2020 Census Data Sees Florida Keys Population Increases and District Boundary Changes

The 2020 Florida Keys Census data is in. Like many would guess, the population has grown by quite a bit in the past 10 years. The current population, as of April 2020 and as per the census, is 82,847. This number shows population growth of 9,757 since the last census 10 years ago. This is more than a 13% jump in a decade. We all know the impact that this has had on the Florida Keys real estate market, with demand reaching higher numbers than ever and Florida Keys home prices following suit.

At a meeting on October 20, 2021 Monroe County Commissioners unanimously voted to approve new boundary maps in accordance with the new census data. According to the Monroe County Commission, this will also impact the voting boundaries for Monroe County as well. The latest maps, approved at the meeting, shift boundaries and add voters in Key West’s district 3 and the Lower Keys’ district 2. Boundaries were redrawn in several other districts as well, which will affect hundreds of residents.

Florida state law requires that redistricting happen once every ten years to accurately represent county population. Boundary lines are redrawn to ensure equal representation, and to make each district’s population approximately equal to every other district. Florida law says that districts must be adjoining, and that the districts within each county can have no more than a 10% deviation discrepancy of population numbers. According to the 2020 census, each district within Monroe County should have around 16,569 people. The redrawn maps are very accurate, with only a 3.29% deviation from the largest district to the smallest.

Your district determines who your representative is, as well as which year your district representative is up for election or re-election. It could also change your voting location for major elections. It is important to stay on top of which district your Florida Keys residence is located in. Be sure to check with the Monroe County Government Website when the maps reach final adoption on December 8 to see if you are one of the hundreds whose district is changing!