Monroe County (Upper Keys)

Water Damage Restoration in Key Largo

In Key Largo, water damage often starts with the sea rather than a pipe. Storm surge and king tides push salt water into streets, yards and ground floors, and homes left closed for weeks can hide a leak until someone opens the door.

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ZIP codes in the area

33037

Some of these ZIP codes also include neighboring communities.

Key Largo is the first community drivers reach on the Overseas Highway after crossing Jewfish Creek from the mainland. It is not a city. It is an unincorporated census-designated place in Monroe County, sharing the island with North Key Largo. Because it is an island community, flooding here is tied to tides and storm surge as much as to rain.

Salt water from surge and tides

Hurricane Irma showed how high the water can get. The National Hurricane Center’s report on the 2017 storm recorded inundation of 4 to 6 feet above ground in parts of the Middle and Upper Keys, with a surveyed high water mark of just over 4 feet in Key Largo itself.

Tides do damage too, only more slowly. Stillwright Point, a bayside subdivision near mile marker 105, had its streets covered for 94 straight days in the fall of 2019, a stretch NPR described as nearly three months of flooding. In Twin Lakes, heavy rain and high tides regularly leave water standing in the streets, and Monroe County has approved a $21 million pilot project to raise roads and build drainage there.

Salt water changes the cleanup. It leaves residue in drywall, wood and flooring as it dries, and that residue keeps drawing in moisture from humid air. Materials touched by surge or tidal water are usually removed or thoroughly cleaned before drying equipment goes in. Flood cleanup explains how that work is usually done.

What the housing mix means

Census estimates put the median construction year for Key Largo homes at 1983, and about 42 percent of units were built before 1980. About 63 percent of units are detached houses, and roughly 16 percent are mobile homes. Water that gets under a manufactured home tends to collect in the insulation and barrier below the floor, out of sight.

Occupancy is the other factor. Only about 60 percent of housing units were occupied in the latest estimates. When a house sits closed for weeks, a failed supply line or a clogged AC drain has time to soak cabinets and walls, and warm, humid air gives mold time to grow. A returning owner who smells mustiness should read the mold after water damage guide before moving belongings back in.

Sewer lines and older septic history

Key Largo once handled wastewater with septic tanks and cesspits. After 1999 state legislation required advanced wastewater treatment in the Keys, the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District built a mostly vacuum collection system. Any water that backs up from a drain, or floodwater that has mixed with it, still needs to be treated as sewage and disinfected.

ZIP code 33037

This page covers ZIP code 33037 only. By land area, the ZIP is 56 percent North Key Largo and 36 percent Key Largo, and North Key Largo includes large areas of conservation land. Both communities are served by the same 24/7 line.

What puts Key Largo properties at risk

Storm surge from hurricanes

During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the National Hurricane Center reported 4 to 6 feet of inundation above ground across the Middle and Upper Keys, and surveyed a high water mark of about 4 feet above ground in Key Largo.

King tides on low streets

In fall 2019, king tides, sea level rise and storms kept the roads in Stillwright Point underwater for 94 days in a row. Tidal water that reaches driveways and garages can find its way into ground-level rooms.

Rain and high tide together

Twin Lakes floods regularly during heavy rain, high tides and king tides. Monroe County approved a $21 million pilot project there to add stormwater drainage and raise roads.

Homes that sit empty

Only about 60 percent of Key Largo's housing units were occupied in recent Census estimates, and about 16 percent of units are mobile homes. A leak in an unoccupied home can run for weeks, and water under a manufactured home is hard to see from inside.

Services

Restoration services in Key Largo

Neighborhoods and communities

North Key Largo
Stillwright Point
Twin Lakes

Nearby service areas

Homestead
South Miami-Dade
Cutler Bay

FAQ

Questions from Key Largo

Is North Key Largo part of the service area?

Yes. ZIP code 33037 covers both Key Largo and North Key Largo, which share the island. By land area the ZIP is more North Key Largo than Key Largo, and North Key Largo includes large areas of conservation land. All of 33037 is served by the 24/7 line.

A king tide pushed water into my garage and utility room. Is that treated like a flood?

Yes. Tidal water comes from outside and carries salt, sand and whatever it crossed on the way in, so it is handled as contaminated floodwater. Salt also stays behind after the water is gone, which is why wet surfaces are cleaned before they are dried rather than simply left to air out.

I came back to my Key Largo home after weeks away and found a leak. What should happen first?

Shut off the main water valve, take photos, and check whether the AC has been off. A home that sat closed with wet materials in warm, humid air may already have mold growth, so the inspection should cover hidden areas such as the backs of cabinets and the lower part of the walls, not only the spot where the water is visible.

Can a manufactured home be dried after water gets underneath it?

Often it can, but the work is different. Water under a manufactured home can soak the insulation and the barrier beneath the floor, and those materials usually need to be opened up or removed so the floor structure can dry. The inside of the home still needs moisture readings to see how far the water traveled.