"the interchangeability of detached dwelling (permanent), mobile home (permanent) and recreational vehicles (transient) uses may occur only within the gated Venture Out community with a managing entity responsible for evacuation"
That line comes from Monroe County's Comprehensive Plan. It is the main reason a Venture Out listing can't be judged the way you would judge a canal home a mile up the Overseas Highway. At Venture Out at Cudjoe Cay, the lot and the amenities are fixed. What sits on the lot decides how long its owner can stay, and that can change.
Venture Out is a gated condominium community, and its association reports that all 659 units are privately owned. On its own website, the association lists an oceanfront heated pool and spa, a kiddie pool, a private marina and store, two double-wide boat ramps, a swim lagoon, a Lounge, a Recreation Hall, courts and a Pavilion. Every owner shares that list. Under county policy, though, two neighbors using the same pool can own very different things.
The County Counts Slots, Not Structures
Most of the unincorporated Keys run on ROGO, the Residential Rate of Growth Ordinance. It's the county's permit allocation system, and it limits how many permits are issued for new residential dwelling units. On much of Cudjoe Key and the islands around it, ROGO is the bottleneck behind any new home.
Venture Out has its own carve-out. Ordinance 037-2020, which the Board of County Commissioners adopted on October 21, 2020, amended Policy 101.3.1. Under the amendment, redeveloping or replacing any lawfully established unit at Venture Out is exempt from ROGO, as long as the total doesn't go above the number of units that existed on or before January 4, 1996. The same policy says units there "may be developed as either detached dwelling, mobile home or recreational vehicle use through the approval of a building permit." The language is still current. A Monroe County staff memo dated June 26, 2026, quotes it word for word.
So what a buyer really holds at Venture Out is a place in a unit count that was frozen in 1996. The structure on the lot is the current use of that place, and the county lets the use change through a building permit rather than a new allocation.
What the Unit Type Turns On and Off
The use is where the rules split. Policy 101.3.1 lists seven conditions, and most of them apply to one kind of unit and not the others.
| County rule under Policy 101.3.1 | Detached dwelling | Mobile home | Recreational vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the policy classifies it | Permanent | Permanent | Transient |
| Occupancy or tenancy limit stated in the policy | None stated | None stated | Six months or more is prohibited |
| Licensing and hookups | No specific requirement stated | No specific requirement stated | Current highway-travel licenses, attached only by quick-disconnect utilities |
| Permanent additions | No specific limit stated | No specific limit stated | No sunrooms or staterooms |
| Pending Category 3 to 5 hurricane | Occupants evacuate about 48 hours before tropical storm winds | Occupants evacuate about 48 hours before tropical storm winds | Occupants and the RV itself evacuate about 48 hours before tropical storm winds |
The table covers county policy only. The association has rules of its own on top of it, and those are covered further down.
The occupancy row matters most to a buyer. Two lots on the same street can serve completely different purposes. One holds a permanent unit, and the county text puts no occupancy cap on it. The other holds an RV, and the county caps any occupancy or tenancy below six months. The policy text lets each of the three uses be developed through building-permit approval. Whether a particular lot could ever hold something other than what's on it now is up to the county and the association.
The evacuation row has a practical side too. The policy says that for a pending major hurricane, everyone at Venture Out must evacuate at least 48 hours before tropical storm winds, whatever kind of unit they're in. For RVs, the order covers the vehicle as well as the people. The association's renter information says it follows Monroe County evacuation orders and requires RVs to stay road-ready. An RV owner needs a plan for moving the RV, not just the household.
Why the Swap Only Works Behind the Gate
This flexibility exists because of evacuation planning. Policy 101.3.1 says the purpose of the evacuation condition is "to not increase the hurricane evacuation clearance time of permanent residents." It also limits interchangeability to the gated community "with a managing entity responsible for evacuation." In other words, the county allows a mix of permanent and transient units here because one entity is accountable for getting everyone out.
The same reasoning explains three limits that travel with every lot:
- No unit at Venture Out, of any type, can be transferred to a site outside the community. The county's usual transfer provisions in Policy 101.6.8 don't apply here.
- RVs, which the policy treats as transient units, can never be developed as a hotel or motel.
- RVs still have to meet all land development regulations, floodplain management regulations and building code requirements for recreational vehicles.
Compare that with how the county treats RVs elsewhere. Section 130-92(a)(1) of the Land Development Code, amended by Ordinance 004-2011, applies to Recreational Vehicle districts in general. It bars placing an individual RV in an RV park for occupancy or tenancy of six months or more. The six-month limit is common across the county. Being able to replace an RV with a permanent unit through a building permit, without a new allocation, is what sets Venture Out apart.
That's also why the value of a Venture Out unit is tied to Cudjoe Key. A unit's ROGO-exempt status can't be sold off and used somewhere else.
Reading a Venture Out Listing Before You Make an Offer
Since the unit sets the rules, most of the work on a Venture Out offer goes into the unit and the paperwork behind it.
- Find out what the unit is under county policy. A detached dwelling, a mobile home and an RV each carry different occupancy and evacuation rules. A listing photo won't always tell you which one you're looking at.
- Know the term "lawfully established." The policy limits the ROGO exemption to redevelopment or replacement of a "lawfully established unit." That status is something the county decides, so ask about it if replacing the unit is part of your plan.
- For an RV, check its licensing and hookups. County policy requires current highway-travel licenses and quick-disconnect utilities only, and it bars permanent additions like sunrooms and staterooms.
- Get the association's current documents. The association gives owners access to an online portal for forms, community rules and meeting notes. Its rules on what unit types are allowed, assessments and rentals sit on top of county policy. Ask for the current versions through the seller and the association before your offer is final.
- If you plan to rent, budget for running it yourself. The association says it doesn't manage or rent individual properties. Rentals and sales are owned and managed independently. Its renter page lists a $125 registration fee due at check-in. For an RV, the county's six-month limit applies to renters as well as owners.
Does Venture Out have its own boat access? Yes. The association lists a private marina and two double-wide boat ramps. Nearby, Monroe County reopened the public ramp at the bayside end of Blimp Road, at Mile Marker 21.2, on July 28, 2026. It had been used as a staging area for environmental mitigation tied to Key West International Airport's Taxiway A Improvement Project, according to the Key West Chamber of Commerce.
Does replacing an older unit use up a ROGO allocation? Under Policy 101.3.1, replacing a lawfully established Venture Out unit is exempt from ROGO as long as the total unit count doesn't go above the January 4, 1996 level. The replacement still goes through building-permit approval.
Can the unit be moved to another property later? No. The policy says no Venture Out unit, of any type, can be transferred to a site outside the community.
This post shares general information about county policy and community rules. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm your own situation with the county, the association and the right professional before you act.
Our family has been helping buyers on Cudjoe Key for decades. At Venture Out, we start by working out what's actually on the lot and which rules come with it. If you're weighing an RV lot against a permanent unit there, or wondering whether a lot's current use fits the way you plan to live, Halley Haack and the Karen Haack Team can go through the county text and association documents with you before you write an offer. Talk to a Lower Keys real estate expert today.
