FWC GRANT WILL ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL NEARSHORE WATER CLEANUPS IN MIDDLE AND LOWER KEYS

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County has received a $1.3 million grant for manmade marine debris removal along publicly owned shorelines and nearshore waters between Marathon and Sugarloaf Key from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This area was the hardest hit by Hurricane Irma and has the highest density of remaining debris, including trap gear and entangled trap rope.

The County has issued a request for proposal from vendors who will use local commercial fishermen to provide marine debris removal services. FWC requires the vendor utilize local commercial fishermen to perform the work since they have extensive knowledge of Florida Keys waters and are well-equipped to perform this type of work. The project will not include debris removal in canals, will occur in depths up to two feet deep, and will not include the need for scuba diving.

“The water surrounding the Florida Keys are a precious resource and we are proud of the organizations who have stepped up to help cleanup these areas after Hurricane Irma,” said Monroe County Senior Administrator of Marine Resources Celia Hitchins. “We are pleased that FWC has selected Monroe County for this opportunity to add additional resources to cleaning the water and giving a boost to our local commercial fishermen.”

The project will generally consist of the vendor conducting preliminary assessments of existing debris within the focus area of the project to determine priority locations for targeted removal activities. The vendor will then provide and oversee several ‘crews’ of local commercial fishermen to perform the retrieval, collection, and transportation of marine debris from authorized debris sites to temporary disposal sites. The vendor will then provide transportation of the collected debris from the temporary sites to certified disposal facilities for final disposal.

Bid proposals are due from vendors and will be opened Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at 3 p.m., with work anticipated to start in February and be completed no later than June 30, 2021. For more information, contact 305-289-2505 or [email protected]. To view the Request for Proposal (RFP), visit www.monroecountybids.com.

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