Big Coppitt Key is an island in Monroe County

Monroe County, Florida

Monroe County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 79,589. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county was 74,737....

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, in the lower Florida Keys

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...

. The name is said to be a derivation of the old English word "coppice", meaning thicket. According to A.D. Bache, in the notes for his coast survey conducted in 1861, this key was the location of Happy Jack's plantation in 1855.

Geography

U.S. 1

U.S. Route 1 in Florida

U.S. Route 1 in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne, and south of Folkston. US 1 was designated through Florida when the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926.US 1 runs in the state of Florida, and...

 (the Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. Completed in 1912, the Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially...

) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 9.5-11, between East Rockland Key

East Rockland Key

East Rockland Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys about 4 miles east of Key West.U.S. 1 crosses the edge of the key at approximately mile markers 8-9.5, between Boca Chica Key and Big Coppitt Key....

 and the Saddlebunch Keys

Saddlebunch Keys

The Saddlebunch Keys are a series of mangrove islands about 7 miles east of Key West, Florida.The keys are scattered between Lower Sugarloaf Key and Shark Key.U.S...

.

About the island

There are several businesses on Big Coppitt Key. There is also a Monroe County Fire/Rescue Station located on the island. Law Enforcement services are handled by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. There are 3 churches located on Big Coppitt Key. Three parks, including one with a playground and another with a basketball court, in the avenues section. A cemetery is located at Avenue A and 4th Street.

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma caused catastrophic damage to the island. Many structures were either destroyed or rendered almost uninhabitable due to flood damage.