Keys marine sanctuary office spared from DOGE cuts
By Jenny Staletovich
July 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM EDT
The Upper Keys office for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary will remain open after the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency threatened to terminate its lease earlier this year.
DOGE slated the Key Largo office for the chopping block when it published a list of hundreds of offices it planned to shutter as part of cost-cutting measures. Nearly half the Sanctuary staff works out of the office. The only other Sanctuary office is located nearly 100 miles away in Key West, which could force staff to endure hours-long commutes.
READ MORE: Scientists transplant crossbred corals to help save Miami's reefs from climate change
“The Key Largo Marine Operations Center plays an essential role in supporting NOAA’s mandates,” Acting Superintendent David Burke said in a statement. “We could not be more excited to continue to support the Upper Keys community through this location.”
Staff at the Key Largo office conduct research on coral, seagrass and other marine life in the sanctuary, which includes about 20 threatened and endangered species. They also maintain a network of temperature gauges installed after a record-breaking heatwave two summers ago, keep watch on protected shipwrecks and oversee a fleet of boats and other vessels used for sanctuary work.
Reinstating the current lease will keep the office open until 2031.
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DOGE slated the Key Largo office for the chopping block when it published a list of hundreds of offices it planned to shutter as part of cost-cutting measures. Nearly half the Sanctuary staff works out of the office. The only other Sanctuary office is located nearly 100 miles away in Key West, which could force staff to endure hours-long commutes.
READ MORE: Scientists transplant crossbred corals to help save Miami's reefs from climate change
“The Key Largo Marine Operations Center plays an essential role in supporting NOAA’s mandates,” Acting Superintendent David Burke said in a statement. “We could not be more excited to continue to support the Upper Keys community through this location.”
Staff at the Key Largo office conduct research on coral, seagrass and other marine life in the sanctuary, which includes about 20 threatened and endangered species. They also maintain a network of temperature gauges installed after a record-breaking heatwave two summers ago, keep watch on protected shipwrecks and oversee a fleet of boats and other vessels used for sanctuary work.
Reinstating the current lease will keep the office open until 2031.
Sign up for WLRN’s environment newsletter Field Notes to receive our insider’s guide for living in South Florida’s changing landscape. Get original reporting and recaps, with context, delivered to your inbox every Friday. Subscribe here.