Fowey Rocks Lighthouse is a 125-foot octagonal skeletal tower set on iron piles driven into the reef. A two-story keeper’s dwelling once filled the center of the framework, high enough to survive waves but still exposed to hurricanes and passing vessels.
After offshore lighthouse construction proved successful elsewhere in the Keys, the Lighthouse Board chose Fowey Rocks for a light closer to the hazard than Cape Florida. Construction began in 1875 and required crews to live on the unfinished structure. The lighthouse was first lighted on June 15, 1878 with a first-order Fresnel lens. Keepers survived hurricanes, collisions, and rescues at the isolated station. The light was electrified in 1931 and became the last Florida reef lighthouse to be automated, in 1975. Biscayne National Park received the tower in 2012.
Very distant views are possible from Cape Florida, but the lighthouse is best seen by boat or plane. The tower is closed, and reef conditions require careful navigation. Visitors should use an experienced local captain when approaching the area.
The National Park Service owns Fowey Rocks Lighthouse as part of Biscayne National Park. A modern beacon remains active, while the historic first-order lens is preserved at the Coast Guard’s aids-to-navigation school. The tower is not open to the public.
