Why is the famous Key West buoy closing and what's taking its place? Take a look

Yahoo

05-06-2025

Taking a selfie at the red, yellow and black Southernmost Point marker is one of those Key West must-do's for day-trippers and tourists.
But come August or September and for about a year after, you'll be posing alongside a replica in a different location.
That's because the landmark buoy will be out of commission.
Don't worry — there's nothing wrong with the original buoy. This isn't a repeat of Hurricane Irma's lashing at the concrete marker that led to a month-long closing in September and October 2017 so that the original artists Danny Acosta and Henry Del Valle could do emergency repairs and repaint the battered buoy.
MORE: How did Key West land up with a giant buoy as a tourist attraction? Here's the story
The giant concrete buoy, which replaced a simple sign at the site in 1983, is fine after its spruce-up nearly eight years ago. But years of storms have undermined the existing Southernmost Plaza where the marker sits.
So the United States' southernmost city has to repair the seawall, redo the roadway and attend to other damage at the corner of South and Whitehead streets, said Key West spokesperson Alyson Crean.
That coming work will require the shutdown of the area for about a year, barring access to the existing buoy.
The replica is being built and painted by Paul Cassidy and Richard Sarver of Key West's Community Services Department.
'It is smaller, but still taller than a person,' Crean said. 'The ocean will still be visible, but the temporary location is farther away from the ocean.'
Compose your camera shots just so, and your Instagram followers may not know the difference.
The replica will be installed at the Duval Street Pocket Park at 1400 Duval St. That's a block away from the original buoy, 90 miles from Cuba.
Will Key West keep both buoys for double the social media snaps?
That remains to be seen.
'Once it's done,' Crean said, 'I'm sure the city will do something fun with it.'