II. SOCIO-ECONOMIC SETTING 



A. SOCIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 



The proximity of most of the Florida Reef Tract, including Looe Key 

 Reef, to the Florida Keys in Monroe County makes these reefs accessible to 

 the large numbers of people who are able to drive or fly to the archipelago. 

 The Overseas Highway and its 44 bridges link the Keys to the mainland, and 

 jet air service connects Key West and Marathon to all major American urban 

 areas. 



At the present time, 37 of the existing 44 bridges are being replaced, 

 a major new fresh water aqueduct from the south Florida mainland to the 

 Keys is under construction, and extensive additions to the electrical trans- 

 mission and generation systems for the area are under way. Monroe County 

 statistics indicate that the Keys are expanding rapidly in both permanent, 

 resident population and tourist populations. 



The unincorporated Monroe County population (outside Key West, Key 

 Colony Beach and Layton) increased by roughly 30 percent, or from 22,803 to 

 28,435, between 1970 and 1978 (Monroe County Statistics, p.A-2). In the 

 same period, tourism more than doubled, from 460,800 county tourists to 

 948,500 (Monroe County Statistics, p.E-1). Not only is tourism in Monroe 

 County increasing absolutely but the county is increasing its share of Florida 

 tourists, up in this period from 2.0 to 3.0 percent. 



The increase in population is expected to continue. From a 1978 county 

 population of 54,793, the permanent resident population is expected to reach 

 55,600 to 56,400 by 1980, 56,700 to 58,400 by 1985, and between 60,900 to 

 66,300 by 1990, (Monroe County Statistics, p.A-6). This last figure implies 

 that in the next decade Monroe County is expected to grow by 10 to 20 percent. 



In the area nearest Looe Key, from Seven Mile Bridge up to and including 

 half of Ramrod Key, the population is expected to grow from 1,833 in 1974 to 

 5,845 in 1998 (Black, Crow & Eidsness, P. 3-4.). Tourism is increasing. 

 Bahia Honda State Park, in the vicinity of the proposed sanctuary, reported 

 a 20 percent increase in visitors during Fiscal Year (FY) 1978-1979. The 

 number of visitors rose from 293,256 in 1978 to 351,700 in 1979. (Bahia 

 Honda Tabulation of Daily Visitors, FY 1978-1979.) 



The impending construction of the new water aqueduct is predicted to 

 increase population of the Florida Keys (Black, Crow and Eidsness, Inc., 

 1976). Construction in the Lower Keys hit an all time high in 1978, as permits 

 for 208 residential units were issued by the county (Monroe County Statistics, 

 p.B-5). The construction industry has clearly recovered from the recession 

 in 1975 and is building as rapidly as before. Overall, the unincorporated 

 Keys saw the housing stock increase by 59 percent in the 1970-1977 period 

 (Monroe County Statistics, p.B-3.). With the new aqueduct, this number 

 should increase. 



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