Press Release: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026
Issued by: The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County
To: Residents and Visitors of the Florida Keys
Beach water quality testing performed by the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County has indicated elevated levels of enteric bacteria (enterococci) in the near shore waters at the following beaches: Ann’s Beach located in Islamorada, Cocoplum Beach located in Marathon, Bahia Honda Oceanside located in big Pine Key, Higgs Beach & South Beach both located in Key West.
Advisories have been issued for these locations.
The previous health advisories issue for John Pennekamp state Park, Founder’s Park and Simonton Beach have been lifted and discontinued.
The presence of enteric bacteria is an indication of fecal pollution, which may come from storm water runoff, pets, wildlife and human sewage. These bacteria may cause human disease, infections, or rashes. The Department of Health advises the public not to swim or practice other water-related activities in the near shore waters at these locations. This notice will remain in effect until bacteriological results show that the water is safe for such purposes.
The purpose of the Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program is to determine Florida’s beach water quality.
| NAME | CITY | ENTEROCOCCUS | WATER QUALITY | ADVISORY? |
| ANNE’S BEACH | ISLAMORADA | 122 | POOR | YES |
| BAHIA HONDA BAYSIDE BEACH | BIG PINE KEY | 31 | GOOD | NO |
| BAHIA HONDA OCEANSIDE BEACH | BIG PINE KEY | 156 | POOR | YES |
| BAHIA HONDA SANDSPUR BEACH | BIG PINE KEY | 31 | GOOD | NO |
| COCOPLUM BEACH | MARATHON | 109 | POOR | YES |
| CURRY HAMMOCK S.P BEACH | MARATHON | 20 | GOOD | NO |
| FOUNDERS PARK BEACH | ISLAMORADA | 20 | GOOD | NO |
| FT ZACHARY TAYLOR S.P. BEACH | KEY WEST | 10 | GOOD | NO |
| HARRY HARRIS PARK BEACH | KEY LARGO | 41 | MODERATE | NO |
| HIGGS BEACH | KEY WEST |
560 |
POOR | YES |
| ISLAMORADA LIBRARY BEACH | ISLAMORADA | 20 | GOOD | NO |
| JOHN PENNEKAMP S.P. BEACH | KEY LARGO | 1 | GOOD | NO |
| SIMONTON BEACH | KEY WEST | 10 | GOOD | NO |
| SMATHERS BEACH | KEY WEST | 20 | GOOD | NO |
| SOMBRERO BEACH | MARATHON | 1 | GOOD | NO |
| SOUTH BEACH | KEY WEST | 2005 | POOR | YES |
| SUNSET PARK BEACH | KEY COLONY | 1 | GOOD | NO |
| VETERAN’S BEACH | BIG PINE KEY | 1 | GOOD | NO |
Water quality classifications are based upon:
United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended criteria for enterococci is:
Good 0-35 Enterococcus sp. per 100 ml of marine water
Moderate 36-70 Enterococcus sp. per 100 ml of marine water
Poor 71 or Greater Enterococcus sp. per 100 ml of marine water
An Advisory is issued for a beach that samples in the “Poor” range of the EPA standards.
This should be considered a potential health risk to the bathing public.
If you have questions, please visit the Department of Health’s Internet Beach Water Quality website at: www.tinyurl.com/monroebeaches, scroll to the bottom of the page or visit http://www.floridahealth.gov/index.html, click on “Environmental Heath”, select “Beach Water Quality”, the Florida Healthy Beaches Program opens, scroll down and select Monroe County for your Beach Water Sampling Results for this test period.
Thank you, Bureau of Environmental Health