Artist Swims 8 Miles to Preserve Lighthouses in Keys

An artist in the Florida Keys embarked on an eight-mile swim Saturday in his quest to preserve historic lighthouses.

According to the Florida Keys News Bureau, 52-year-old Larry Herlth’s swim was meant to raise awareness around six aging lighthouses off the Keys.

“We need to bring the attention to a national treasure,” Herlth told the Florida Keys News Bureau. “These structures need to be saved.”

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Locals often refer to Herlth as “Lighthouse Larry” for his arduous work trying to preserve the lighthouses made in the 1800s to keep ships from the reefs.

As GPS systems have replaced the need for lighthouses, they are no longer maintained.

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But Herlth contends the lighthouses should be preserved by the federal government.

“Look at the money, time and resources spent on monuments in Washington that were not there when these (the lighthouses) were built,” Herlth said. “These saved lives, commerce and these are an absolute part of our history.”

The swim took five hours and 11 minutes. But Herlth’s work endures. He plan to organize a competitive swim next August from Islamorada to Alligator Light.

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