Group plans to restore historic Alligator Reef Lighthouse in Florida Keys
The real Alligator Reef Lighthouse has been helping mariners navigate the waters off Islamorada since 1873. (Brenda Altmeier/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
ISLAMORADA, Fla. - A 148-year-old Florida Keys lighthouse could get a new life now that a community organization is poised to take ownership and begin a massive preservation project.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has approved a recommendation from the National Park Service that Islamorada-based Friends of the Pool Inc. be granted ownership of Alligator Reef Lighthouse under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. The non-profit organization announced the approval Tuesday.
"Alligator Reef Lighthouse has stood since 1873," project organizer Rob Dixon said. "It’s an important part of Islamorada’s local history.
"It’s our Statue of Liberty and needs to be saved."
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Dixon said the restoration project is likely to take five to seven years and cost up to $9 million.
"We’re going to need a lot of fundraising help and a lot of technical help," Dixon said.