Testimonials
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"I give Maya Thomas my highest compliments for knowledge and professionalism."
Michael Tierney, Saint Louis, Missouri "Thanks again for all your work. You deserve your commission more than any Realtor I have ever heard of. We still tell people how much you have helped and they can't believe it."
Adam & Christine Ray, Tifton, Georgia “Thanks for everything! We truly appreciate all of the help and guidance you have given us. We couldn’t ask for more.” Chris Howard, Houston TX “Maya is a great agent!”
Jacob Muchow, Hoboken, NJ“I have known Maya for almost 2 years. Maya was instrumental in my efforts to acquire real estate in the Keys. She was very professional and always had time for me when I needed her. Her people skills were outstanding. I would recommend Maya to anyone who needs professional assistance in finding the right property.”
Dwight Devore, Big Pine Key, Florida “Maya has been a real asset and a wealth of knowledge when dealing with her on our venture into real estate here in Key West. She is honest, trustworthy, and always in touch. I highly recommend her!”
William Julius, Key West, Florida “Maya is a consummate professional in her field. I find her to be very client oriented, she has detailed knowledge of the properties she represents and she utilizes the latest information technology to market the homes of Key West. I highly recommend Maya whether you are buying or selling.”
Daniel Pillow, Jackson, Tennessee “Maya has the experience, as a Realtor in Key West, to help you find the home of your dreams. She works hard, works smart, tells you the truth and will successfully accomplish your transaction in a timely and professional manner. When you buy or sell real estate in Key West, don't settle for anything less. Think about what you want and call Maya today to get a great agent.”
Jeff Kessler, Austin, Texas “Maya is one of the hardest working, most energetic people I have ever met. She is incredibly creative and optimistic, doing whatever she can to make her clients happy.”
Todd German, Key West, Florida
I wanted to thank you for all of your efforts trying to help me. This is truly the worst time to live in Key West, when you're trying to find housing to fit a budget. You were the only person who provided consistent help, advice, and listing ideas for me to look at. Thank you again for all your time. Anna Nelson, Key West, Florida "To All home buyers or sellers needing a Realtor!"
"After my mother died from cancer I had to sell her home in the Keys. I live in North Carolina. I hired Maya Thomas to sell our Keys home. I never met Maya in person. I can say, without hesitation, that Maya is the BEST real estate agent I have EVER worked with! Maya is patient, kind and easy to talk to. Maya is extremely consciousness and hard-working. Maya persevered with conflicting personalities and agendas and got the job done!" "Maya cleaned and staged our home, took professional photographs and created a virtual tour. Maya worked closely with the tenant who was living in our home. Soon the yard was clean, flowers were planted and the car ports were repaired. Maya got top brokers in immediately to look at our home. Maya did not stop marketing and advertising my mother’s home. Maya soon began hosting wine and cheese open house parties and sent invitations to the neighborhood."
"Maya frequently stopped at my mother’s home to chat with the tenants and got to know them personally. Maya kept me aware of what was happening with the tenants and the condition of the property. Maya communicated with everyone involved. I rarely followed up or returned her calls yet she faithfully continued to e-mail me to let me know what was happening and what she was doing to sell our home. Maya left me voice messages because she knew that my work keeps me on the road. Maya contacted me after every showing and told me about her follow up calls to the agents who showed our property. Maya never “dropped the ball”. When there was a problem with one of the tenants Maya fixed the problem and I didn’t need to intercede with the problem tenant or make a single call!"
"To counter my initial wariness of the cash offer we received Maya came up with creative ways to reduce my risk and encourage the buyers to “step up to the plate.” Before the buyers arrived to see the property for the first time Maya called contractors, obtained estimates for drywall, painting repair, and a new roof. I didn’t need to make one phone call! Within 48 hours of the buyers first walk through the buyers wanted to close! We closed within a week!"
"When the title company discovered several liens on the property, Maya gave me explicit instructions on what to do, and who to talk to. On my own, I would not have known how to proceed and would have had to pay the liens. The sale would not have happened with out her hard work."
"After Maya received her commission, and her job was done, she continues to follow up on resolving the liens, and helping me to get the estate closed. Maya has obviously gone “way beyond” what I expected from my real estate agent—THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP, AND HARD WORK, Maya!"
"Holly Smith, as Personal Representative for the Estate of Patricia Louise Smith", Apex, North Carolina
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Get SOLD Quick!
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100% Referral Network EXIT associates participate in a 100% referral fee to all agents referring buyers to Exit. This results in more agents sending more buyers to our company and your property being exposed to more buyers. A referring agent gets 100% instead of 25% so that agent will earn 4 times as much by referring their buyers to EXIT than with any other brand in the world. 50-G Listing Program This is a VERY exciting marketing tool used to get your home sold! A home seller enrolls in the program by listing with an EXIT associate. The seller agrees that at the time of closing they will contribute $500 towards the 50-G event. Once 100 EXIT 50-G properties have closed in Dade and Monroe County, the selling associates from any office or any franchise in the world will have a chance to win $50,000! EXIT truly is a team player since this is what will get your home sold. Your home sold faster because your home is shown by more agents. Exit Promo Shop This is a powerful communication toolbox EXIT agents use to market your property that includes postcards, greeting cards, flyers, just listed and just sold cards, open house cards and newsletters. This toolbox allows EXIT agents to market your property more comprehensively and professionally.
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Thomas ask me.™ MyRealPro@gmail.com (305) 522-1398 Maya Thomas, Licensed Florida Real Estate Agent Exit Realty Old Island Key West, 1511 Truman Avenue, Key West, Florida Maya Thomas is a Florida Keys real estate Top Producer, is admired by her peers and has earned the respect of buyers and sellers who have come to her seeking assistance and expert guidance. |
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Mssion Statement
Protect my clients from the
loss of time and money.
Help my clients take advantage
opportunities for enrichment.
Shield my clients from aggravation.
Cultivate repeat and referral clients. |
Showcase & Portfolio Properties Presents
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Extraordinary Multi-Media Marketing
Collaboration to Closing Management™, Rapid Response Promise™,
Clientology Commitment™, Virtual Tours, Staging, Web Marketing,
Global & National & Local Marketing, Global Referral Network,
World Wide Brand Awareness, Relocation Assistance, Podcasting
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Investor Example
307-309 Amelia St., Key West
$375,000 Purchase Price
$75,000 Down Payment
Annual Income (based upon $1,600 and $1,800 monthly rent)
$12,582.84 rental income after mortgage and taxes
$2,966.13 Principal Reduction after 1 year
20.7% Return on Investment if you figure Zero Appreciation
35.73% Return on Investment if you figure 3% Appreciation ($11,250)
ACTUAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT
(before improvement expenses)
Current liquidation value: 307 Amelia $250,000, 309 Amelia $300,000
$12,582.84 rental income after principal, interest, taxes and insurance
$2,966.13 Principal Reduction after 1 year
$175,000 appreciation
254% Return on Investment,
$190,548.97 first year INCOME
Avoid Capital Gains Taxes
(if you purchase with a Roth IRA)
The money you make is tax free. You never have to pay tax on the profit you make when you sell. |
Marketing & Pricing Strategy
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To sell real estate in our volatile and aggressive world market a Real Estate Professional must use Proven Marketing Strategies and Resources to get World Wide Exposure. 100% of my time is invested in real estate and I have full-time office support staff. My Marketing Plan guarantees that your property will get the worldwide exposure it needs to sell for the best price, professional marketing brochures, web marketing, visual tours, and marketing on all of the popular real estate web sites in the World.
Call me at (305) 522-1398 to make an appointment to discuss your property and your needs and allow me to present my proposal for you that will detail my proven custom Marketing Plan to sell your property.
Your Goals, Your Needs and Pricing Strategy
• Listen and Learn about Your Objectives
• Property Valuation 1.) Comparative Market Analysis 2.) Certified Appraisal
• Contractor Estimates for Necessary Repairs
• Professional Property Staging so you get more money and quicker offers
Marketing Assault!
• Photo-Shoot; Professional Digital Photographs
• Professional Property Brochures for Agents, Buyers, Open Houses, Direct Mail
• Multiple Listing Service (MLS) since 98% of all properties will be purchased with a REALTOR®
• Real Estate Referral Network and Exit International Web Sites
• My Personal Web Sites and affiliate Web Sites
• REALTOR.com, the Most Trusted & The Most Used Real Estate Web Site in the World
Property Showcase Tours
• Schedule your property for showings with Buyers, Buyers Agents and Broker Tours
• Professional Interaction with Realtors. 98% of all sales come from REALTORS® Partners
Follow Up & Follow Through
• Weekly Information and Activity Reports
• Buyer Pre-Qualification to After Closing Service
• Return All Phone Calls and E-mails Never ever more than 24 hours (within Minutes is my Goal!)
• Make sure You Get to the Closing Table and that You Get Your Check
Non-Stop Marketing for Multi Million Dollar Properties and properties that meet the demographic profile
• Real Estate Section Featured Property in Newspapers
• Wall Street Journal Real Estate section property features
• duPont Registry, Rob Report, Architectural Digest. |
Imagine incredible sunsets, tropical weather, lots of sun, palm trees, balmy nights and soft tropical breezes.
Imagine a unique array of colors... shades of greens you never knew existed, world class fishing and diving within minutes of your home, year round citrus, vegetables, gardens and fresh from the ocean sea food.
Imagine clean air, beaches and pure nature casually mixed together with a laid-back island attitude.
Consider for just a moment that the time we spend outdoors is but a tiny fraction of our life times. Why not make the most of your life and move to the Florida Keys?
The Florida Keys are a unique American Landscape. They are not even like the rest of Florida. Called by some the "American Caribbean," they are reminiscent of the Bahamas or Cayman Islands or maybe the Netherlands Antilles. They are low lying dots on an azure and emerald sea that separates Cuba from the United States and the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Florida Keys are 130 miles of coral reefs that were the scourage of pirates and the Spanish fleet nearly 500 years ago. The Keys beckon divers, fishermen, boaters and everyone that wants to "check out" of the rat race of middle America.
To buy property or learn more about Keys history and real estate opportunities call me at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail MyRealPro@gmail.com.
Warm wishes,
Maya Thomas, REALTOR |
Lower Keys
The Lower Keys start at mile market 30 [Big Pine Key]. The Lower Keys are laid back, slow-paced, isolated and geographically differently shaped. The group of islands that we call the Lower Keys are different enough geographically from the Upper and Middle Keys (which run East - West and end in Marathon) to have been considered by Colonial Spain as a different group of islands altogether. They were administered from Cuba, not from St. Augustine like the rest of Florida.
Everything is very different. You cross Keys that run more North-South rather than East - West. The actual ocean and gulf are now miles away to our South or North while we cross mangrove forests, wetlands and pine barrens.
Overseas Highway
Until now you've been driving along the mostly northeast-to-southwest spine of each narrow Key with the ocean on your left and Florida Bay or the Gulf of Mexico on your right. Neither body of water is more than a few hundred feet away, and usually much closer, for about 100 miles.
Cudjoe Key
Beginning at Spanish Harbor, you head North and then due West before resuming [Cudjoe Key] the trek towards the South West toward Key West.
History
When Spain sold Florida to the United States it did not intend to include Key West and the Lower Keys. The young Lt. Admiral-to-be Perry was sent in the USS Shark (true story) to enforce the USA's claim to the country. The rest is history.
Keys Geography
This geography has implications today mainly in two ways:
First, the fabulous ecosystem of the Lower Keys backcountry provides richer opportunities for boating and fishing, and certainly better kayaking and birding than any other portion of the Florida Keys from the Mainland to Key West. Almost the entire area North of the Overseas Highway (U. S. 1) is protected wild environment as part of either the National Key Deer Refuge or Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge. And that makes this part of the Keys special, from a homeowner's or visitor's perspective.
Second, the North - South orientation of the islands provides dozens of flow-through channels in the event of hurricane storm surges which help to reduce the extent of water pressure and flood damage. I've ridden out one Category 3 hurricane in my house on Cudjoe Key. While we had to deal with extensive flooding common to these great and rare storms, the damage was much less than it might have been been if the storm serge water had been blocked and therefore tumbled a whole house in it's path into my house.
Big Pine Key to Sugarloaf Key
The Lower Keys or what I'll call "Big Pine Metro," includes the islands of Big Pine, Little Torch and Big Torch Key, Ramrod and Summerland, Cudjoe and Sugarloaf. Each island is unique in its' environment and boating access which does translate down to home prices.
When you enter the Lower Keys, you will see right away that it is much more laid back. The further that you get from Miami the more you get the Bahamian feel. Big Pine Key is attached to No Name Key and both Keys have mastered the art of sensibly preserving the natural wonders of the environment and protecting the land from rapid development. The limited development leaves little land left for new building. Big Pine Key dry lots start off with "negative building points" which makes it more expensive, time consuming and problematic to build. Parts of Sugarloaf, Little-Middle and Big Torch Keys have the same feel as Big Pine Key. Cudjoe and Summerland have other advantages.
National Wildlife Refuge
Teddy Roosevelt started the National Wildlife Refuge about 100 years ago to save the birds. Bird life creates a special ambiance and is one of the best parts of Lower Keys living.
Looe Key
Looe Key is one of the best places to snorkel and dive in the entire Florida Keys. It wasn't always so tranquil. Looe Key got its name when a British ship of that name went down centuries ago. Looe Key caused many ships to wreck. Today Looe Key has incredible fishing.
Fishing
Fishing is outrageously fantastic. Try fishing in the back country, fly fishing, game fishing for tarpon, barraccuda, marlin or sailbish offshore in the Gulfstream or along a reef line, near the American Shoal Lighthouse or in any drifting weed line.
Cuba
Someday Cuba will open and Key West will the single greatest place to live in the United States. There is really only one drawback: one lane of traffic in and out. Getting "off the Rock" and to Miami seems to take forever. Fortunately the 30 to 45 minute ride to Key West traverses nice scenery, much of it at a leisurely 45 mph.
Boating
Boating in the Keys is pretty shallow. Big boats are more rare in the middle and upper Keys. There are the annual Yacht races in Key West and the Super Boat Cigarette races with the big-daddy boats. There are more sailboats at the Yacht Club in Key West. You have to look harder for deep water in the Lower Keys than you do in Key Largo, Marathon or Key West.
There are exceptions to the shallow boating rule such as Cudjoe Gardens, Summerland Key and one section of Big Pine Key along Pine Channel. There are few deep natural channels between the Gulf and Ocean near the more built up areas which most bigger pleasure boats can use.
Big Pine Key
Big Pine is one of the largest and most interesting islands in the Keys. It has a population of just over 5,000 people and as of January 2009 mobile home prices start at $75,000 for a 'tear down' (lot value). As you get closer to the water or buy a home on a canal, the prices rise.
Water Depth
Water depth affects prices, and some areas have about 15 inches and some have 3-4 feet. This means you can have a certain boat in soe areas that won't fit in other areas. It depends upon what you're looking for. The shallower areas have more direct and private access to a lot of the wilder and more pristine parts of the islands and back country. They are usually less expenive, but not always.
The 2-lane, 45 mph Overseas Highway runs along Southern edge of Big Pine Key, through the restaurant and business area. Most of the residential areas are situated a several minute drive to the North. To some buyers that slow drive, 35 mph, gets some buyers to want to live there and other buyers to want to get away from the isolation. The more isolated areas to the North come with a higher price tag, in general.
Big Pine Key is between Key West and Marathon and considered to many to be 'remote,' but it is a social zone. Big Pine, like only Key West and Marathon, has it's own majore grocery store, post office, restaurants, doctor and dental offices, police and fire protection. bars, liquor stores and convenience stores and other basic stores just like a regular little town. The rest of the Keys don't have those features. Big Pine Key has some interesting and unique retail shops too as well as the only flea market in the Keys.
Schools
Big Pine Key does not have it's own school system. Monroe County's elementary and middle schools for the Lower Keys are on Sugarloaf. High school kids are bused to Key West.
Recreation
Does the isolation feel tranquil or un-nearving? That depends on you... You'll have boating, exploring, natural habitat and fishing. On Big Pine Key you have quick and easy access to nature and in-town living. You can walk on nature trails and wind through the Federal Refuge land of pine barrens and hardwood hammocks. You can observe miniature deer and bird life. You can kayak any number of "trails" in the shallow water backcountry. You can ride your bicycle for miles on safe roads and trails. You can snorket or dive Looe Key which is the best of the best of Florida's coral reefs. Looe Key is about 3 miles offshore straight toward Newfound Harbor Channel. In the Lower Keys you are definitely getting aways from it all.
Employment
If you live in the Lower Keys and are not retired you will probably work in Key West or Marathon. Both of these islands are about 30 minutes away during rush hour. Local employment is mostly concentrated in the hospitality industry and mostly in Key West and Marathon.
Mile Markers
"Mile Markers" in the Keys are the standard way for giving direction and for the address numbering system along the Overseas Highway. Start at Key West and the number is mm 1. Big Pine Key is mm 30 so it's 30 miles away. The addresses in Big Pine Key will be 30--- Zyz Street. Marathon is mm 48. Key Largo is mm 99.
If you want to be near world famous Key West, yet have a quiet neighborhood and a more affordable home, the Lower Keys could be the anwer. Big Pine Key offers the most remote and natural environment in the Lower Keys.
Village of the Islands
There are 5 islands, or sets of islands, from Big Pine Key towards Key West that account for most of the available real estate in the Lower Keys. Some of these islands have, from time to time, considered banding together as a new municipality called Village of the Islands.
The referendum failed, partly because there was insufficient commercial activity and commercially taxable property in the miniature downtowns of Summerland and Sugarloaf or the rest of the islands to support a municipality and partly because most of the residents of these islands really like their isolation and privacy and didn’t like the idea of another tier of municipal taxation so they voted against incorporation. The issue is not yet dead and eventual passage would change these islands.
The Torches
The Torch Keys are located just West of Big Pine Key and are comprised of there separate islands known as Big Torch, Middle Torch and Little Torch Key. Little Torch Key is the primary residential area with the majority of the development nestled into the canal systems just South of the Overseas Highway on the ocean side. While there is some residential development on both Big Torch and Middle Torch, those islands are largely protected by state and federal wetlands and hardwood hammocks.
Little Torch
Little Torch offers excellent boating access to both the back country and offshore for both small and slightly larger boats. Some of the canals can be tricky to get out of, so it’s surprising to find that a number of residents here keep fairly large sailboats tucked behind their houses and in the winder time the cool evening breezes and the sounds of the sailboat halyards lull nearby residents to sleep.
Despite the feel of an older neighborhood, with smaller canals, a little like some parts of Key Largo, Little Torch prices can be relatively higher because if the home or land has easy access to a deep water channel. Catch a ride on the 1920’s style deluxe motorboat to Little Palm Island for dinner or rent a boat to explore on your own.
Ramrod Key
Continuing farther South on the island chain you come to Ramrod Key. Ramrod is a very quiet and primarily residential island with pleasant neighborhood development located both North and South of the highway. Ramrod is described by residents as being more “laid back” and more “keysey” than the islands further down the chain. Ramrod is very familiar to the residents of the Lower Keys as it is home to the Cruz Animal Clinic which is an excellent veterinary hospital and a popular local restaurant. There’s also a dive shop with accommodations.
Boating control depths are typically 2 to 2.5 feet with good access to both offshore and back country boating and fishing. Small boats are typical here.
Summerland Key
Imagine flying your own plane to your island paradise home where you step onto your sport fishing boat or cabin cruiser for a weekend of sun and fun. It’s all possible here!
Summerland Key is a mecca for large boat owners and private pilots. It’s one of the few places in the United States where you can have it both ways. Summerland boasts unusually wide flow through canals and a private air strip for local residents making it a perfect spot to park a Beechcraft and a 50+ foot boat. The majority of homes on Summerland are located on the Atlantic side of the Overseas Highway.
There is some price variation, but as you would expect from a neighborhood full of airplanes and large yacht, the prices are very high on Summerland especially those homes on the Moresco Airstrip and on the open ocean.
Summerland has a small downtown on U. S. 1. There is a good boutique grocery store, a couple of restaurants, real estate offices, a bank, gas station, a wholesale fish shop, some health care, an office building and a few retail shops and a post office.
Cudjoe Key
There are stories about how Cudjoe got it’s unusual name. Many Cudjoe Streets are named after either famous or amazingly obscure pirates which includes Mr. Cudjoe. Another story has it that the island described in the 19th century Key West scuttlebutt as the location of “Cousin Joe’s” woodcutting and charcoal-making place (which there were quite a few of in the Lower Keys…)
Whatever the history Cudjoe is a quiet and peaceful residential island surrounding probably the best in the area for water sports. The islands fishhook appearance and bay are such distinctive features that they can be seen easily in satellite pictures.
Cudjoe Key provides a wide variety of housing ranging from ocean front executive homes in both Keys standard canal homes and some extraordinary ones, to the grand upscale gated mobile home park, Venture Out on Cudjoe’s Eastern shore. All waterfront properties on the island, including Venture Out, have become expensive.
Nearly all of the homes are on the Atlantic side of the Overseas Highway. Boating access on Cudjoe is excellent no matter where you reside. Boating drafts generally range from 2-4 feet. Some canals on the fishhook are narrow and have shallow entrances to Cudjoe Bay. Eastside canals are also narrow and open onto shallow water. The more expensive Cudjoe Gardens housing area at the West end of the island has much bigger and deeper canals that will accommodate large boats.
Sugarloaf Key
Former home t o the Sugarloaf Pineapple Plantation, Sugarloaf Key offers quiet solitude to residents. If you are looking for larger floor plans, more luxurious landscaping and privacy, this is the Key for you. The majority of homes are located South of the Overseas Highway looking out onto the distinctive blue white waters of the Upper and Lower Sugarloaf Sounds. Large ocean front estates rim the outside of the islands facing out to the Atlantic.
Boating is excellent for shallow draft boats with quick access to the back country, but there is no access for large boats or sail boats. The Sugarloaf back country is legendary for flats fishing. Properties on Sugarloaf are a expensive partly because the average lot sizes are roomier than those found on the other Keys.
If you are a pilot Sugarloaf has a basic public airstrip that you can fly into. There’s a popular sky diving operation and you’ll definitely see people falling from the sky. The houses along the airstrip get together at Christmas and the “HO-HO-HO” lights can be seen for miles.
Sugarloaf has a whimsical downtown where you can also rent a kayak or a boat, buy essential supplies, get a bite to eat or a bed to sleep in at the Sugarloaf Lodge.
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History of the Florida Keys
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26,000 years ago the Florida Keys were a coral reef. The Florida Keys are made up of over 800 nautical islands and 40 inhabited islands. Native Indians were the first settlers in 1530 AD. There were no white settlers in the Keys until it became United States Territory.
A Spanish fleet wrecked in the Keys in 1733, yet until 1763 the Keys were “Isles de Norte Havana” (North Havana) and were inhabited by aborigines. The first maps of the Keys were created around 1776 at the time of the Revolutionary War.
President Monroe ratified the Adams-Onis treaty on February 22, 1821. This transferred ownership of Florida to the United States. Florida was then divided into two counties. On July 3, 1823, 22 years before Florida become a state, Monroe County was incorporated and became the sixth county in Florida.
In 1815 Juan Pablo Salas was given Key West in a Spanish Land Grant. On January 19, 1822 Juan Pablo Salas sold Key West to John Simonton for $575 in a Havana cafe. Juan Pablo also sold Key West to John Geddes.
By the time John Simonton found out that Juan Pablo sold Key West to John Geddes, Simonton had also sold it to 3 partners: 1. John Whitehead 2), John Fleeming and 3) John Mountain and John Warner jointly. John Mountain and John Warner later sold their portion to Pardon Greene. A Congressional order later declared John Simonton the true owner.
Navy Lt. Commander Matthew Perry came to Key West on March 22, 1822, planted a flag and declared North Havana to be United States territory. By 1825 the population of Florida was 13,554. Key West was the county seat and the only settlement in Monroe County.
Piracy, slave ships and salvaging wrecked ships were some of the first successful businesses operated in the Keys. In January 1828 the first newspapers, the Key West Register and the Commercial Advertiser began circulation. The Key West Gazette followed in 1831. In 1834 the Enquirer began circulation. The Citizen did not begin circulation until the 1900’s.
Key West was incorporated in 1828 and became very powerful because of the Federal Wrecking Act. The act made Key West a Port of Entry with an Admiralty Court. In 1829 a U. S. Post office was opened. A public library opened in 1859 and in 1870 a public school opened.
By 1830, the population of Key West was 517. By 1829, the 258 acres of Key West were mapped out into a town of 64 blocks. By 1830 the population of Florida was 34,730. The Seminole War began in 1835 and in 1842 the soldiers gave up trying to win. The Seminole War was like a Vietnam War. Even with overwhelming forces the “whites” could not win.
By 1838 the population of Florida climbed to 48,830. The sponging industry began in 1840 and the newly freed Bahamians made it a success and soon Key West was the sponge center of the Florida. The population of Florida now reached 54,477.
On March 3, 1845 Florida became the 27th state and the population was 70,000. In 1850 there were 2,645 residents in Key West. Dramatic events caused economic changes and in 1870 the census reported just 46 residents in Monroe County.
20 years later, in 1890, the population of Key West climbed to 18,080. Key West was a thriving maritime community. 113 years later, in 2003, the population of Key West was just 25,811. It took Key West 113 years to increase the population by just 7,713 people.
Monroe County is divided into four parts. The Upper Keys (7 islands), the Middle Keys (12 islands), the Lower Keys (20 islands) and Key West. There are 5 incorporated communities in Monroe County; Key West (1828), Key Colony Beach (1955), Layton (1963), Islamorada (1998) and Marathon (2000).
Monroe County is 1,144,800 total acres. The 40 inhabited islands make up just 65,500 acres or 5.3 percent of the total land mass. The federal and state government owns most of the land and will keep it for conservation purposes. This land will never be developed.
210,000 acres, or 34% of developable land in the county, is vacant. 10% of that 34% is divided into 15,000 to 20,000 vacant lots that are located in the Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.
Key West is now 2,600 acres. In 1829 Key West was just 258 acres. The military controls about 25% of Key West and a good portion of the military land was ocean that was “filled” to create land. This land “fill” explains why “Old Town” and “New Town” have those names. Key Largo is 22,000 acres. Big Pine is 6,500 acres. Cudjoe is 3,800 acres. Saddlebunch is 3,700 acres. Boca Chica is 3,500 acres. Sugarloaf is 3,200 acres. Stock Island is 1,800 acres.
I look forward to working with you and sharing more of the history of all of the islands that make up the Florida Keys! Please call me at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me to hear about how I can help you and provide excellent service.
Warm wishes,
Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
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Key West Schools, Monroe County
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Monroe County School Board
PO Box 1788, Key West, FL 33041
(305) 293-1400
Grace Lutheran, PK to K
2713 Flagler Avenue, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-8262
Montessori Elementary Charter, students 1st to 5th grade
1127 United Street, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 294-4910
Poinciana Elementary School, students PK to 5th grade
1212 Glynn Archer Jr. Drive, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 293-1630
Glynn Archer Elementary School, students PK to 5th grade
1302 White Street, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 293-1600
Sigsbee Elementary School, PK to 5th grade
939 Felton Road, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 294-1861
Horace O'Bryant Middle School, students 6th to 8th grade
1105 Leon Street, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-5628
Key West Detention Center, students 7th to 11th grade
5501 College Road, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 293-7300
PACE, students PK to 12th
3131 Flagler Avenue, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 293-1593
Florida Keys Community College
5901 College Road, Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-9081
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Why Work with Maya?
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I have a track record of customer service, diligence and follow through. I have earned a reputation as one of the florida keys most respected REALTORS®.
I am a dedicated full time professional with in-depth knowledge and experience in this area and this real estate market.
I have lived in Monroe County for nearly 3 decades and have been in every neighborhood from Key West to Big Pine Key and that will help you to find your perfect piece of paradise quickly.
Are you Interested in Feng Shui and how it can enhance your quality of life? I will share this ancient study of space, shape and color with you. Learn how spatial qualities enhance life, support your goals and help you achieve your dreams.
I know the inventory and will listen to you, help you get the best value for your money. Recent sales data, list to sale price ratios and negotiation can help you obtain the best property for the best price.
My detailed nature ensures that nothing is over looked. I have established check lists to guarantee a perfect closing every time. You can rest assured that all Critical Dates will be managed with skill, care and efficiency.
If you want to move to Monroe County you need an real estate professional with local knowledge.
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There are currently no Announcements.
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