Key Haven has a Key West zip code, 33040, and many of its residents call themselves Key Westers. It is still unincorporated Monroe County, so its residents can't vote in city elections. A Key West Island News column published October 1 lays that out. The same column notes that the north side of Stock Island, the side with the golf course, the hospital and College Road, is already inside the city limits. The columnist also says the last news about a Key Haven annexation study came in 2024.
So the fall calendar closest to Key Haven belongs to another government. It sits on a road you reach through one intersection on U.S. 1, and the Florida Department of Transportation is rebuilding that intersection right now. Between now and December the College Road corridor hosts a Halloween festival, a forest walk lined with scarecrows, a pet wellness clinic and a ballet. The work at the corner decides how easily you get to any of them.
Why the corner at North College Road is getting a signal
FDOT started a roadway and signal project at U.S. 1 and North College Road on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The work list goes beyond a new light:
- Installing traffic signals
- Reconstructing a driveway
- Improving lighting
- Repaving and resurfacing the roadway
- Updating pavement markings
The Key West Citizen reported in August that construction costs about $1.48 million and should finish by winter. It also quoted a Monroe County Sheriff's Office news release: "The intersection has long plagued motorists attempting to turn in and out of College Road creating a safety hazard." FDOT's factsheet, revised September 29, still gives a winter 2026 completion and the same $1.48 million cost. FDOT has not published a date for switching the signal on, so "this winter" is as precise as anyone can be for now.
FDOT and the Citizen both say access to nearby neighborhoods and businesses stays open during construction. Lane closures are allowed only off-peak on non-event days. Off-peak means 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday nights.
This week at the intersection
FDOT's project page lists two items for the week of October 12.
- Monday, October 12, through Friday, October 16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The outside eastbound lane of U.S. 1 across from North College Road is closed. That is the lane for drivers headed back toward Key Haven from Key West.
- Thursday, October 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Crews install a new streetlight post on the northeast corner of U.S. 1 and North College Road. The right-turn lane on U.S. 1 closes, and the outbound lanes from North College Road onto U.S. 1 merge into one lane.
Thursday matters most if you have a weekday morning errand on College Road. Getting off the road onto U.S. 1 is the move the Sheriff's Office called a hazard, and on Thursday that exit drops to a single lane.
What's on the other side of the light, October through December
These are the published dates for the College Road corridor and the college theater this fall:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | 2026 Screamin' Green Halloween | Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden |
| Oct. 28, 9 a.m.–noon | Dogwood Wellness Clinic | Florida Keys SPCA Key West Campus |
| Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. | The Yuck Show | Tennessee Williams Theatre |
| Nov. 13–15 | Key West International Dance Company: Murder or Mutiny | Tennessee Williams Theatre |
| Dec. 3–7 | Nutcracker Key West | Tennessee Williams Theatre |
| Dec. 11 | College of the Florida Keys Fall Class of 2026 commencement | Tennessee Williams Theatre |
| Dec. 13, noon–2 p.m. | Snowy Day Children's Winter Concert | Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden |
The theater shows and both Garden events fall on nights and weekends, outside the windows when FDOT is allowed to close lanes.
October 24 is two different Key Wests
Saturday, October 24, puts the two sides of the zip code next to each other.
On College Road, the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden holds its 2026 Screamin' Green Halloween from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5210 College Road. Admission is $5 per child or $10 per family through October 20. After that it rises to $10 per child or $20 per family, and Garden members get in free. The event page still carries 2024 metadata, though it lists the 2026 date, so confirm details with the Garden at (305) 296-1504 before you go.
That evening, the City of Key West's calendar shows Duval Street closing at 6 p.m. for the Fantasy Fest parade. The parade starts at 7 p.m. and loops from Truman Waterfront Park through Whitehead, Front, Duval and United streets, then back to Truman Waterfront Park. The city warns of traffic delays. Florida Keys Weekly reported October 2 that Josh Cohen's PDA Goodwork collective planned outdoor interactive sculptures for this year's fest near the Mel Fisher Museum and Opal Key, including one called "Musical Icons Pyramid."
A Key Haven household can do the Garden by 2 p.m. and still have the afternoon to plan around a downtown that starts closing streets at 6. The week before brings its own closures. Petronia Street between Duval and Emma closes from noon to 11 p.m. on October 16 and 17 for the Goombay Festival.
The Garden runs all season, then turns toward its next building
The Garden's daily show this fall, Scarecrows and Skeletons in the Forest, is included in $15 general admission and free for members. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve the Garden closes at 1 p.m., and it is closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Its year ends with the Snowy Day Children's Winter Concert on December 13, from noon to 2 p.m., at $10 per family and free for members.
Away from the event calendar, the Garden launched a multimillion-dollar Education Center campaign on January 30, 2026. The plan covers a visitor center plus education and classroom space.
The shelter and the stage
Down the road at 5711 College Road, the Florida Keys SPCA's Key West campus holds a Dogwood Wellness Clinic on Wednesday, October 28, from 9 a.m. to noon. No appointment is needed. That's a weekday morning inside FDOT's lane-closure window, so check the project page that week before you load the dog in the car. The SPCA's Mini Critter Camp is running at the campus today and tomorrow, October 12 and 13.
That same evening, the Tennessee Williams Theatre at The College of the Florida Keys presents The Yuck Show. It's part of the theater's new Family Fun Series, with doors at 5:30 p.m. and the show at 6:30 p.m. The theater's 2026/27 season page lists Key West International Dance Company's Murder or Mutiny for November 13–15, still marked "Coming Soon," and Nutcracker Key West for December 3–7. On Friday, December 11, the college holds its Fall Class of 2026 73rd Commencement in the same theater. Tickets are required to attend in person, and a livestream is offered. Nutcracker week falls in the same winter window FDOT gives for finishing the intersection, but no signal activation date has been announced.
Stock Island's resort was set to take a new name
One more Stock Island change sits just outside the College Road corridor. Hilton announced that Ocean's Edge Resort & Marina would convert to Hilton Key West Resort & Marina, and it took reservations for Hilton stays starting July 1, 2026. According to the Key West Citizen's report, Sunstone Hotel Investors owns the property and Hilton was to manage it. The announcement lists 175 rooms, including 86 suites, and dining under the Yellowfin Bar & Kitchen and Ocean's Edge Café names. The café is a grab-and-go spot with Cuban-inspired coffee, smoothies and breakfast. The Citizen adds that the property will see enhancements as it moves into the Hilton portfolio. In Hilton's plans, both Yellowfin and the café keep their familiar names.
Living in Key Haven means a lot of trips on U.S. 1 between Raccoon Key and Stock Island. The Karen Haack Team has worked in the Lower Keys since long before College Road had a signal on the way, and we're happy to tell you how this end of the island is changing. Talk to a Lower Keys real estate expert today.
