Duck Key, Monroe County
Demolition in Duck Key
Duck Key is a community of a few hundred residents built around a resort, with Conch Key counted in the same census area. It is unincorporated, so the county, not a city, permits a demolition on either island.
The 2020 census counted 727 people in the Duck Key area, which includes Conch Key. US 1 crosses Conch Key at about mile markers 62 and 63, and Duck Key lies oceanside at about mile marker 61. A place this small has few lots and few roads, and a machine, a dumpster and a truck can fill the street.
Hurricane Irma damaged the resort that gives the island its name, which reopened after a long renovation. The lesson for a house owner is about repair costs: after a storm, the cost of fixing a building near the water can reach the half-value threshold in the flood rules, which changes a repair into a rebuild.
Debris from the middle Keys goes to the county's transfer stations or by hauler to the mainland. For most jobs we use a licensed hauler directly and price the load as its own line.
Sources: Duck Key, Florida (census and location) · NBC Miami: Duck Key resort and Irma
Getting the permit in Duck Key
Monroe County Building Department
Duck Key and Conch Key are unincorporated and are permitted by the county. The county takes applications through its online permitting system, where applicants must register first, and publishes its office hours as 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at each permitting office, with appointments encouraged. Check the current checklist for your parcel before filing.
Read the sourceThis is general information and not legal advice. If you hire us, we file the permit ourselves as the contractor on record. Monroe permit guide
What we quote in Duck Key
Kinds of demolition we quote here
- Interior demolitionCondo, hotel and shop interiors and stilt-house living floors cleared out, salt damage and all.Interior demolition in Monroe →
- Selective demolitionRemove one wing, a deck or a floor of a Keys building and protect what stays.Selective demolition in Monroe →
- Commercial demolitionShops, motels, marinas and multifamily buildings, planned around US 1 access.Commercial demolition in Monroe →
- House demolitionBlock ranches, wood cottages and stilt houses, taken down after the permit work is done.House demolition in Monroe →
- Structural demolitionConcrete frames, elevated slabs, piles and unsafe structures, taken down in engineered order.Structural demolition in Monroe →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, decks and caps broken out, sorted and hauled off the island chain.Concrete removal in Monroe →
- Pool removalFill in or fully remove a pool, with the groundwater and the fill planned first.Pool removal in Monroe →
- Mobile home demolitionMobile homes, trailers and RVs removed from park lots and private lots, with utilities handled.Mobile home demolition in Monroe →
- Storm damage demolitionHurricane-damaged homes and buildings, made safe and removed, with the paperwork in order.Storm damage demolition in Monroe →
- Site clearingClear a lot of old structures, slabs and debris, where the habitat and tree rules allow it.Site clearing in Monroe →
- Asbestos coordinationSurvey, notice and licensed abatement lined up so the demolition can proceed.Asbestos coordination in Monroe →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, carports, garages, screen rooms and dock houses removed cleanly.Accessory structure demolition in Monroe →
- Something else?Do not see your job above? Phone us and describe it. We quote every type and size.Call (239) 510-4206 →
From first call to final
Six stages, always in this order
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A shed and a full building go through these same stages.
Send the address and the scope
Phone us or fill in the quote form. Say which key it is on, what must come down and what must stay.
A visit to the lot
Someone from Romco goes to the property. The building, the flood zone, the utility connections, the way equipment and trucks get in, and the neighboring lots all get a look.
The written quote
You get a document listing what comes out, what is kept safe, and what is trucked north off the island chain. Anything that hangs on survey results is marked as such.
Paperwork before machines
If asbestos testing applies, it happens here. So do the utility shutoffs and the filing of your demolition permit with whichever office covers the parcel.
Demolition and haul-off
The crew works through the agreed order. Debris is trucked to permitted facilities, and we keep the load records.
Final inspection
The permit office signs off after its last inspection. You are left with a cleared lot, or the shell you specified.
Questions
Demolition in Duck Key
Do Duck Key and Conch Key have their own building departments?
No. Both are unincorporated parts of Monroe County, so the county building department issues the permits. Confirm the office that serves your parcel before you file.
What does a demolition cost in the Keys?
A quote follows a visit to the property, or a review of photos and drawings when those show enough. The figure moves with the building's materials and height, the asbestos survey, the utility disconnects, how equipment reaches the lot, and the haul, because everything leaves the island chain by truck. We do not publish prices, since two lots that look alike seldom cost alike.
How is asbestos handled before a demolition?
An independent licensed consultant surveys the building first, because the federal asbestos rule calls for a thorough inspection before a regulated demolition and the state notice depends on it. Should the survey turn up asbestos that the job would disturb, a separately licensed abatement firm takes it out. Romco books and sequences both visits, but abatement is not work we perform.
How long before a Keys demolition can start?
No one can name a date until the facts are known. The start depends on how fast your permit office reviews the file, when the utility letters arrive, the asbestos survey and the notice that follows it, any flood-zone or habitat review, the weather, and the building itself. When those are settled we send you the order of work and what each step waits on.
Other Monroe cities: Key West · Stock Island · Marathon · Islamorada · Key Largo · Ocean Reef · Tavernier · Key Colony Beach · Big Pine Key · Cudjoe Key · Summerland Key · Ramrod Key · Big Coppitt Key
Any type, any size, anywhere in the Keys
Tell us where it is and what has to come down. We will price it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. From a single wall to a full building, you receive a written scope and a quote.