2025 Annual Membership Letter and 2026 Membership
Duck Key Property Owners' Association 12/1/2025
Dear Duck Key Property Owner,
The DKPOA Board extends our sincere thanks to all members for their generosity and volunteer efforts throughout 2025. Your continued support has made a meaningful difference in our community.
Membership Renewal and 2026 AGM
We are enclosing your 2026 DKPOA Membership Application and Member Survey and count on your support.
Donations can be made securely at duckkeypoa.com site using any credit or debit card. Checks may be made out to DKPOA and mailed to - DKPOA 143 N. Bahama Dr. Duck Key, FL. 33050. Remember, your contributions are 100% federally tax deductible. Please take a few moments to complete your application and donate today so we can continue improving Duck Key for all residents.
We have one special request for our members: there are more than 450 property owners on Duck Key and 275 are DKPOA members. Therefore, we would appreciate your help in asking your neighbors and friends to join. The more members we have, the more we can do for the community and the stronger will be our influence with the County officials.
Our next Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday February 7, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Club Duck Key on San Juan Street. Monroe County officials will again be in attendance to answer your questions and provide updates on key topics, including the final bridge recap, break wall repairs, street flooding. The meeting will be preceded by bunch at 12:00 pm, giving you the opportunity to meet new neighbors and discuss community issues.
Thanks to your support we accomplished the following in 2025:
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting was held on February 2, 2025, with approximately 65 members and six representatives from Monroe County in attendance. Our members were given the opportunity to directly interact with key County officials and voice their opinions. Lunch and beverages were served.
Bridge Replacement Project
After years of delay and failure to deliver on any published schedule, we are finally seeing some progress on the construction of the Seaview and Harbour bridges. Both bridges have had one new lane open for traffic. The other half of both bridges are under construction with completion dates scheduled for year-end 2025.
DKPOA has set aside funds for landscaping in the right-of-way areas adjacent to the bridges. Because Duck Key’s historic bridges have long been a distinctive feature of our community, our goal is to enhance the approaches with Florida Keys–approved native trees and plants, framing the wider, reconstructed bridges. Landscaping at the Bimini Bridge has been completed, and we intend to give the other bridges a similar look.
Break Wall Repairs
Thanks to DKPOA’s input and advocacy, Monroe County secured a state grant of more than $3 million to repair the east and south shore seawalls. These seawalls suffered significant damage during Hurricane Irma in 2017.The project will repair breaches in the boulder walls and create a “living shoreline” through the planting of seagrasses and mangroves. The design phase of the project is finished, and the County has filed requests for quotes from interested contractors. The design has been filed with the ACOE for permits. While no construction schedule has been set, the grant expires at the end of June 2026, so the project must be completed by that date. In addition to the construction budget, the County is looking for a financing mechanism to allow for ongoing maintenance.
We remind property owners along the seawall that mangroves and buttonwoods on the breakwall may not be trimmed to less than six feet in height. These plants provide essential protection from wave action during storms, and violations of this regulation can result in substantial penalties.
Duck Key Street Signs
We continue to maintain the unique green Duck Key street signs. Please let us know if any in your area need attention or repair.
Tom’s Harbour Idle Speed / No Wake Buoys
DKPOA continues to monitor and replace the Tom’s Harbour Idle Speed / No Wake Buoys as needed.
Code Compliance
Monroe County Code Compliance Enforcement monitors unsafe, nuisance, and unlawful conditions on Duck Key. DKPOA reports violations as needed. The most common issues continue to be illegal vacation rentals, poor empty lot and construction maintenance, and underage golf cart drivers.
Street Flooding
Street flooding during major storms has become an increasing problem, due to rising sea levels, elevated building site grades and inadequate drainage swales. DKPOA is actively engaging with Monroe County officials, who are responsible for addressing this situation and identifying potential solutions to this issue. The County agrees that a drainage solution is required but has not identified any resources to date.
Nearshore Water Quality Testing
Over the past year, we collected and measured water samples from around Duck Key. The tests measured the concentration of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Algae, and Sucralose, all indicators of pollution from human activity. While there are some measurable concentrations of all these elements in our nearshore water, they tend to be at the low end of the spectrum for the Keys and the Gulf waters. We will continue to monitor Sucralose as it is the most direct indicator of human waste.
Annual Duck Key Clean-Up Day
Our annual Duck Key Clean-Up Day took place in March, with more than 40 volunteers and Monroe County Sheriff’s officers participating. Together, we collected large bags of debris, enhancing the beauty and safety of our islands.
Thank you for your continuing support of DKPOA. We wish everyone a wonderful and healthy 2026!
Sincerely,
Your All-Volunteer DKPOA Board
Ron Oestreicher - President, John Schwarz-Vice President, Karen White - Secretary, Jan Anderson – Treasurer,
Directors: Dr. James Bicknell, Missy Coleman, Barbara McKinney, Josie Vidal, and John Wolfe