No Name Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys in the United States.[1] It is 3 miles (4.8 km) from US 1 and sparsely populated, with only 43 homes. It is only about 1,140 acres (460 hectares) [2] in comparison to its larger neighbor, Big Pine Key, which lies about half a mile (800 m) to its west. It is accessible by a concrete bridge from Big Pine Key and was the terminus of a car ferry that existed before the present Overseas Highway was built on the remains of Flagler's Overseas Railroad.[3]

No Name Key
Key deer walking on No Name Key
No Name Key is located in Florida
No Name Key
No Name Key
No Name Key
No Name Key is located in Caribbean
No Name Key
No Name Key
No Name Key (Caribbean)
Geography
LocationGulf of Mexico
Coordinates24°41′33″N 81°19′34″W / 24.6926°N 81.3260°W / 24.6926; -81.3260
ArchipelagoFlorida Keys
Adjacent toFlorida Straits
Administration
StateFlorida
CountyMonroe

Electricity

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No Name Key was known for not being connected to the commercial power grid, for a local county ordinance prohibited this. Residents mostly used a combination of solar energy and diesel or gas generators.[4]

This prohibition of commercial electricity sparked a lawsuit between Monroe County and the No Name Key property owners. In May 2013, the Florida Public Service Commission exercised its jurisdiction over public utilities and issued Order PSC-13-0207-PAA-EM declaring the residents had a right to commercial electrical power. A week later, the circuit court issued a writ of mandamus ordering the county to issue the permits necessary to connect the residential homes to the commercial electric grid.

On May 29, 2013, the decades-long battle over electricity ended as the residents began connecting to the commercial electric grid.[4]

Flora and fauna

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Native fauna of No Name Key include the endangered Key deer.[3][5]

References

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  1. ^ Viele, J. (1996). The Florida Keys: A History of the Pioneers. Florida's history through its places. Pineapple Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-56164-101-7. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  2. ^ Wilkinson, Jerry (2013). "History of no Name Key". Keys Historeum. Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Tiny Fla. Island Debates Joining Electric Grid". NPR. 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  4. ^ a b Keith, J. (2014). June Keith's Key West & The Florida Keys: A Guide to the Coral Islands. Palm Island Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-9743524-9-7. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Hunt, B. (2011). Visiting Small-Town Florida. Pineapple Press, Incorporated. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-56164-488-9. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
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