Flagler Monument Island

Ahoy! Hey, this little island may be littered with… litter and other sea life, but it’s a pretty sweet little spot to stop and enjoy the water and sunshine. Been here a few times and have enjoyed traversing this little island and actually visiting the monument.
It’s a relatively small-​in-​scale island. The monument at the center pays homage to the pioneer Henry Flagler and there are also some other references carved into it.
Where I’m sure it’s a pretty sight for the common FL tourist, it looks like the locals use it as nature’s garbage can.

I lived in Miami my whole life and always heard stories about the mysterious «monument island». Urban legend has it that on Sundays this place turns into a scene straight out of a reggaeton video! However on a Wednesday afternoon, on the verge of a storm this place looked more like the island in lost — surrounded by multi-​million dollar homes.
Sure enough some knuckleheads showed up in jetskis to crash the party. I joked they were pirates — and sure enough one of them was interested in some «booty». He sat down on a cooler and his girlfriend sat down in his lap, grinding it out… stay classy Miami.
Did I mention the pirates showed up on a TOWED jetski? Yes, one of them didn’t work so they strapped it up to the one that did and towed it back out… WHAT?!
Regardless this is a cool spot to come if you have jetskis and just hang out. Granted midday on a weekday is HIGHLY advised as it gets super crazy on the weekends. Also, watch out for the jelly fish. One of my co-​workers found one near the shore and scooped it up with a paddle… the thing was the size of a large Papa John’s Pizza.
We didn’t venture into the middle as it began pouring (then REALLY looked like the island on lost) but I hear it’s cool to check out. I might be back… THE ISLAND ISN’T DONE WITH ME!

When I traveled to Brasil, I was extremely excited to do so. My only real hesitation was the travel. You see, I was a fan of Lost and while it was terrific TV, it also gave me pretty terrible travel anxiety — especially over long distances/​bodies of water. And for full disclosure: Jack was a f00l for going back. Once I hit land in LA, I would have been, like, «Kate, who? Oh, you *want* me to voluntarily return to an island full of craziness, time jumps, things & people of all sort who want to kill me, and a flying smoke monster? Um, no.»
So as it happened, I found myself on Miami’s version of the Lost island. Thankfully, travel to and from is quite easy. All one needs is a boat. In all my time of flying up and down the various causeways to/​from the Beach, I’d never once noticed Monument Island — which is odd, considering it has a giant obelisk (not a basilisk; that would be very very bad… but also very Lost-​like) in the middle of it. The island is man-​made, deserted and very quiet. It could be a good way to spend a quiet afternoon of sunbathing, lunching and splashing around. From the looks of all the trash all over the island (seriously, people? You can’t clean up after yourselves? For shame.), I’m not the first person to roam the lands and, I hope, I won’t be the last. Take some time to wander the grounds and see the obelisk for yourself. Again, it is something out of Lost but it’s also so cool that a structure so random and ill-​placed has found a home in Miami for so long. It gives the area mystery, presence and character — even though I would never, never, ever, Taylor Swift, never, ever come here at night or at any time after mid-​afternoon. Bad things happen at deserted places at night. I’ve seen the movies.
It’s pretty amazing how much one can see once he opens his eyes. Open your eyes. Explore your city.

20 minutes by paddle board to this island I can claim my own on most weekdays. 5 stars for that! Friend me if you want to join me. :)

Way back in 1920, legendary developer Carl Fisher commissioned artist John B. Orr to create a memorial for Henry Flagler, the railroad and oil tycoon. Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railroad is generally credited with putting South Florida on the map. The site chosen was a small man-​made island just west of Miami Beach. Over time the island has become known simply as Monument Island in deference to the 110-​foot obelisk monument to Flagler. Nice sand for beaching your boat (on the northwest side). While the monument has seen better times, the uninhabited island itself continues to be a thriving boating destination. West and northwest are the preferred sides for beaching or anchoring in close.