Florida’s Key Deer face mounting deadly threats in Big Pine Key
- Staci-lee Sherwood
- 15 hours ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 59 minutes ago
By Staci-lee Sherwood
One of the most iconic species that lives in the Florida Keys are the Key Deer. A tiny version of White-tailed Deer, these adults aren’t much bigger than a White-tailed deer fawn. Key deer fawns are barely larger than your average cat. Their small stature makes them especially vulnerable to being hit by cars. Vehicular mortality is high. The increasing problem of people feeding them, which is illegal, make them susceptible to being hit by cars which they view as a friend not a foe. People feed wildlife for two main reasons. They naively think they’re helping, which they aren’t because this encourages wild animals to seek cheap food their bodies can’t digest from people instead of foraging for their own food. The other is the more selfish cruel reason of getting better photos and selfies. Speeding cars make things worse.
Now the College of the Florida Keys (CFK) board wants to build a truck driving school on this tiny island, home to federally protected wildlife. The insanity of this idea should make people wonder. Another threat is the expiring Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) which is science based and protects both the wildlife and the people living on Big Pine and No Name keys. Many in charge hope to let it die. This would strip away provisions like development limits and species protections among other things. This is being done quietly with few people even knowing what’s going on. Developers always push to remove public input and limits. It would be a disaster for all those who call these islands home.
Speeding cars & overdevelopment
Over the years Big Pine Key, home to the National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge, has undergone massive development for this tiny island. In reality it was very shortsighted to allow any development in a refuge. After all a ‘refuge’ is suppose to be a place where no harm occurs, where wildlife can be free from guns, cars and other human encroachment. The deer are primarily found on Big Pine and No Name Keys, with a few found just south. They no longer roam freely among the rest of the chain of islands that make up the Keys, once their homeland.
This may be a sweet photo but it’s symbolic of the growing problem of people feeding wildlife. This family of wild chickens came running as soon as they saw a car. Shortly thereafter a young buck came over to join them. Their behavior indicates they associate people, and cars, with food and that can be a deadly habit for both species. This was taken right off Key Deer Blvd where cars typically speed over 40MPH
On May 24, 2026 at 8:02am I saw a dead doe on the side of the road. I quickly took a photo to document it. At 8:07am an officer from the state agency FWC (Florida Fish Wildlife Commission) showed up. He didn’t ask any questions. I spoke with a local resident who said at rush hour locals would speed over 60 MPH, double the speed limit which law enforcement fails to enforce.
A dead Key Deer nursing doe on Key Deer Blvd. Clearly the driver that hit her had left. FWC received calls as early as 7am, why an hour to respond? Her fawn(s) have not been found
This photo shows she’s nursing a fawn. Without mother’s milk and protection a fawn, if not rescued within 24-48 hours, will die
When documenting any incident it’s important to photograph as much detail as possible such as the face of those involved. Get all the details to prevent a cover-up, collusion or denial. Detail is important, you have a right to know what’s going on. Hard to deny something happened when photos/videos circulate in the public domain. Better to have and not need than need but don’t have.
This was the first FWC officer on the scene. They have a long history of anti conservation policies regarding everything from sea turtles and bears to manatees so a callous disregard for deer comes as no surprise. This is common knowledge
A photo of a license plate, car ID number, decals, dents etc helps to prove who was there and when
This second officer showed up, never left the car
Another witness was James Nolan who said “I’m an active off duty police officer and was saddened to see that someone had recently killed an endangered Key Deer and left the scene. Under Florida law, that’s a crime and deserves an investigation. A few minutes after pulling over, an FWC Officer arrived on scene and I thought this would be documented with an investigation. He motioned with a finger flick to back up my car. After moving my car, I exited my vehicle to speak with him. He removed the deer and tossed the deer into his truck and never saying a word and then left the scene.”
“In my 20 years as a law enforcement officer have I never treated a scene with indifference. We are suppose to represent the community we serve and in this case, wildlife is the community as well as people in the community.“ - Officer James Nolan
I spoke with FWC Captain Adam Garrison about whether there was any rescue for the now orphaned fawn(s). He claimed another doe would adopt her and how at 3-5 weeks a fawn is “very viable on its own” when all evidence points to that not being true. Valerie Preziosi, founder of Save the Key Deer knows better. She said it has never been documented that Key deer females adopt orphans. Furthermore the National Deer Association, a hunting group, even knows that is too young to survive. According to them ‘Fawns can be weaned at 10 weeks of age (70 days).’ These would be White-tailed deer which are twice the size. Debbie Sykes, a certified wildlife rehabilitator and licensed veterinary technician in Nashville, Tennessee said “ Fawns can technically survive on their own when they start weaning at three to four months, That being said, they don’t have a great survival rate if they’re on their own at that age.” Again these are the much larger White –tailed deer, tiny Key deer would need much longer.
Click the video to listen to the misinformation FWC gives the public about the deer that leads the public to not act.
This tragedy will only increase unless they reign in development and give up the ridiculous idea of a truck driving school. Neither of those fit what a refuge is suppose to be nor what brought so many to the keys in the first place, which was a happy fun quiet place to be. Nonstop traffic, noise and dead animals all over the road seem incongruent to the very reasons people flocked here in the first place,
Family bond is strong, just like with people. An orphaned fawn has no chance of living without human rescue
Proposed truck driving school
When people think of the Florida Keys they imagine turquoise water, cool drinks and wildlife. It’s a laidback funky group of small islands that tourists love to visit. Nestled between the restaurants, cafes and marinas are galleries and antique shops. Few people would look at this place and think what a great place to have huge heavy trucks barreling down two lane roads with tiny deer running around. No one who lives there actually wants a truck driving school because they know the damage heavy trucks do to roads. Increased road repair means higher taxes to pay for it. The added noise, air pollution and traffic are guaranteed, driving away tourists and driving down housing values.
This is an adult deer, a fawn is nearly impossible to see at speeds of 40 MPH or higher. Factor in most drivers are staring at their phones not the road and this is unsustainable problem without real enforcement of speed limits
Deer don’t know there is only a small patch of land where no cars are allowed. They forage wherever they see food, which is often right next to the road
There were 0 signs warning drivers to slow down by FWC, USFWS, Monroe County Sheriff Dept or even the Refuge staff. The only signs were from the nonprofit Save Our Key Deer and they were only allowed to put them on private property
Does NOT belong in Big Pine Key or any key
How you can help
Here are ways to help save the Key deer. They are federally protected so they belong to all of us.
Click here to learn more about the threats to the Key deer, if local think about volunteering with the.
Contact FWC Captain Adam Garrison and let him know that fawns only a few weeks or months old cannot survive as orphans. He must stop giving false and misleading information to the public. Phone - 305-619-6290
Email – adam.garrison@myfwc.com-619-
62 and adam.garrison@myfwc.com
Contact the following College of the Florida Keys (CFK) Board members and ask they NOT allow a truck driving school, or increased truck traffic, on Big Pine Key.
sraffanello@coffeyburlington.com
rodriguez.anamaria.web@flsenate.gov
If you live in Florida and find a fawn in this situation, the recommendation is “If the doe is confirmed dead nearby and the fawn is very young or distressed, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or local wildlife agency. In Florida, that would typically be the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.”
Can you you imagine calling F.W.C. Because you believe they are responsible for protecting wildlife and then find out it really is just a show of managing the public’s perception phony law enforcement