About the Florida Keys:
Approximately 15 miles south of Miami, you will find the beginning of the Florida Keys: 125-mile-long chain of 1,700 islands connected by the Overseas Highway’s (U.S. Highway 1) 42 bridges — one almost seven miles long — over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Only a few of these islands are populated and most are very small, as you can see from the photo….and only 43 of the islands are connected via bridges. In total there are 42 bridges connecting the islands, with the Seven Mile Bridge being the longest.
The U.S. Highway 1, that runs 2,370 miles (3,810 km) from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West, is the longest north–south road in the United States and ends just 90 miles from Cuba, although the Keys continue on to the Dry Tortugas, which are uninhabited.
The strongest hurricane to strike the U.S. made landfall near Islamorada in the Upper Keys on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 1935. Winds were estimated to have gusted to 200 mph (320 km/h), raising a storm surge more than 17.5 feet (5.3 m) above sea level that washed over the islands. More than 400 people were killed, though some estimates place the number of deaths at more than 600.
On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Cudjoe Key. The storm destroyed an estimated 25% of the houses on the Keys and another 65% suffered major damage.
Catholic places of interest in the Florida Keys:
There are Catholic churches on many of the Florida Keys, so it should be easy to find a Mass on weekends. Here are two places of special interest to Catholics:
Key Largo: John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park (underwater statue of Christ of the Abyss)
Key West: Basilica of Saint Mary Star of the Sea