Hurricane prep in Monroe County is not the same exercise as hurricane prep anywhere else in Florida. The Keys sit at the end of a single two-lane highway. When a mandatory evacuation order comes down, every resident from Key West to the mainland is trying to leave on the same road at the same time. The margin for last-minute action here is smaller than anywhere else in the state, and the consequences of misjudging it are more serious.
A home that is properly prepared before the season starts does not depend on a narrow window of frantic action when a storm is already in the forecast. This checklist is organized that way, the work that happens in May before anything is threatening, the systems that need to be in place well ahead of storm season, and then the specific actions when a storm actually develops.
Seasonal owners and vacation rental operators have their own section. If you are not in the Keys when a storm forms, the prep that matters most is the prep you already did.
Hurricane Season in the Keys: The Real Threat Window
Hurricane season runs officially from June 1 through November 30. The statistical peak of Atlantic hurricane activity falls in mid-September, and the most dangerous period for Monroe County specifically runs from August through October.
Late-season storms deserve particular attention here. Storms that form in the western Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico in October and November can develop quickly and leave less time between formation and landfall than storms that cross the Atlantic with a longer track. The Keys are also vulnerable to storms that approach from the south or southwest, directions that can compress the warning timeline further.
What this means practically is that preparation should be complete before June 1, not started when the first named storm of the season forms. A storm in early June with a fast track to the Keys does not leave time to fix the things you meant to get around to.
Before the Season Starts: The May Checklist
The most important hurricane preparation happens before any storm is in the forecast. This is when you have time, contractors have availability, and you are not competing with every other homeowner in Monroe County for the same limited resources.
Roof inspection. Have a licensed roofing contractor inspect your roof before the season. Look for loose or missing fasteners, damaged flashing, and any area where the roof covering has lifted or separated. A roof that has a small problem in May can become a significant problem in a hurricane. Monroe County permit records can confirm when your roof was last replaced, which matters for both structural performance and insurance documentation.
Shutter hardware check. If your home has accordion, roll-down, or panel shutters, test them now. Open and close every accordion track. Run every roll-down through a full cycle. Check that panel tracks are clear and that panels fit properly. Lubricate hinges, tracks, and lock mechanisms with a marine-grade product. A shutter that has not been operated in a year in a salt air environment may not operate when you need it to.
Generator test and fuel. Run your generator under load. If it has not been started in months, run it for several hours with appliances connected. Check oil, coolant, and fuel lines. If you have a propane or natural gas standby generator, confirm the last service date and schedule one if it is overdue. Gasoline generators should have fresh fuel with stabilizer added.
Impact window and door inspection. Check the seals and frames on impact windows and doors. Look for cracks in the glazing compound, gaps where frames meet the wall, and any hardware that is corroded or not latching properly. Impact windows that are not sealed and latched correctly do not perform to their rated specification in a storm.
Property documentation. Walk every room of your home and photograph or video the contents and condition. Do the same for the exterior. Upload these files somewhere you can access them from outside Monroe County. If you file an insurance claim after a storm, documentation of pre-storm condition is valuable.
Tree and vegetation assessment. Identify any trees or large shrubs near the structure that could become projectiles or fall on the roof in high winds. Monroe County has restrictions on removing certain trees, but dead limbs and structurally compromised trees near the home are worth addressing before the season.
Opening Protection: What Needs to Be in Place
Full opening protection means every window, door, skylight, and garage door on the home is covered by a rated product. That means impact-rated glass, rated shutters with Florida Product Approval, or an impact-rated garage door.
Partial coverage is a real vulnerability. A home with impact windows on every opening except the garage has a significant weak point. A garage door failure during a hurricane allows wind pressure to enter the structure, which can lead to roof loss. The garage door is one of the largest and most wind-vulnerable openings on most homes.
If your opening protection is not complete, the period before the season starts is when to address it. Licensed contractors in Monroe County are significantly busier once storm season begins and essentially unavailable once a storm is in the forecast. Lead times on impact window and shutter installation run long during season.
Full opening protection also affects your wind mitigation insurance credits. The OIR-B1-1802 form evaluates coverage across all openings. Partial coverage scores lower than full coverage, which means an incomplete protection system costs you on insurance as well as in actual storm performance.
Insurance and Documents: What to Have Ready
Policy review. Pull out your homeowners insurance policy and read the declarations page. Confirm your dwelling coverage amount, your wind deductible, and whether you have a separate hurricane deductible. In Monroe County, hurricane deductibles are typically a percentage of the insured value rather than a flat dollar amount. Know what that number is before you need to file a claim.
Flood insurance. Homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Monroe County sits in a high-risk flood zone, and a significant percentage of hurricane damage in the Keys comes from storm surge rather than wind. If you do not have a separate flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier, the off-season is the time to get one. Flood insurance policies have a 30-day waiting period before they take effect.
Wind mitigation inspection currency. The OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation report is valid for five years. If your report is approaching expiration or has already expired, schedule a new inspection. An expired report means your carrier may not be applying the credits you have earned.
Document storage. Keep copies of your insurance policies, wind mitigation report, property deed, and the photos from your documentation walkthrough somewhere outside the home. A cloud storage account, an email to yourself, or copies with a family member on the mainland all work. If the home is significantly damaged, you want to be able to access these documents without being inside it.
Evacuation Zones and the Overseas Highway Reality
Monroe County uses a lettered evacuation zone system. Zone A covers the areas at highest risk from storm surge, including much of Key West, the Lower Keys oceanside neighborhoods, and waterfront properties throughout the island chain. Zone B covers areas at moderate surge risk. Zones C and D cover progressively lower-risk areas.
When a mandatory evacuation order is issued, it typically begins with Zone A and expands outward as the storm track and intensity become clearer. Zone A evacuations have been ordered for storms that ultimately tracked away from the Keys. That is not a mistake by emergency management, it reflects the fact that the evacuation window on a single two-lane highway is genuinely limited.
The contraflow system on US-1 and the Overseas Highway allows outbound traffic to use both lanes during evacuations. Even with contraflow, a full evacuation of the Keys takes many hours. Traffic backs up from the mainland all the way down the Keys when everyone is leaving at once.
The practical implication is this: when a mandatory evacuation order is issued for your zone, leave promptly. The people who wait to see if the storm track shifts are the people who spend twelve hours in contraflow traffic or, in a worst case, cannot get out before the storm arrives. Monroe County Emergency Management publishes current zone maps and evacuation routes. Know your zone before a storm is in the forecast.
If you have pets, confirm your evacuation destination accepts them. Most public shelters in Monroe County do not accept pets other than service animals. Pet-friendly shelters and options exist but require advance planning.
The 72-Hour Pre-Storm Checklist
When a storm enters the Gulf or Atlantic with Monroe County in the cone of uncertainty, this is the sequence that matters.
72 hours out: Close and latch all shutters or confirm impact windows are sealed and latching correctly. Move outdoor furniture, decorations, propane tanks, and any loose items inside or secured. Fill your vehicle with fuel. Refill any prescriptions you will need in the following two weeks. Withdraw cash. ATMs and card systems may be unavailable after the storm.
48 hours out: Confirm your evacuation decision. If you are leaving, load the vehicle with documents, medications, irreplaceable items, and supplies for several days. If you are staying, confirm you have sufficient food and water for at least seven days (the standard guidance is one gallon of water per person per day), a battery or hand-crank weather radio, and a first aid kit.
24 hours out: If an evacuation order has been issued for your zone, leave now. Do not wait for additional track confirmation. Fill your bathtub with water for flushing if the water system fails. Turn your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings. Unplug electronics. Move vehicles to higher ground if possible. Charge all devices.
Before you leave: Take a final walk through the home. Confirm all shutters are closed and latched. Turn off the main water supply if you know where the shutoff is. Lock the home. Take photos of the closed shutters and secured exterior as documentation.
If You Are Not There When a Storm Develops
Seasonal residents, vacation rental operators, and absentee property owners face a different version of this problem. If a storm develops while you are in Gainesville or Atlanta or Chicago, your home’s preparation depends entirely on what was already done before you left.
Establish a local contact. Identify someone in Monroe County who has a key to your property and is willing to close shutters or take basic pre-storm action on your behalf. This might be a property manager, a neighbor, or a caretaker. Confirm this arrangement explicitly each season, do not assume someone who helped before is still available and willing.
Confirm your protection system does not require you. If your home has panel shutters, someone has to be there to install them. If no one is available, panels sitting in storage provide no protection. If your opening protection depends on a specific person taking action, the system has a dependency that needs to be accounted for. Impact windows and permanently mounted accordion or roll-down shutters that can be closed by anyone familiar with them are more resilient for absentee owners.
Vacation rental operators face the additional complication of guests potentially being in the property when a storm develops. Your rental agreement should address hurricane evacuation explicitly, including the conditions under which you can require guests to vacate and how refunds or credits are handled. Monroe County’s mandatory evacuation orders apply to guests as well as residents.
Remote monitoring. A basic security camera system with cellular connectivity allows you to see whether shutters are closed and whether the property has sustained visible damage after a storm. This is useful for insurance documentation and for making the decision about when to return.
After the Storm: Before You Go Back
Monroe County and the Florida Keys generally control re-entry after a significant storm. Residents with proof of residency are typically allowed back before tourists and non-residents. Keep your Monroe County address documentation accessible.
Before you enter the home after a storm, do a visual exterior assessment first. Look for structural damage, downed power lines near the property, and any sign of gas leaks. If you smell gas, do not enter and contact the utility from outside.
Document everything before you start cleanup. Photograph the exterior from multiple angles, photograph any damage inside, and photograph the condition of the contents before anything is moved or removed. This documentation supports your insurance claim. Call your insurer to report the claim and get a claim number before significant cleanup begins — some policies have provisions about what can be altered before an adjuster inspects.
Keep receipts for any emergency repairs you make to prevent further damage, such as tarping a damaged roof. These costs are typically covered under your policy as emergency mitigation expenses, but documentation is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start hurricane prep in the Keys?
May is the right time. Hurricane season officially begins June 1, and the early weeks of the season can produce storms with fast timelines. Contractors have better availability before the season, and you avoid competing with every other homeowner in Monroe County for the same limited resources. Pre-season prep means your home is ready before any storm is in the forecast.
What is the most important thing to do before hurricane season in Monroe County?
Confirm your opening protection is complete and your shutters or impact windows are in working order. A home with functional, full-coverage opening protection is significantly more resilient than one with partial protection or shutters that have not been tested. After that, confirm your insurance documentation is current, including your wind mitigation report.
Do I need flood insurance in the Florida Keys?
Yes, in most cases. Monroe County sits in a high-risk flood zone, and standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Storm surge, which is the wall of water pushed ahead of a hurricane, is historically responsible for a significant share of the destruction hurricanes cause in the Keys. A separate flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier covers this exposure. Policies require a 30-day waiting period, so the off-season is when to get one if you do not have it.
What evacuation zone am I in?
Monroe County publishes current evacuation zone maps at monroecounty-fl.gov and through the Monroe County Emergency Management office. Your zone is determined by your address and the associated surge risk. Zone A is the highest priority for evacuation. Knowing your zone before a storm is in the forecast is part of basic prep.
Can I stay in my Keys home during a hurricane?
Monroe County can and does issue mandatory evacuation orders. Staying in violation of a mandatory evacuation order is legal in Florida — authorities cannot physically force you to leave — but emergency services are suspended once conditions deteriorate to a certain point. If you are injured or trapped after declining to evacuate, response time will be delayed until conditions allow. The practical and official guidance from Monroe County Emergency Management is to evacuate when ordered.
How long does it take to evacuate the Florida Keys?
A full evacuation of Monroe County using the contraflow system on US-1 can take many hours depending on storm timing and compliance rates. Traffic conditions during an evacuation are unpredictable. Monroe County Emergency Management issues evacuation orders with a time buffer built in, but waiting until the last possible moment means joining the heaviest traffic and risking running out of time. Leaving promptly when an order is issued for your zone is the approach that keeps options open.
What happens to my vacation rental guests if a storm is coming?
Monroe County mandatory evacuation orders apply to everyone on the island, including tourists and short-term rental guests. As a rental operator, your rental agreement should address this scenario explicitly, including how you handle early departures, refunds, and the conditions under which you can require guests to vacate. Florida law and most rental platforms have provisions related to natural disaster cancellations, but having explicit terms in your own agreement avoids ambiguity when the situation is already stressful.