Florida Keys Real Estate Blog

My goodness, what a flow of traffic we have seen the past few days! Not that we are complaining.  They're coming to the Keys for Mini-Lobster Week which is this coming Wednesday and Thursday (July 30 and 31st). 

Our streets are busy as well as the stores, restaurants, parks, hotels and rental properties.  We were noticing that not many of these people seem to care what the price of gas is if it means that it will fill their boats to take them to the lobster!  There are motorhomes, trucks and trailers abound waiting for Wednesday so they can get out on the water and find those lobsters.

We hope they remember that there is plenty of lobster everyone as long as everyone respects the rules of the water and of the lobster patrols.

Have fun and remember...it's a great time to buy a home in the fabulous Florida Keys.  For more information check out our website listings at www.BuyInTheKeys.com.

Do you have a Florida Recreational Saltwater Fishing License? Have you checked the expiration date lately? If not, you should. It could save you from going to jail and paying a fine!

Go to www.myfwc.com and click on the link up top to purchase a license. This will take you to the secure portion of the Web site where you will input some information and make a few clicks and in less than five minutes you will have a temporary authorization number on the other end. Print out the page and take it with you when you go fishing. You can give this number to any of the Marine Patrol Officers who may be checking for such things on the water. Your paper license will arrive in the mail in about five days.

Not everyone needs a license, however! If you’re under 16 or over 65 you get to fish for free. Also, some anglers with certain disabilities and even some members of the Armed Forces can fish without a Florida license. If you aren’t sure if you qualify for these exemptions, go to www.myfwc.com for more information.

If you want to avoid ever having to remember if you renewed your license or not – get yourself a Lifetime License for about $300. This includes the all important snook and crawfish (lobster) stamps. And, if you want to give your kids the gift that keeps on giving, you can purchase a Lifetime License for them for a little over $200.

Which ever type of license you decide to get, just remember to get one!

FIREWORKS OVER BLACKWATER SOUND

JULY 4, 2008

We did what you probably did on the 4th of July this year - we hung with some friends, barbecued, swam and watched fireworks.  But what was not so typical was that we were hanging with our friends on our boats, in the water at Blackwater Sound (Bayside in Key Largo) watching the sun go down, with Jimmy Buffet playing in the background.  And we were grilling burgers on the gas grill that was attached to the railing on the boat.  We had all of the fixings - potato salad, deviled eggs, watermelon, apple pie - the works.

We watched them bring the barge that was filled with the fireworks to the spot just in front of our boat.  Talk about an unobstructed view!  Then we got the opportunity to watch some of our fellow boaters set off fireworks and we watched the fireworks from the hotels, and other places like Ocean Reef before the main attraction began for us.  And finally at 10 PM, the sky above Blackwater Sound lit up with gorgeous colors and loud noises. All around us were boats with people having fun and enjoying a Keys Style 4th! 

But, the best part of the night for me was the trip back to Tavernier, with my husband and 3 kids and watching the stars in the sky as we drove across Florida Bay at midnight going home!  The water was flat and sparkling.  The night air was cool and refreshing.  And, another day went by that we can all say this is just another reason that it is heaven to live in paradise in the fabulous Florida Keys! 

Have a great week!

According to an article that was in the July 2, 2008 edition of the Free Press Newspaper a long-in-the-works regulations establishing vacation rental licensing are set to take effect on October 1, 2008. 

The vacation rental regulation says that all village homeowners who wish to rent their properties for periods less than 28 days must apply for a license between July 15 and August 15, 2008. The annual licensing fee will be $1,000.

The regulations limit the total number of vacation units within Islamorada to 331 annually.  If more than 331 applications are submitted, priority will go to owners who can prove they have been legally renting their homes up to now. 

The regulations forbid homeowners in single-family neighborhoods, zoned residential medium, from obtaining a license.  Exceptions will be made for homes in those neighborhoods that have been rented short-term since 2001. 

The village passed its vacation rental ordinance in February 2006 but implementation has been delayed by a lawsuit filed by Realtors, homeowners and condominium owners who argued that the regulations would lower property values and harm the Islamorada economy.

A Tallahassee appeals court ruled in favor of the village in February and the case was permanently closed last month.

For more information please visit the Village website at www.islamorada.fl.us

And, remember, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy, build, sell or inspect a home in the Florida Keys, call us at (305) 289-6634 or visit our website at www.BuyInTheKeys.com