KEY LARGO, Fla. — A new apartment complex purchased for $7.5 million by Monroe County in 2025, intended as affordable housing, remains vacant.

The county purchased the Southcliff Estates housing project, located at 95295 Overseas Highway in Key Largo, using money from a $35 million pool of Tourist Development Council bed tax funds from the post-COVID tourism boom.

“It’s frustrating for all of us because we were so excited about this project,” said Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln. “We were like, ‘This is going to be amazing. We’re going to be able to help people right away. We’re not going to have to wait until it’s constructed and to go through permits.’ And it’s empty.”

Designed for workers in the Florida Keys tourism industry, the application process for the 11 one-bedroom, one-bathroom units opened in August at a rate of $2,995 a month.

The initial rental rate gave some residents a dose of sticker shock.

But even after commissioners amended the rental price to nearly $1,900 a month, not a single unit has been rented.

Lincoln said the county will look to update its survey process to more accurately reflect the needs of workers in the Keys.

“We have now tapped the brakes, and we are now going to update the studies we did years ago for specifically what are the housing needs,” she said.

A county spokesperson said marketing is being updated to include a more visible banner on the property, social media posts and ads on real estate website Zillow.

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