A ginormous Publix just opened in the Florida Keys. Take a look inside the new store
Stores in the compact Florida Keys tend to be smaller to fit the island chain’s style.
But Publix went supersize Thursday when it opened a new store in Key Largo’s Tradewinds Plaza at 101499 Overseas Hwy.
The new Publix, the fifth in the Florida Keys, sprawls over 64,000 square feet — one of the larger format stores in the chain, said Publix spokeswoman Hannah Herring. Publix is not new to that mall, however. The old supermarket there was 48,000 square feet.
The older Tradewinds location was opened in 1989, the first Oublix to open in the Keys. When a Kmart closed in the mall and was demolished in 2022, the Lakeland-based Publix saw an opportunity to seize the larger footprint. The Tradewinds’ Burlington Coat Factory will move into the former Publix location.
The big new Publix allows for expanded departments across the board — grocery, dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and fresh produce. There is also a full-service bakery and deli and a pharmacy area including a drive-thru. Though there is not a dedicated cafe, as in some newer rebuilds, the new Key Largo location includes a seating area for customers to sit and eat lunch or have coffee, Publix media relations manager Lindsey Willis told the Miami Herald.
Instacart will provide grocery and pharmacy deliveries from this location. Online orders can also be picked up at a dedication location at the front of the store.
In a statement announcing the new store, Willis said: “We are excited to welcome our customers to their new store at Tradewinds Plaza and look forward to providing them with the premier service and quality Publix is known for.”
The departments
Here’s a look at the new Key Largo Publix’s departments.
▪ The deli department features a full-service deli counter highlighting Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, as well as handcrafted old-world delicacies, cured sausages, soppressata and aged prosciutto. The deli also offers an international selection of olives, antipastos, hummus and more than 200 artisan cheeses from the United States and around the world, according to Publix.
▪ The produce department carries organic and conventionally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, with locally grown produce and exotic global choices, the chain said. The adjacent floral department stocks seasonal bouquets.
▪ The Publix bakery features the familiar array of cakes, cookies and pies, plus wedding cakes and “decadent desserts” made in-house. Breads and rolls are baked fresh daily. Suggestions: Try the cheesecake, cupcakes and jumbo muffins. We dig the blueberry muffins at breakfast.
▪ The wine department offers an expanded variety of premium and specialty wines from the United States and around the world, along with a large selection of champagnes and sparkling wines. The selection also includes fine wines made with organic grapes. There isn’t a separate alcohol store.
▪ The meat department features custom cuts of meats, including Publix’s private label, all-natural and organic GreenWise chicken. The meat department also has prepared ready-to-cook items.
▪ The seafood department is full-service, with wild and farm-raised fish, as well as shellfish. Publix’s whole fish and fillets are fresh, not frozen. This is where you will also find the sushi chefs crafting hand-rolled selections daily.
▪ Full-service pharmacy department includes prescription medications and pharmacists, along with health-related items like body care products, natural and conventional vitamins, minerals and supplements.
Key Largo store hours
▪ The Key Largo Publix is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Sunday.
▪ The pharmacy hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
Publix stores in the Keys
While some grocers like the family-run Key West landmark Fausto’s Food Palace — first opened in 1926 and even name-checked in the 1975 Jimmy Buffett song “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus” — and Winn-Dixie have operated stores in the Keys for much longer than Publix, the popular grocer is no stranger to the island chain.
Here are the current Publix locations in the Florida Keys.
▪ The new Key Largo store opened Feb. 15, 2024. The 64,080-square-foot store replaced a Publix that opened at the Tradewinds Mall in 1989 and was 48,000 square feet.
▪ The Islamorada store at 83268 Overseas Hwy. is 32,862 square feet and opened in 2018.
▪ The Marathon Publix at 5407 Overseas Hwy. is 48,110 square feet and opened in 1997.
▪ Two Publix stores in Key West.
— Store #500 at 3316 N. Roosevelt Blvd. is 45,881 square feet and opened in 1994.
— Store #1445 at 1112 Key Plaza is 54,245 square feet and opened in 2012.
▪ Tavernier? On Thursday, Keys Weekly reported that Publix could be close to building a 47,240-square-foot Publix with a 2,100-square-foot liquor store attachment in Tavernier at mile marker 92.5. Monroe County’s commission voted in favor of a Tavernier Commercial Overlay District, which would allow developers to build a proposed Publix on that spot. Publix did not confirm it had plans to open a store in Tavernier.
