Florida Keys

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  "name": "Florida Keys",
  "slug": "florida-keys-fl",
  "type": "region_colloquial",
  "status": "minimum",
  "tier": "t2",
  "centroid": {
    "crs": {
      "type": "name",
      "properties": {
        "name": "EPSG:4326"
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    "type": "Point",
    "coordinates": [
      -81.4981792,
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  "parentId": "1f995890-1c6d-4ad4-8893-1f492c12a7ef",
  "country": "United States",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "stateProvince": "FL",
  "county": null,
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "descriptionShort": "Shallow flats and mangrove channels in the southernmost Florida Keys offer year-round saltwater fishing for permit, tarpon, and bonefish. Sight-casting in gin-clear water defines the experience.",
  "descriptionLong": "The Florida Keys stretch 120 miles from Miami south to Key West, a chain of limestone islands and shallow banks that form one of North America's premier saltwater fly-fishing destinations. The water here is fundamentally different from the Atlantic coast to the north: depths rarely exceed 8 feet across the flats, and visibility often runs 10 feet or better on calm days, making sight-casting the dominant technique. The Keys are divided into three zones—the Upper Keys near Islamorada, the Middle Keys around Marathon, and the Lower Keys and Key West—each with distinct characteristics. Upper Keys flats are slightly deeper and more structured, with mangrove shorelines and deeper channels holding tarpon and permit year-round. The Middle Keys offer a mix of shallow flats and deeper offshore structure. Key West and the Lower Keys are shallower still, with expansive white-sand flats that light up in morning sun and attract permit, bonefish, and tarpon depending on season and tide. Permit are the signature quarry—notoriously difficult to hook and land, they test both casting accuracy and patience. Tarpon fishing peaks April through June, when large schools move through channels and onto shallow flats. Bonefish are present year-round but most abundant in winter months. The backcountry mangrove creeks, accessible only by shallow-draft skiff, hold redfish and snapper and offer a different aesthetic from the open flats. Water temperature ranges from low 70s in winter to mid-80s in summer; winter months (November through March) bring the most comfortable conditions and the most reliable permit fishing. The Keys' unique ecosystem—shallow, clear, and warm—demands specialized tackle, precise casting, and guides who read water and fish behavior with expert fluency.",
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  "verticals": [
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    "charter_offshore",
    "conventional_spin"
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  "waterCharacteristics": [],
  "searchAliases": [
    "Lower Keys",
    "Lower Florida Keys",
    "Florida Keys fishing",
    "Keys"
  ],
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  "metadata": {
    "osmType": "archipelago",
    "prepare": {
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        "name": "Florida Keys",
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        "type": "region_colloquial",
        "stateProvince": "FL"
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      "before": {
        "name": "Lower Keys",
        "slug": "lower-keys-fl",
        "type": "island",
        "stateProvince": "FL"
      },
      "issues": [
        "Seed name 'Lower Keys' is a sub-region, not an island. Corrected to the broader, more authoritative name 'Florida Keys'. Seed type 'island' is incorrect; this is a colloquial region comprising many islands."
      ],
      "confidence": "high",
      "searchQuery": "Lower Keys FL United States fishing"
    },
    "nominatim": true
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  "elevationMax": null,
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  "source": "seed",
  "pipelineId": 354355,
  "createdAt": "2026-06-15T17:09:50.862Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-15T17:09:53.356Z",
  "destinationSpecies": [],
  "breadcrumbs": [
    {
      "slug": "north-america",
      "name": "North America",
      "type": "region_global"
    },
    {
      "slug": "united-states-of-america",
      "name": "United States",
      "type": "country"
    },
    {
      "slug": "florida",
      "name": "Florida",
      "type": "state"
    },
    {
      "slug": "monroe-county-fl",
      "name": "Monroe County",
      "type": "county"
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}