Monroe County Office of Marine Resources has replaced 42 channel markers and 14 regulatory and informational markers throughout the public waters of the Florida Keys.  This project was funded in part through a $93,705 grant awarded to Monroe County by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Florida Boating Improvement Program (FBIP).

Replacement of these waterway markers improves boater safety by increasing marker visibility, better understanding of waterway regulations by boaters, promotion of boating access and protection of shallow-water resources such as seagrass and coral.

The Monroe County Office of Marine Resources maintains 29 boating regulatory zones and 38 channel marker chains throughout the Florida Keys. The received FBIP funding significantly augments Monroe County’s Boating Improvement Fund, which generated from recreational vessel registrations and is used to maintain waterway marking infrastructure and other important boating and waterways services.