Gator Keys

A wilder, swampier subregion of the Keys where the mangroves thicken, the alligators outnumber the tourists, and the DIY economy thrives.

Gator Keys is the Keys before they got nice. This subregion of the chain is a warren of mangrove channels, mud flats, and stilt-house communities where the island time gets grittier, the cocktails come stronger, and every other boat tied to a dock is registered to someone who definitely doesn't live at that address. The economy here is a patchwork: commercial fishing, fishing guides whose clients always seem to be the same kinds of serious-looking men, small-engine repair shops that also repair things that don't officially exist on anyone's books, and tiki bars that appear and disappear depending on whether the latest owner paid the licensing fee. Law enforcement out here is a running joke — the county sheriff's department has exactly two boats, and they're both usually broken. If you need to move something by water between the mainland and the Caribbean without being seen, Gator Keys has been your best friend since before anyone thought to count.