STATE & NATION TRAVEL · alerts
King-tide flooding closes Cape Florida Lighthouse grounds and cancels tours
By Staff Writer · Published October 30, 2026
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park remains open on Key Biscayne, but its historic lighthouse grounds and tours are closed indefinitely after flooding.
Official announcement: Florida State Parks · October 28, 2026
Source: Florida State Parks Bill Baggs closure notice and visitor information
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park closed the Cape Florida Lighthouse grounds on October 28 because of flooding from king tides. Lighthouse tours are canceled until further notice, according to the park's current visitor notice. The announcement is a partial closure: it does not say the rest of the Key Biscayne park is closed.
The park continues to list daily hours from 8 a.m. to sunset and an $8 per-vehicle entrance fee. Paying the park fee does not provide access to the closed lighthouse grounds, and travelers should not expect to substitute an independent tower visit for the suspended tour program.
Florida State Parks has not announced a reopening date or a repair timeline. The notice attributes the closure to flooding from high tides, but it does not say the lighthouse structure was damaged. Visitors should preserve that distinction and use the live park notice, not an assumed storm-recovery schedule, to decide when to return.
A separate, older advisory remains in effect for Beach Access No. 3 and the fishing piers, which have been closed for repairs since September 2023. That continuing restriction means a visit planned around the lighthouse, those piers or that specific beach access point would encounter more than one unavailable feature even though the broader park remains listed as open.
What Travelers Need to Know
Do not enter the closed lighthouse grounds or plan on a tower climb. Recheck the official park page immediately before departure because Florida State Parks has not supplied an estimated reopening date.
If visiting for other parts of the park, confirm the day's facilities and conditions with the park. The current page lists the property as open from 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year, with an $8 per-vehicle fee, but local closures can change independently of the general schedule.
Do not rely on Beach Access No. 3 or the fishing piers as alternatives; both remain listed as closed for repairs under a separate advisory. Use only access points and facilities marked open on arrival.
Travelers whose primary goal is the lighthouse should postpone or choose a different itinerary. Normal tour hours and eligibility rules do not override the flood closure, and paying the entrance fee does not guarantee access to a temporarily closed feature.
About the Location
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park occupies the southern end of Key Biscayne, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Biscayne Bay on the other. The park combines beach, trails, paddling and picnic areas with the Cape Florida Lighthouse, its best-known historic feature and the focus of the current closure.
The first Cape Florida lighthouse was completed in 1825. After damage during the Second Seminole War, the rebuilt tower completed in 1846 became what Florida State Parks identifies as the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Cape Florida also served as a departure point for freedom seekers and Black Seminoles traveling toward the British Bahamas; it joined the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in 2004. Closing the grounds therefore removes access to the park's central historic experience without closing the entire property.