursday.

The islands are part of the Federal Wilderness System.

Historically, there “has been extreme disturbance from boaters at this time of the year in these areas,” the Service said.

This is the time of the year that the annual power boat races take place But Race World Offshore announced in August the Key West races, which draw crowds on land and sea, were scratched for 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

For the past several years, the Service has closed these beaches at the same time.

“We do see more boats this time of the year,” said Greg Boling, deputy refuge manager of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex.

The Service will have an increased police presence at the locations to enforce the temporary closures.

Anyone caught violating the closures could face federal charges punishable by up to six months in prison or fines of up to $5,000.

This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 11:12 AM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.