Florida Keys beach fees explained: the 50-cent surcharge and every fee ladder

Keys beach fees look random until you see the pattern. The state parks charge per vehicle with a per-person add-on. Monroe County’s Harry Harris Park charges visitors from outside the county on weekends and holidays. The city and village beaches we track posted no entry fee at all, though two in Key West meter the parking. Below is every fee schedule in our inventory, with the operator’s own wording in the fact boxes and our arithmetic kept separate and labeled.

Where the 50 cents comes from

Florida State Parks says it in the fee text itself. Fort Zachary Taylor lists its vehicle fee plus a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person, and the Long Key and Curry Hammock ladders say each price includes a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person. That is why a state park fee in the Keys depends on how many people are in the car. Bahia Honda’s page, as posted November 1, 2026, adds it to an $8 vehicle fee.

Every line of arithmetic below is ours, worked from the posted text. If a gate price differs from our sum, the gate is right; tell us, and we will recheck the operator page.

State park ladders

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo

Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026: $8 per multiple-occupant vehicle plus 50 cents per person up to eight people, then $2.50 for each person over eight; $4.50 for a single-occupant vehicle; $2.50 per pedestrian or bicyclist; $10 per vessel at the boat ramp, day use only. Our arithmetic from that text (Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026): 2 people $9, 4 people $10, 6 people $11, 8 people $12, 9 people $14.50.

• Pennekamp admission: multiple-occupant vehicle $8 plus 50 cents per person up to eight people; $2.50 each additional person over eight; single-occupant vehicle $4.50; pedestrian or bicyclist $2.50 per person. Boat ramp fee $10 per vessel, day use only. Florida State Parks: John Pennekamp hours & fees

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West

Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026: $6 per vehicle for up to eight people plus the 50-cent surcharge per person; $4.50 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle and $2.50 for pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers, surcharge included in both. Our arithmetic from that text (Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026): 2 people $7, 4 people $8, 6 people $9, 8 people $10.

• Fort Zachary Taylor admission: $6 per vehicle (up to eight people) plus a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person; $4.50 single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle (surcharge included); $2.50 pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers (surcharge included). Florida State Parks: Fort Zachary Taylor hours & fees

Long Key State Park

Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026: $4.50 for one person, $6 for two, plus 50 cents per additional person; $2.50 for pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers, each including the surcharge. Our arithmetic (Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026): 3 people $6.50, 4 people $7, 6 people $8, 8 people $9. The Long Key page does not say where the 50-cent steps stop.

• Long Key State Park is open 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year. Vehicle admission: one person $4.50; two people $6; plus 50 cents per additional person; pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers $2.50 (each includes a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person). Florida State Parks: Long Key State Park hours & fees

Curry Hammock State Park, Marathon

Two Florida State Parks pages differ for three or more people. The park’s main page, as posted November 1, 2026, said one person $4.50 and two or more people $6. The hours and fees page, as posted October 24, 2026, gave a full ladder: one person $4.50, two people $6, three people $6.50, up to eight people $9, each including the 50-cent surcharge per person, and $2.50 for pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers. We treat the hours and fees ladder as current, since the main page itself points to it for all fees. If the difference matters to your budget, call the park at 305-289-2690.

• Curry Hammock hours & fees page: one person $4.50; two people $6; three people $6.50; up to eight people $9, each including a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person; pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers $2.50. Florida State Parks: Curry Hammock State Park hours & fees
• Curry Hammock park page: one person $4.50; two or more people, $6. See all fees. Florida State Parks: Curry Hammock State Park

One thing lines up neatly. Worked from its own text, the Long Key ladder lands on the same numbers Curry Hammock prints for one, two, three and eight people.

Bahia Honda State Park

Florida State Parks, as posted November 1, 2026: $8 per vehicle for two to eight people plus the 50-cent surcharge per person; $4.50 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle and $2.50 per pedestrian, bicyclist or extra passenger, surcharge included. Our arithmetic: 2 people $9, 4 people $10, 6 people $11, 8 people $12.

• Bahia Honda State Park is open 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year. Admission is $8 per vehicle (two to eight people) plus a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person; $4.50 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle and $2.50 for pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers (surcharge included); boat ramp $10 per boat plus park entry. Florida State Parks: Bahia Honda State Park hours & fees

Monroe County: Harry Harris Park

Monroe County, as posted October 24, 2026: admission at Harry Harris Park in Tavernier is charged to non-Monroe-County residents on holidays and weekends, at $15 per vehicle. The boat ramp costs extra: $40 on non-holiday weekends and $60 on Monroe County holidays, which the County says include contiguous weekend days and the two-day July lobster mini-season. Active military, disabled veterans and their immediate family are waived with proper ID. The text ties admission to holidays and weekends and posts no weekday admission.

• Harry Harris admission is charged to non-Monroe-County residents only, on holidays and weekends: $15 per vehicle. Boat ramp (in addition): $40 on non-holiday weekends, $60 on Monroe County holidays (which include contiguous weekend days and the two-day July lobster mini-season). Active military, disabled veterans and immediate family are waived with proper ID. Monroe County, FL: Parks & Beaches FAQ (Harry Harris Park)

City and village beaches: parking, not admission

None of these beach pages posted an entry fee when we read them on October 24, 2026: Anne’s Beach and Library Beach Park (Village of Islamorada), Sombrero and Coco Plum (City of Marathon), and Smathers, Higgs, South Beach, Rest Beach and Simonton Street Beach (City of Key West). Two of the Key West beaches charge for parking instead.

• Smathers Beach, City of Key West, as posted October 24, 2026: $5 per hour, Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to midnight and Sunday noon to midnight; residential permits valid four hours once per day; no overnight parking. Three hours comes to $15 by our arithmetic.
• Simonton Street Beach, City of Key West, as posted October 24, 2026: $6 per hour with a 10-hour maximum and limited boat-trailer parking. Ten hours comes to $60 by our arithmetic.

• Smathers Beach amenities: beach volleyball nets, restrooms, shower facilities. Parking is $5 per hour Monday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. to midnight and Sunday noon to midnight; residential permits are valid 4 hours once per day; no overnight parking. City of Key West: Smathers Beach
• Simonton Street Beach (0 Simonton Street, Key West) is a small downtown beach with a recreational boat ramp, open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; restrooms open 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; parking $6 per hour with a 10-hour maximum and limited boat-trailer parking. City of Key West resource directory: Simonton Street Beach & Parking Lot

How to use these numbers

• Driving alone: Pennekamp, Fort Zachary Taylor, Long Key and Curry Hammock all posted $4.50 for a single-occupant vehicle, as Florida State Parks listed them October 24, 2026.
• Walking or cycling in: those same four parks posted $2.50 per pedestrian or bicyclist, per Florida State Parks, as posted October 24, 2026.
• A full car: count heads before choosing between parks, and use the ladders above.
• No fee at all: the city and village beaches listed above, with parking costs in Key West.

Fees change, and every fact box on this page links the operator page it came from. Open that page before you go. Our beach fees page keeps the full table, the beach finder filters by fee, and the plan-your-visit page collects hours and closure notices.

Beach fee questions

Written by the Florida Keys Beaches Editorial Team. Some content may be AI-generated. People check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: Florida State Parks (official site)