Taking a selfie with a red, yellow and black southern point marker is one of the important western necessities for daytrippers and tourists.
However, you’ll be coming in August or September and, about a year later, you’ll be posing with the replica somewhere else.
That’s because the landmark buoys can’t pay the fees.
Don’t worry – there’s nothing wrong with the original buoy. This is not a recurring rushing of Hurricane Irma with concrete markers that led to a month’s closure in September and October 2017, but original artists Danny Acosta and Henry Delvare can make emergency repairs and repaint the battered buoys.
Why is there a replica of the southernmost buoy?
The huge concrete buoy, which replaced the site’s simple sign in 1983, is fine after spruce up almost eight years ago. However, long-standing storms have ruined the existing southernmost square where the marker sits.
So the southernmost cities in the United States must repair their Seawall, redo the roads and pay attention to other damages at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street.
That future work will require an area shutdown for about a year, excluding access to existing buoys.
The replica is built and depicted by Paul Cassidy and Richard Serge of Key West’s Community Services department.
“It’s small, but still taller than people,” said Clean. “The ocean is still visible, but the temporary location is far from the ocean.”
Just compose a camera shot and your Instagram followers may not know the difference.
A temporary location?
The replica will be located at Duval Street Pocket Park, 1400 Duval St., away from the original buoy, 90 miles from Cuba.
Does Key West keep both buoys for double social media snaps?
I can’t see that yet.
“Once it’s over,” said Clean, “I’m sure the city will do something fun with it.”
