"I've lived this for 14 years, and I'm sure it's not clear for everybody at this table," Ben Daughtry told the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's advisory council in June. Keys Weekly reported that the comment came as members asked NOAA for simple summaries of the rule changes, region by region. Daughtry chairs that council. If the people at that table find the rules hard to follow, a Marathon boater heading out past Sombrero Beach on a Saturday will too.

Here's the short version. Off Marathon, the rules depend on which side of an invisible line on the water you're on. Past that line, NOAA's new sanctuary rules have been in force since March 2025. Inside it, the 1997 rules still apply. The reefs Marathon boaters reach first, Sombrero Key and Coffins Patch, are also the ones with a no-anchor rule scheduled for January 19, 2027. New mooring buoy anchors are already in place at both reefs.

How the Line Got There

NOAA published the final version of its sanctuary overhaul, the Restoration Blueprint, in the Federal Register on January 17, 2025. It covered new regulations, new marine zones and a new management plan. Under the rule, Florida's governor could block it in state waters by certifying it unacceptable. Gov. Ron DeSantis did that in March 2025, so the earlier rules and management plan stayed in force in state waters, the Florida Keys Free Press reported.

Everything else went ahead unchanged. Keys Weekly reported in March 2026 that the Blueprint took effect March 5, 2025 in federal waters, which make up roughly 40% of the sanctuary. The same story put the state-water boundary at up to three nautical miles out on the Atlantic side of the Keys and up to nine on the Gulf side.

The result is the "two separate sanctuaries" a former acting superintendent described to the council in June 2025. One runs on the new rule in federal waters, the other on the original 1997 regulations closer to shore. Keys Weekly reported that several council members were surprised at that meeting to learn the rule was still in effect farther offshore.

From a Marathon dock, then, the question is no longer just what the rule at Sombrero Key says. It's whether the spot you're anchored on is inside or outside that line.

What the Final Rule Draws Around Marathon

NOAA's 2025 Middle Keys region maps and the Federal Register text set out the zones closest to home. The table below is the 2025 final rule as written. Whether each zone applies on a given day depends on whether its waters are federal or state.

For anyone who trolls the edge of Sombrero Key, losing the trolling exception is the biggest change on the list. NOAA's Sanctuary Preservation Area page says boating, snorkeling and diving are allowed in these areas, but fishing and collecting are not. At Tennessee Reef, the expansion moves the no-fishing boundary out to deeper water, and the final rule names Western Sambo as the only Conservation Area that allows snorkeling and diving.

The nearshore zones look different again. The map document says the Marathon Oceanside Shoreline zone exists to cut down on prop scars and groundings, which it says have severely damaged that stretch. The Channel Key no-entry area protects wading and migratory birds that rest and nest there. NOAA's regulations page says boats can still enter a no-motor zone like the ones off Bahia Honda by push pole, paddle, sail or electric motor.

Some older maps still show a Delta Shoal preservation area. It was in the 2019 proposal but isn't on the final rule's list of preservation areas, which adds Turtle Shoal instead.

January 19, 2027, and the Buoys Already in the Water

The final rule delayed one group of provisions on purpose: the designated anchoring and large-vessel mooring rules, which start January 19, 2027. NOAA's map document says the same about the two Marathon reefs: the no-anchor rule at Sombrero Key and at Coffins Patch is delayed until 2027. Until then, NOAA's preservation area summary says anchoring on coral, or anchoring when a mooring buoy is available, is already prohibited.

That makes the buoys at those two reefs more important. The Florida Keys Free Press reported that the Monroe County Tourist Development Council gave the Marine Preservation Society of the Florida Keys a $90,000 grant for new mooring buoy anchors. The finished project added:

1. Eight anchors at Sombrero Key Reef in Marathon
2. Six anchors at Coffins Patch near Marathon
3. Four anchors at Looe Key Reef in the Lower Keys

After competitive bidding, the work cost $70,000, $20,000 less than the grant. Pearl Beach Construction Company did the installation. The money came from visitors, not residents, which Visit Florida Keys & Key West President and CEO Kara Franker pointed out in the same article:

"These mooring anchors help protect the reefs that are so important to our environment, our economy and our way of life, while giving boaters a responsible way to enjoy them."

That puts 14 of the 18 new anchors at the two Marathon reefs where the 2027 no-anchor rule is scheduled to apply. The article also says visitor tax revenue has put $5.2 million toward coral restoration and the marine sanctuary over the most recent five-year period.

What NOAA Has Said Since March

The federal side has moved slowly this year. In March, Keys Weekly reported that Laura Grimm, NOAA's deputy undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere, told the council the agency planned to announce the Blueprint's 2025 effective date in a Federal Register notice. She also said NOAA would keep going with the new rule while looking for agreement with Florida on nearshore waters.

The same March meeting brought up a concern that matters to anyone with a boat. Council members raised the possibility that some boaters had unknowingly broken the law over the past year in areas with changed rules. Daughtry noted that sanctuary enforcement has relied on the state for most of its history.

By June, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries director John Armor told the council the agency expected to formally write the current setup into the Federal Register "soon." Blueprint rules would stay in federal waters and the older rules in state waters, followed by updates to the website and outreach materials. At the same meeting, the council's Adaptive Management Working Group read a letter about stalled progress. The group was set up to pursue smaller, achievable changes after the veto, and its early targets included buoy installation and maintenance. Armor called the selection of the sanctuary's new superintendent, Kertis, the "first sign of hope." NOAA's adaptive management page lists working group meetings for October 6 and November 3, 2026.

Finding the Line From the Helm

The tool NOAA points to is its own app. The sanctuary told the council in March that it had updated its mobile app and website to reflect the new rule. The Marine Sanctuary Explorer listing shows a September 1, 2026 update and says its map can send push notifications about the rules for a marine zone. For the background behind each zone, use NOAA's Restoration Blueprint page and the Middle Keys map document linked above.

This post summarizes public rules for general information only. It isn't legal advice, so confirm the current regulations for any spot with NOAA or FWC before you fish, dive or anchor.

Boating is a big part of why people own in Marathon. When you're weighing a canalfront home, the run to Sombrero Key or Coffins Patch is part of the decision, and it helps to know what's waiting out there. If you'd like to talk through how quickly a particular canal reaches the reef, or how a rental property can explain the reef rules to guests before they head out, Jessica Borraccino is happy to walk through it with you. Let's connect and schedule your free consultation.