About Glen Boe Associates | Marine Permitting Florida Keys Since 1984

Glen Boe & Associates has been handling marine permitting in the Florida Keys since 1984 — longer than most permitting firms in Monroe County have existed. We are a family-owned firm based in Marathon, and every project we take on is managed by people who live and work here in the Keys.

Monroe County is one of the most regulated jurisdictions in the United States for waterfront construction. Getting a dock, seawall, or dredging permit here requires navigating federal, state, and sanctuary agencies simultaneously — and each agency has its own review criteria, timelines, and environmental standards specific to the Florida Keys. That is not something you learn from a textbook. It comes from decades of working in these waterways, with these agencies, on these specific types of projects.

Our History in Florida Keys Marine Permitting

Theodore Glen Boe — known to everyone as Glen — founded this company in Marathon in 1984. Glen was a licensed professional engineer who built the firm on a simple principle: know the work, know the agencies, and do it right. Over nearly two decades, he established a reputation throughout the Florida Keys that made the Glen Boe & Associates name synonymous with marine permitting.

Sean Kirwan joined the firm in November 1999 and purchased it from Glen in 2001. Glen had built something worth continuing — a firm with deep agency relationships, a track record of successful permits across every island in the Keys, and a name that clients and contractors trusted. Sean kept the name because the reputation it carried was earned over nearly two decades of work. That reputation is still what brings most of our clients to us today.

Since 1999, Glen Boe Associates has completed over 7,770 projects throughout Monroe County — including 1,566 in Marathon alone and 1,375 in Islamorada. Nearly all of our new business comes from referrals and word of mouth. We have only recently begun focusing on our web presence as more property owners start their search online rather than through neighbors and contractors.

The Kirwan Family Team

Sean Kirwan, PE — Owner & Licensed Professional Engineer
Sean holds a Civil Engineering degree from Florida International University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. He has been managing marine permits in Monroe County since 1999 and has served as the firm’s owner and PE of record since 2001. Sean prepares all engineering drawings, oversees permit applications, and manages agency coordination across every project. He also assists with benthic surveys on larger or more complex jobs.

Heather Kirwan — Client Relations & Office Manager
Heather joined the firm in 2011 and is the primary point of contact for most of our clients. She manages day-to-day client communication, coordinates agency follow-up, and keeps every active project organized from initial consultation through permit issuance. When you call Glen Boe Associates, you will most likely speak with Heather first — and she will know the status of your project.

Thomas (Tommy) Kirwan — Benthic Survey Technician
Tommy joined the firm in 2024 after earning an Associate of Arts degree in Marine Environmental Technology from the College of the Florida Keys. He conducts benthic resource surveys for dock, seawall, and dredging projects throughout Monroe County under the FKNMS survey permit issued to Glen Boe & Associates. Tommy handles the majority of our diving work, with Sean assisting on larger jobs that require two divers. Having an in-house FKNMS-authorized biologist means our clients never wait on an outside contractor for their survey work.

Grace Kirwan — CAD Drafter & Engineering Support
Grace joined the firm in 2025 after graduating from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Civil Engineering. She is currently preparing for her Engineer Intern examination and is responsible for drafting CAD drawings for dock, seawall, and other marine structure projects. Grace brings current engineering training and CAD expertise to a firm that has been producing permit-ready drawings in-house for over 40 years.

Why Monroe County Requires Specialists

We only work in Monroe County — and that focus is intentional. The Florida Keys sit entirely within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and the waterways here are subject to environmental regulations that do not exist anywhere else in Florida. Firms that handle waterfront projects throughout the state, or that occasionally take on Keys projects, are at a real disadvantage. They do not know the agency reviewers. They do not know the specific benthic conditions in each waterway. They do not know the local building departments in Marathon, Islamorada, Key Colony Beach, and unincorporated Monroe County.

We do. After more than 40 years and thousands of completed projects, this is the only place we work — and that specialization is what our clients pay for.

What Has Not Changed

Glen built this firm on direct client communication and thorough permit preparation. We still operate the same way. When you call us, you speak with the people actually working on your project. We prepare complete applications the first time. We follow up with agencies. We do not subcontract the engineering, the biology, or the agency coordination.

Most of our clients come to us through referrals from past clients and from contractors who have worked with us before. That is the result of 40 years of doing the work correctly.

Ready to talk about your project?
Contact Glen Boe Associates for a free consultation. We will review your property, identify all permitting requirements, and give you a realistic timeline.

Request a Free Consultation →(305) 743-9121