Key West, Fla. (WFLA) – One of Florida’s most iconic photo spots is “on vacation.” Work has begun at the buoys at the southernmost tip of Key West.
Officials said the famous buoys were painted for protection and the southernmost plaza needs repairs.
“Long-street storms and salt water have been sacrificed on embankments at the corner of Whitehead Street and at the south. Crews will need to close the area for a year-long project, including landscaping in the area,” officials said in a news release.
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The original 41-year-old buoy does not charge a fee, but the replica is located about a block away at 1400 Duval Street, allowing tourists to take photos at the iconic landmark.
Major West Workers City will apply finishing finishes to temporary replicas of the iconic southern buoys early in the morning of September 4th, 2025. A substitute was set up while the original buoy took a year’s break during the plaza repairs. Editing only (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).Key West city workers carefully placed a temporary replica of the iconic southern buoy early in the morning of Thursday, September 4, 2025. The swap was necessary to allow a year of repairs and landscaping at the southernmost point Plaza, where the original 41-year-old buoy was in existence since 1983. Editing only (Christjen Johnson/Florida Keys News Bureau).A group of Chicago tourists will pos for one of the first photos of a stand-in replica of the buoys at the southernmost point in Key West, Florida, on September 4, 2025. The project is expected to last around a year. Editing only (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).The southernmost buoy of Key West’s original has not gotten a makeover… it is painted and boxed up for protection during the Plaza reconstruction. Substitutes were placed a block away so that tourists could continue taking selfies at Key West’s most famous landmark. Editing only (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Once the Plaza and buoys are done, the southernmost buoys will regain their location.
Officials said that once the original buoys return, the temporary buoys could be “float” and provided tourists with the location of the second photo OP.
