LIGHTHOUSE PASSION SERIES – CEDAR KEY
Perched atop one of the highest points on Florida’s west coast sits the state’s shortest lighthouse. The Cedar Keys Lighthouse, built in 1854, stands a mere 28-feet tall upon a 52-foot sand dune on Seahorse Key in the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge in the Big Bend area of Florida.
I’ve visited Seahorse Key several times over the years. It’s closed for most of the year to visitors because the island is host to breeding spots. The trees at the edge of the water are filled with pelicans–many of them white pelicans.
When open, I’ve also visited the lighthouse. The most strenuous climb are the steps heading up to the top of the sand dune where the lighthouse sits.
In the 1800s, Cedar Key became a prosperous shipping port. Seahorse Key, sitting in the middle of the estuaries of the Suwannee and Waccasassa rivers, was deemed to the be ideal spot for marking the entrance to the Suwannee River. So, Lt. George Meade designed and built the lighthouse. The iron and steel structure cost only $12,000 to build.
Even the Hurricane of 1896 did not harm the lighthouse even though it destroyed a pencil factory on Atsena Otie Key within sight of the town of Cedar Key, which was also impacted severely by this harsh storm.
Seahorse Key lies three miles out in the Gulf of Mexico from the dock at Cedar Key and is only accessible by boat. It is managed by the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge but the University of Florida leases three acres of the island that surrounds the lighthouse. In 1952, the University of Florida established its marine laboratory on Seahorse Key. The keeper’s quarters on either side of the short tower have been turned into dormitories for UF students; however, the marine lab has been closed since 2024 because of damage caused from Hurricane Helene.
When the area isn’t recovering from hurricane damage, visitors are only allowed at the lighthouse two times a year. Several different tour companies offer shuttles (for a fee) during the open houses. Visit the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce’s website for more information on when the lighthouse might once again open for visitors.
