Florida Keys island bought in 1956; heirs win decades-long fight to build

In 1956, a physician from Florida purchased a 7.9-acre island in the Keys at a federal auction, believing he had acquired a rare piece of private land where he could one day build a home. The island, known as Snipe Key, came with residential zoning and a chain of title that traced back to the United States government. Over the next seven decades, regulations tightened, environmental protections expanded and local governments grew more cautious about development in sensitive coastal areas. The doctor’s heirs found themselves in a protracted legal battle over whether they could still build on the island they had inherited. After years of litigation, appellate courts issued rulings in 2025 and 2026 that largely sided with the family, upholding their right to proceed with limited residential development.