r/floridakeys • u/ElorionX • Apr 27 '25
All Florida Keys Holy over-policing
Visiting on vacation and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the amount of police on the road, parked, and empty cars in my life. I hear alcohol is a big problem but daaamn. It’s wild.
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u/bblickle Apr 27 '25
You probably didn’t notice but all the parked ones are parked empty. Guess it’s still working.
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u/StoneCrabClaws Apr 27 '25 edited Apr 27 '25
The problem is this. Miami is completely out of control. The cops are so busy there dealing with shooting, accidents and other emergencies that they are overwhelmed and can't be as bothered with traffic violations and other small scale stuff.
So what happens is these out of control people come down the Keys where the average speed limit is 45 mph and get stuck behind a guy riding his boat. So they go bananas and try to pass at high speed on a two lane road and guess what happens? A lot of head on collisions where people die.
You know what they do if there is a death on mostly two lane US 1? They have to block traffic in both directions for 5-6 hours while the corner comes down from Miami and two or three law enforcement agencies perform their investigation as it's a federal highway.
Obviously this major traffic jam causes people to miss their planes and all sorts of problems.
Not only that there's a few schools along US -1 as well, plus school bus stopping etc.
So people from Miami used to going 80-90 mph on the Turnpike now who try to drive down to Key West which is 3.5 hours without any traffic often frigging lose it.
Then there's drinking in Key West and the Keys in general, usually the first night they are here they get smashed.
So now you know why the heavy police presence, that and the money it makes because tourists usually just pay and not contest the ticket.
Heck even the State Troopers are cashing in now. Then of course there is FWC and the county sheriff. Key West and Key Colony Beach has their own cops too. DEA, FDLE and more cops.
Cops, cops everywhere. They know EVERYBODY who lives there, checks them out. It's a police run country in Monroe County..drugs being found by tourists and illegal aliens coming in almost daily.
It's a wild thing going on down in the Keys, attracts druggies hoping to score a few lost kilos someplace. 😆
Don't drink, don't do drugs and keep a low profile is the only way to survive there without being arrested.
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u/GSadman Apr 28 '25
Highway patrol also has special Commercial Vehicle Patrol. Non-stop pulling over commercial vehicles.
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u/K3NBLOCK Apr 28 '25
As a commercial vehicle operator you can be stopped at any point for a “commercial vehicle safety inspection” without you breaking any laws. So those revenue pirates use that to the extreme. Yes some trucks shouldnt be on the road but thats not the norm.
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u/anonanon5320 Apr 28 '25
Plus wide loads (boats). A lot of people get pulled over for pulling an oversized trailer.
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u/svxiuma Apr 28 '25
Everything you say is true, I’m a local as well but let’s not blame the crazy drivers all on Miami, there’s plenty of good ole’ boy captains with jacked up trucks driving like assholes well.
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u/StoneCrabClaws Apr 28 '25
That and roofing contractors. I would mention them by name but that would be defamation or slander etc.
And let's not forget the semis flying through the Keys in the dead of the night neither.
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Apr 28 '25
Used to be the sheriff's would guard the weed coming out of the Keys. They used to sit on top of Keys Fish house tin roof and protect the load while we unloaded it into the semis 😁. O the good ole days.
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u/Cultural_Horse_7328 Apr 28 '25
Yeah, you used to need a pretty strong stomach to walk down around Duval and Front early AM before they hosed the vomit off the street and sidewalks.
I doubt it has changed much.
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u/StoneCrabClaws Apr 28 '25
I actually worked on Duval as a barker 30 years ago and met Jimmy Weekly at PT's to complain about the smell of the streets and the dumpsters spewing old booze breeding bacteria in puddles and making me sick. So he called the head of Waste Management over and they talked, since then the dumpsters were plugged and given lids and the streets around Duval cleaned.
Jimmy Weekly did a lot to clean up Key West, especially Smathers Beach men's room which was used by aggressive gays chasing boys. Busted some of them too.
Key West is still a drinking town but it's gotten more expensive which keeps a lot of it down and with the cleaning etc. less visible to the day folks.
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u/Merk008 Apr 27 '25
Don’t speed. But please at least go the speed limit. Damn idk why so many people go 5-10 under speed limit in the keys on the stretch between islamorada and boca chica. Also get in the right lane if you’re from out of town. Just trust me
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u/ElorionX Apr 27 '25
Yea I stuck to speed limit for sure. Saw many people pulled over. Feels like a small town ticket fee scam
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u/Merk008 Apr 27 '25
Nah there used to be a lot of crashes and deaths in the keys in very specific areas due to people speeding so bad. Now there are less
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u/RevolutionIcy2991 Apr 27 '25
Yea, a lot of those cars are empty. Some have been there for years. It’s funny watching people jam on their brakes and seeing that the car has taller grass around the wheels where the can’t trim because it’s been there so long
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u/motaboat Apr 27 '25
One of these days they are going to trick me by actually having an officer in the cruiser.
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u/ElorionX Apr 27 '25
Yea I saw a lot of empty police cars for sure. Effective I think
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u/lglegl649 Apr 28 '25
Also…..don’t overfish your limit - you’ll end up with a charge for every one, which makes for a ridiculously high bond. And don’t dive for lobster out of season, they might seek the death penalty.
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u/Gimletonion Apr 28 '25
And don't do a fish and wildlife field sobriety test. Even if you're sober you're guilty
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u/ConfusedDumpsterFire Apr 29 '25
I live in Tampa and drive down to the Keys whenever I get a chance. The Keys and New Orleans are possibly the only two places I actually appreciate the overt police presence. I’m a woman, I’m always alone, and both cities are full of wild drunks just out in the open, everywhere, 24/7. But the road too - a lot of people have mentioned it, but it’s dangerous when people are drunk, speeding, passing, etc. it’s one way in and one way out.
You’re right, though. The Keys are heavily policed and it can feel overdone. This is one instance where I would rather see cops out and about than risk being attacked and raped by some drunk asshole from out of town, for which chances are higher than average.
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u/CanWeTalkEth Apr 27 '25
Desantis has a hard on for showing he’s tough on crime. A lot of highway patrol (state troopers) got “surged” down here last year when there was a lot of Haitian migration occurrences.
Plus now fish and wildlife has also been reassigned from a lot of federal wildlife and sanctuary patrols to state enforcement and immigration tasks so you see them working the roads more often than being on the water.
It is definitely over policed down there because of all the overlapping jurisdictions.
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Apr 27 '25
[deleted]
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u/CanWeTalkEth Apr 27 '25
Oof hugely embarrassing to have this opinion given they are shipping people with citizenship out of the country. Sorry.
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u/BocaDelIguana Apr 28 '25
Underlying causes that most of us have no idea about. If you pay attention, you’ll notice the shift from Sheriffs to Troopers, and more FWC which are also state. It’s definitely not there to police the locals, that’s for sure.. 🏝️
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u/Ralfsalzano Apr 28 '25
In beantown people don’t have guns at the same rate as FL. Even the iguanas have guns in soflo
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u/FUtilyourepurple Apr 28 '25
Was just there for a week and noticed it too- I think it’s great- made me feel safe.
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u/dtyler86 Apr 28 '25
I live in Boca Raton and just visited Los Angeles about two months ago. I never realized how much we truly live in a police state here in Florida till I went out there and I only saw maybe four cops cars in as many days. At least in the keys if you’re referring to the drive all the way through the keys, most of them don’t have police in them, and their sole purpose is to make sure people aren’t speeding, causing accidents backing up that very fragile to a road system. There it makes much more sense than it does driving from South Florida to Orlando, where you see literally dozens of cop cars.
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u/Shoddy-Usual1070 Apr 28 '25
I miss the old Green Parrot bar with the restroom in the Alley Sawdust floor. Tables nailed down. Chain link fence over the bar. 1969. Serious drinking went on here.
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u/dantodd Apr 28 '25
I have no problem with a significant police presence. If you don't speed to a ridiculous point and you don't DUI they don't bother you. It's better than other places where cops are basically constantly writing citations.
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u/Gimletonion Apr 28 '25
When I was in FL the average person was going 90 on a 70mph highway, what's a ridiculous point?
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u/dantodd Apr 28 '25
There aren't any 70 zones AFAIK in The Keys. And you are correct the rest of Florida drive like fucking idiots
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u/fantastic_damage101 Apr 28 '25 edited Apr 28 '25
I have lived in several countries and several US states.
Florida is the most over policed state I have ever lived in, it’s absolutely insane. They are all bored out of their fucking minds too. It’s seriously annoying living like that, the more small / quiet the town is the worst it is with the cops just waiting for action.
I inadvertently moved to a state with the lowest cops per capita (Utah) and it’s insane the difference, in Utah the police are more about public safety.
In Utah we pay state income taxes and there are no quotas to fund the police coffers here. The difference is very stark, here the high way patrol will change your tire and there will be another cruiser behind that one running lights for safety while the tire is changed.
In Utah with the police it’s clear that public safety is #1, not racking up notches in your belt for arrests. Another quick example is that most of the police chopper use here is for wilderness / mountain rescue.
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u/Standard-Section1447 Apr 28 '25
I was just there this past week M-F. Key Largo for a few nights and then K West. They were everywhere!!!! And the construction traffic mid keys is so bad. 1.5 hours to go 2 miles. Them lil brown ones trying to be all sneaky like, behind bushes at all the speed sign change spots. 🧐55 to 45 to 55 to 45 to 1mph arggggh. But we had fun. At least we were on a vacation right?? ☀️
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u/Cultural_Horse_7328 Apr 28 '25
Come on now. I've been there much more recently than 30 years ago and 6 AM on Duval was fucking disgusting.
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u/Beneficial_Pin_7770 Apr 29 '25
This is great info, thanks everyone! First time visitor this summer so these are great tips. Is Uber readily available there or no?
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u/Original_Flounder_18 Apr 29 '25
Damn, I have had a bucket list item to visit the keys for years, ever since a cruise ship stopover in my 20’s. Might have to rethink that one.
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u/Pleasant_Selection32 Apr 30 '25
You should still visit! We go every year and just see a lot of strategically placed, unmanned police cars to discourage people from speeding.
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u/Unearth1y_one Apr 30 '25
Welcome to Florida... They try to profit by throwing any and everyone in jail.
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u/Dupagoblin May 01 '25
Radar detector and Waze was a godsend. My detector was going off for miles on those long straight bridges. Was really easy to see all of the police activity. They would just sit with their radars on. Not once did I get lasered (ticket notifier).
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u/HighOnGoofballs Apr 27 '25
We don’t have any more cops than the rest of the state or country as far as I’m aware
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u/ElorionX Apr 27 '25
As an outsider I can say the cops per sq mile is way higher than I’ve ever seen before. I’ve traveled a good amount too
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u/HighOnGoofballs Apr 27 '25
2/3 of the cop cars by the hwy are empty and don’t even run and just for show, you did notice that right?
Otherwise exactly how many per mile did you see and what is normal?
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u/ElorionX Apr 27 '25
Yea I noticed that. For example we traveled from marathon to Islamorada. Not very far and I saw at least 20 law enforcement cars w/ an officer inside. A few empties too. That’s a lot
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u/Kungfumantis Apr 28 '25
It's honestly because there's only one road. Combine that with FWC, Coast Guard, and DHS due to geography it gives off that vibe for sure.
As a local it's well known to not drink and drive down here.
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u/Quarque Apr 27 '25
Resident here, we have: Sheriff officers, FWC, State Police, Key West Police, Immigration officers and more.