Cedar Key is an incorporated city in Levy County, set on a cluster of low islands in the Gulf at the end of State Road 24. It had 687 residents at the 2020 Census. It sits south of the Suwannee River, on the stretch of coast usually called the Nature Coast rather than the Big Bend, but it is a common next stop for buyers looking along the Dixie and Taylor County shoreline.
The city is named for the eastern red cedars that once covered the islands. Settlement began in the 1840s and 1850s, and the Florida Railroad from Fernandina reached Cedar Key around 1860, making it one of the state's early Gulf ports. Pencil makers, including Eberhard Faber, ran cedar mills here. The hurricane of 1896, with an estimated 10-foot surge, killed more than 100 people and ended that era. The Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Today the local economy rests on tourism and farmed clams. Cedar Key grows more than 90% of Florida's farm-raised clams, according to UF/IFAS. The island took three hurricanes in 13 months, Helene worst of all, and recovery is well along but not finished. A May 2026 WUFT report noted that the island's grocery store had not reopened, leaving residents about a 40-minute drive to Chiefland.
Idalia, Debby and Helene
Hurricane Idalia (August 30, 2023, Category 3 landfall near Keaton Beach) flooded the downtown waterfront. Hurricane Debby (August 5, 2024, Category 1 near Steinhatchee) was the second of the three. Hurricane Helene (September 26, 2024, Category 4 near the Aucilla River) set a new surge record for Cedar Key, above Idalia's. Local reports put it at 10 feet or more in places. A fire on Dock Street after Helene also destroyed a well-known restaurant and three neighboring buildings.
By May 2026, WUFT reported that the town was, in the words of Island Hotel owner Bud Adams, "about 90% there." Water, sewer and roads were working, and the city was continuing rebuilding and resilience projects funded by tax revenue and state and federal grants. Lodging and the grocery store were still the main gaps.
The 1859 Island Hotel, which sits about two feet higher than much of Second Street, came through while surge pushed up to seven feet of water into nearby buildings. It is a good local example of how much a small amount of elevation matters here.
Flood zones, elevation and the 50% rule
Nearly all of Cedar Key lies in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area, and exposed shorelines can carry coastal V-zone designations. Look up each parcel's zone and Base Flood Elevation (BFE, the expected height of a 1%-a-year flood) at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. The Levy County Property Appraiser has parcel records.
Confirm with the City of Cedar Key which office handles building permits and flood review for an address. Under National Flood Insurance Program rules, if repair or improvement costs reach 50% of a building's market value, the whole structure has to meet current flood standards, usually by raising the lowest floor to or above the BFE plus any local freeboard (extra height). Many older homes in the historic core sit close to the ground, so ask the city about a specific address before planning renovations, especially on a storm-damaged house.
- Look up the flood zone and BFE by address at msc.fema.gov
- Ask for the elevation certificate
- Ask the city about substantial-damage determinations and open permits
- Confirm whether the building is in the historic district
Flood insurance
Flood is excluded from homeowners policies. Lenders require flood insurance for mortgaged homes in the Special Flood Hazard Area, and it is available from the NFIP and private carriers. NFIP policies generally take effect after a 30-day wait and cap residential building coverage at $250,000. Elevation largely sets the premium, so quote early with the elevation certificate.
Central water and sewer
The Cedar Key Water and Sewer District, an independent special district created by the Florida Legislature, provides drinking water and wastewater service. Its boundaries generally match the City of Cedar Key, and a five-member elected board runs it. Properties outside city limits on the approach along SR 24 may have a well and septic system, so confirm service for each parcel.
Working waterfront, fishing and scalloping
Clam farms operate on submerged-land lease plots in state Aquaculture Use Zones offshore, including Gulf Jackson, Pelican Reef, Dog Island and Corrigans. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture, administers the leases, which are for commercial growing, not private docks or recreational use. Boaters should expect to see the marked lease areas and avoid them.
Cedar Key is in FWC's Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties bay scallop zone. The 2026 season runs July 1 through September 24, with a bag limit of 2 gallons of whole scallops per person and 10 gallons per vessel. The zone boundary with the Fenholloway through Suwannee Rivers zone is Alligator Pass daybeacon #4 at the Suwannee River mouth.
Refuges, state parks and museums
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1929 by President Herbert Hoover to protect nesting birds. It includes 13 offshore islands totaling 762 acres, four of them designated wilderness in 1972. The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge lies just to the north. Cedar Key Museum State Park, an 18-acre Florida State Park, preserves the 1880s Saint Clair Whitman house and his collection of shells and Native American artifacts, and Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve protects scrub habitat on the nearby mainland.
Schools, health care and distances
Cedar Key School, run by the School Board of Levy County, serves pre-K through 12th grade on one campus and is often described as the smallest public high school in Florida. The island has no hospital, and the nearest full-service regional hospitals are in Gainesville.
Approximate driving distances: Chiefland about 35 miles, Gainesville about 55 miles, Perry about 90 miles and Tallahassee about 140 miles. SR 24 is the only road on and off the island.
Before you buy in Cedar Key
- Look up the flood zone and Base Flood Elevation for the parcel
- Get the elevation certificate and any substantial-damage letter
- Check permits and flood rules with the City of Cedar Key
- Confirm water and sewer with the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District
- Ask whether the property is in the historic district
- Price flood and wind insurance before writing an offer
- Plan for groceries and hospital care on the mainland
Buying a home in Florida: the basics
The same state rules apply in every town on this site. These are the ones buyers ask about most, with the laws behind them.
- Homestead exemption
- A home that is the owner's permanent residence on January 1 can qualify for a $25,000 exemption from all property taxes plus a second, inflation-indexed exemption of about $25,000 that does not apply to school taxes; apply to the county property appraiser by March 1. A larger exemption is on the November 3, 2026 ballot (CS/HJR 1F) and would start in 2027 if voters approve it.
- Save Our Homes cap
- Once a homestead exemption is granted, the home's assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. The cap resets after a sale, but up to $500,000 of the built-up savings can be carried to a new Florida homestead set up within three years.
- Property tax bills
- A sale resets the assessment to market value the following January, so the seller's current tax bill is not a guide to the buyer's. Bills go out in November, earn a 4% discount if paid that month (stepping down to 1% in February), and become delinquent April 1.
- No state income tax
- Florida's constitution bars a state tax on the personal income of residents. Property, sales and other taxes still apply.
- Documentary stamp tax
- The state charges 70 cents per $100 of the sale price on the deed, which the seller customarily pays in most of Florida. A financed purchase adds 35 cents per $100 of the loan plus a 0.2% intangible tax on the mortgage, usually paid by the buyer.
- Flood disclosure
- Sellers of residential property must give buyers a written flood disclosure at or before signing the contract. Since October 2025 it covers any flood damage the seller knows of during their ownership, any flood insurance claim, and any flood assistance received, such as FEMA aid.
- Flood insurance
- Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood. Citizens Property Insurance already requires separate flood coverage for homes in FEMA high-risk flood zones and homes with a replacement cost of $400,000 or more, and extends the requirement to most of its remaining homeowner policies on January 1, 2027.
- Insurance inspections
- Florida insurers must offer premium discounts for wind-resistant features, which are documented on the state's uniform mitigation verification inspection form (OIR-B1-1802). Many insurers also ask for a four-point inspection on older homes; that is insurer practice, not state law.
- Septic systems
- Septic systems are regulated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, with permits still handled through county health department offices. State law does not require a septic inspection when a home sells, though a buyer can order one.
- Building near the water
- In a FEMA flood zone, repairs or improvements costing 50% or more of a building's market value generally trigger current flood-elevation rules under the county's floodplain ordinance. Docks and other structures over state-owned submerged lands need state authorization, usually through the Florida DEP.
Sources: Florida Constitution Art. VII §5; Florida Statutes §§193.155, 196.011, 196.031, 197.162, 197.333, 199.133, 201.02, 201.08, 253.77, 381.0065, 627.0629, 627.351(6)(aa) and 689.302 (2026 Florida Statutes); Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-170.0155 (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation form OIR-B1-1802); FEMA National Flood Insurance Program, 44 CFR 59.1 and 60.3; CS/HJR 1F (2026 Special Session F); Florida DEP Onsite Sewage Program. Checked September 2026.
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Buying in Cedar Key: what people ask.
Is Cedar Key part of the Big Bend?
Usually not. Cedar Key is in Levy County, south of the Suwannee River, and it is generally marketed as part of Florida's Nature Coast. Many buyers compare it with Big Bend towns to the north.
Has Cedar Key recovered from Hurricane Helene?
Mostly. In May 2026 local business owners described the town as about 90% recovered, with utilities and roads working. Lodging and a grocery store were still missing.
Does Cedar Key have city water and sewer?
Yes. The Cedar Key Water and Sewer District serves an area that generally matches the city limits. Confirm service for any parcel outside the city.
What are the clam leases?
They are state submerged-land plots in marked Aquaculture Use Zones offshore, leased to commercial clam growers through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. They are not part of residential property.
When is scallop season at Cedar Key?
Cedar Key is in FWC's Levy, Citrus and Hernando zone. The 2026 season runs July 1 through September 24.
What is the 50% rule?
If repair or improvement costs reach 50% of a building's market value, the building has to be brought up to current flood standards, usually by being raised. The City of Cedar Key can explain how it applies to an address.
Where do kids go to school?
Cedar Key School on the island serves pre-K through 12th grade and is part of the School Board of Levy County.
Also near Cedar Key.
Gulf of America Realty is an independent, Broker-owned brokerage in Perry, working all of Taylor County and the Big Bend coast. Its Broker, Sandra "Dandy" Osnos, has been Licensed in Florida since 1988 and a Broker since 1993. She relocated to Taylor County in 2022 and established Gulf of America Realty here after that. Whatever you are buying or selling, it is priced on what has actually closed nearby.
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