Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach is governed by a ceremonial mayor and six commissioners. Although the mayor runs commission meetings, the mayor and all commissioners have equal voting power and are elected by popular election. The mayor serves for terms of two years with a term limit of three terms and commissioners serve for terms of four years and are limited to two terms. Commissioners are voted for citywide and every two years three commission seats are voted upon.

A city manager is responsible for administering governmental operations. An appointed city manager is responsible for administration of the city.[11] The City Clerk and the City Attorney are also appointed officials.

In 1870, father and son Henry and Charles Lum purchased land on Miami Beach for 75 cents an acre. The first structure to be built on this uninhabited oceanfront was the Biscayne House of Refuge, constructed in 1876 by the United States Life-Saving Service through an executive order issued by President Ulysses S. Grant,[12] at approximately 72nd Street. Its purpose was to provide food, water, and a return to civilization for people who were shipwrecked. The structure, which had fallen into disuse by the time the Life-Saving Service became the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, was destroyed in the 1926 Miami Hurricane and never rebuilt.

The next step in the development of the future Miami Beach was the planting of a coconut plantation along the shore in the 1880s by New Jersey entrepreneurs Ezra Osborn and Elnathan T. Field, but this was a failed venture.[13] One of the investors in the project was agriculturist John S. Collins, who achieved success by buying out other partners and planting different crops, notably avocados, on the land that would later become Miami Beach. Meanwhile, across Biscayne Bay, the City of Miami was established in 1896 with the arrival of the railroad and developed further as a port when the shipping channel of Government Cut was created in 1905, cutting off Fisher Island from the south end of the Miami Beach peninsula.

Collins' family members saw the potential in developing the beach as a resort. This effort got underway in the early years of the 20th century by the Collins/Pancoast family, the Lummus brothers (bankers from Miami), and Indianapolis entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher. Until then, the beach here was only the destination for day-trips by ferry from Miami, across the bay. By 1912, Collins and Pancoast were working together to clear the land, plant crops, supervise the construction of canals to get their avocado crop to market, and set up the Miami Beach Improvement Company.[14] There were bathhouses and food stands, but no hotel until Brown's Hotel was built in 1915 (still standing, at 112 Ocean Drive). Much of the interior landmass at that time was a tangled jungle of mangroves. Clearing it, deepening the channels and water bodies, and eliminating native growth almost everywhere in favor of landfill for development, was expensive. Once a 1600-acre, jungle-matted sand bar three miles out in the Atlantic, it grew to 2,800 acres when dredging and filling operations were completed.[15]

With loans from the Lummus brothers, Collins had begun work on a 2½-mile-long wooden bridge, the world's longest wooden bridge at the time, to connect the island to the mainland. When funds ran dry and construction work stalled, Indianapolis millionaire and recent Miami transplant Fisher intervened, providing the financing needed to complete the bridge the following year in return for a land swap deal.[14] That transaction kicked off the island's first real estate boom. Fisher helped by organizing an annual speed boat regatta, and by promoting Miami Beach as an Atlantic City-style playground and winter retreat for the wealthy. By 1915, Lummus, Collins, Pancoast, and Fisher were all living in mansions on the island, three hotels and two bathhouses had been erected, an aquarium built, and an 18-hole golf course landscaped.

Roller skating waitresses at Roney Plaza Hotel, 1939

The Town of Miami Beach was chartered on March 26, 1915; it grew to become a City in 1917. Even after the town was incorporated in 1915 under the name of Miami Beach, many visitors thought of the beach strip as Alton Beach, indicating just how well Fisher had advertised his interests there. The Lummus property was called Ocean Beach, with only the Collins interests previously referred to as Miami Beach.[16]

Carl Fisher was the main promoter of Miami Beach's development in the 1920s as the site for wealthy industrialists from the north and Midwest to and build their winter homes here. Many other Northerners were targeted to vacation on the island. To accommodate the wealthy tourists, several grand hotels were built, among them: The Flamingo Hotel, The Fleetwood Hotel, The Floridian, The Nautilus, and the Roney Plaza Hotel. In the 1920s, Fisher and others created much of Miami Beach as landfill by dredging Biscayne Bay; this man-made territory includes Star, Palm, and Hibiscus Islands, the Sunset Islands, much of Normandy Isle, and all of the Venetian Islands except Belle Isle. The Miami Beach peninsula became an island in April 1925 when Haulover Cut was opened, connecting the ocean to the bay, north of present-day Bal Harbour. The great 1926 Miami hurricane put an end to this prosperous era of the Florida Boom, but in the 1930s Miami Beach still attracted tourists, and investors constructed the mostly small-scale, stucco hotels and rooming houses, for seasonal rental, that comprise much of the present "Art Deco" historic district.

Carl Fisher brought Steve Hannagan to Miami Beach in 1925 as his chief publicist.[17] Hannagan set-up the Miami Beach News Bureau and notified news editors that they could "Print anything you want about Miami Beach; just make sure you get our name right."[18] The News Bureau sent thousands of pictures of bathing beauties and press releases to columnists like Walter Winchell and Ed Sullivan.[18] One of Hannagan's favorite venues was a billboard in Times Square, New York City, where he ran two taglines: "'It's always June in Miami Beach' and 'Miami Beach, Where Summer Spends the Winter.'"[19]

Post–World War II economic expansion brought a wave of immigrants to South Florida from the Northern United States, which significantly increased the population in Miami Beach within a few decades. After Fidel Castro's rise to power in 1959, a wave of Cuban refugees entered South Florida and dramatically changed the demographic make-up of the area. In 2017, one study named zip code 33109 (Fisher Island, a 216-acre island located just south of Miami Beach), as having the 4th most expensive home sales and the highest average annual income ($2.5 million) in 2015.[20]

Hotel at 19th and Collins in 1973

South Beach (also known as SoBe, or simply the Beach), the area from Biscayne Street (also known as South Pointe Drive) one block south of 1st Street to about 23rd Street, is one of the more popular areas of Miami Beach. Although topless sunbathing by women has not been officially legalized, female toplessness is tolerated on South Beach and in a few hotel pools on Miami Beach.[29][30] Before the TV show Miami Vice helped make the area popular, SoBe was under urban blight, with vacant buildings and a high crime rate. Today, it is considered one of the richest commercial areas on the beach, yet poverty and crime still remain in some places near the area.[31]

Miami Beach, particularly Ocean Drive of what is now the Art Deco District, was also featured prominently in the 1983 feature film Scarface and the 1996 comedy The Birdcage.

Lincoln Road, running east–west parallel between 16th and 17th Streets, is a nationally known spot for outdoor dining and shopping and features galleries of well known designers, artists and photographers such as Romero Britto, Peter Lik, and Jonathan Adler.. In 2015, the Miami Beach residents passed a law forbidding bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding and other motorized vehicles on Lincoln Road during busy pedestrian hours between 9:00 am and 2:00 am.[32]

Historic preservation

Map of Miami Beach historic districts as of January 17, 2018.

Many Art Deco style hotels are located on Ocean Drive

By the 1970s, jet travel had enabled vacationers from the northern parts of the US to travel to the Caribbean and other warm-weather climates in the winter. Miami Beach's economy suffered. Elderly retirees, many with little money, dominated the population of South Beach.[33]

To help revive the area, city planners and developers sought to bulldoze many of the aging art deco buildings that were built in the 1930s. By one count, the city had over 800 art deco buildings within its borders.[33]

In 1976, Barbara Baer Capitman and a group of fellow activists formed the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) to try to halt the destruction of the historic buildings in South Beach.[33] After battling local developers and Washington DC bureaucrats, MDPL prevailed in its quest to have the Miami Beach Art Deco District named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. While the recognition did not offer protection for the buildings from demolition, it succeeded in drawing attention to the plight of the buildings.[34]

Due in part to the newfound awareness of the art deco buildings, vacationers, tourists and TV, and movie crews were drawn to South Beach. Investors began to rehabilitate hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings in the area.[35]

Despite the enthusiasm for the historic buildings by many, there were no real protections for historic buildings. As wrecking crews threatened buildings, MDPL members protested by holding marches and candlelight vigils. In one case, protestors stood in front of a hotel blocking bulldozers as they approached a hotel.[36]

After many years of effort, the Miami Beach city commission created the first two historic preservation districts in 1986. The districts covered Espanola Way and most of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue in South Beach. The designation of the districts helped protect buildings from demolition and created standards for renovation.[37]

While some developers continued to focus on demolition, several investors like Tony Goldman and Ian Schrager bought art deco hotels and transformed them into world famous hot spots in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Among the celebrities that frequented Miami Beach were Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Oprah Winfrey and Gianni Versace.[38]

Additional historic districts were created in 1992. The new districts covered Lincoln Road, Collins Avenue between 16th and 22nd Streets and the area around the Bass Museum.[39] In 2005, the city began the process of protecting the mid-century buildings on Collins Avenue between 43rd to 53rd Streets including the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc Hotels.[40] Several North Beach neighborhoods were designated as historic in 2018. A large collection of MiMo (Miami Modern) buildings can be found in the area.[41]

South Beach in March 2008

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.7 sq mi (48.5 km²), of which 7.0 sq mi (18.2 km²) is land and 11.7 sq mi (30.2 km²) (62.37%) is water.

Elevation and tidal flooding

Sign near a project to raise the elevation of a roadway in South Beach.

A high tide flood into a semi below grade carpark on the west side of South Beach.

Miami Beach encounters tidal flooding of certain roads during the annual king tides,[58] though some tidal flooding has been the case for decades,[59] as the parts of the western side of South Beach[60] are at virtually 0 feet (0 m) above normal high tide,[61] with the entire city averaging only 4.4 feet (1.3 m) above mean sea level (AMSL).[62] However, a recent study by the University of Miami showed that tidal flooding became much more common from the mid 2000s.[63] The fall 2015 king tides exceeded expectations in longevity and height.[64] Traditional sea level rise and storm mitigation measures including sea walls and dykes, such as those in the Netherlands and New Orleans, may not work in South Florida due to the porous nature of the ground and limestone beneath the surface.[60]

In addition to present difficulty with below-grade development, some areas of southern Florida, especially Miami Beach, are beginning to engineer specifically for sea level rise and other potential effects of climate change. This includes a five-year, US$500 million project for the installation of 60 to 80 pumps, building of taller sea walls, planting of red mangrove trees along the sea walls, and the physical raising of road tarmac levels,[65] as well as possible zoning and building code changes, which could eventually lead to retrofitting of existing and historic properties. Some streets and sidewalks were raised about 2.5 feet (0.76 m) over previous levels;[59] the four initial pumps installed in 2014 are capable of pumping 4,000 US gallons per minute.[66] However, this plan is not without criticism. Some residents worry that the efforts will not be sufficient to successfully adapt to rising sea levels and wish the city had pursued a more aggressive plan. On the other hand, some worry that the city is moving too quickly with untested solutions. Others yet have voiced concerns that the plan protects big-money interests in Miami Beach.[67] Pump failures such as during construction or power outages, including a Tropical Storm Emily-related rain flood on August 1, 2017, can cause great unexpected flooding. Combined with the higher roads and sidewalks, this leaves unchanged properties relatively lower and prone to inundation.[68]

According to the Köppen climate classification, Miami Beach has a tropical monsoon climate (Am). Like much of Florida, there is a marked wet and dry season in Miami Beach. The tropical rainy season runs from May through October, when showers and late day thunderstorms are common. The dry season is from November through April, when few showers, sunshine, and low humidity prevail. The island location of Miami Beach, however, creates fewer convective thunderstorms, so Miami Beach receives less rainfall in a given year than neighboring areas such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Proximity to the moderating influence of the Atlantic gives Miami Beach lower high temperatures and higher lows than inland areas of Florida. According to the National Weather Service, other than Key West, Miami Beach is the only U.S. city (mainland) to never report freezing temperatures, with the record low of 32.3 F in January 1989.[69] Miami Beach is in hardiness zone 11, like the Keys where temperatures rarely dip below 40, compared to mainland coastal Miami-Dade and the northern barrier islands at zone 10 where some frost is expected.

Miami Beach's location on the Atlantic Ocean, near its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico, make it extraordinarily vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms. Miami has experienced several direct hits from major hurricanes in recorded weather history – the 1906 Florida Keys hurricane, 1926 Miami hurricane, 1935 Yankee hurricane, 1941 Florida hurricane, 1948 Miami Hurricane, 1950 Hurricane King and 1964 Hurricane Cleo, the area has seen indirect contact from hurricanes: 1945 Homestead Hurricane, Betsy (1965), Inez (1966), Andrew (1992), Irene (1999), Michelle (2001), Katrina (2005), Wilma (2005), and Irma (2017).

As of 2010, those of Hispanic or Latino ancestry accounted for 53.0% of Miami Beach's population. Out of the 53.0%, 20.0% were Cuban, 4.9% Colombian, 4.6% Argentine, 3.7% Puerto Rican, 2.4% Peruvian, 2.1% Venezuelan, 1.8% Mexican, 1.7% Honduran, 1.6% Guatemalan, 1.4% Dominican, 1.1% Uruguayan, 1.1% Spaniard, 1.0% Nicaraguan, 0.9% Ecuadorian, and 0.8% were Chilean.[73]

As of 2010, those of African ancestry accounted for 4.4% of Miami Beach's population, which includes African Americans. Out of the 4.4%, 1.3% were Black Hispanics, 0.8% were Subsaharan African, and 0.8% were West Indian or Afro-Caribbean American (0.3% Jamaican, 0.3% Haitian, 0.1% Other or Unspecified West Indian, 0.1% Trinidadian and Tobagonian.)[73][74][75][76]

As of 2010, those of (non-Hispanic white) European ancestry accounted for 40.5% of Miami Beach's population. Out of the 40.5%, 9.0% Italian, 6.0% German, 3.8% were Irish, 3.8% Russian, 3.7% French, 3.4% Polish, 3.0% English, 1.2% Hungarian, 0.7% Swedish, 0.6% Scottish, 0.5% Portuguese, 0.5% Dutch, 0.5% Scotch-Irish, and 0.5% were Norwegian.[74][75]

As of 2010, those of Asian ancestry accounted for 1.9% of Miami Beach's population. Out of the 1.9%, 0.6% were Indian, 0.4% Filipino, 0.3% Other Asian, 0.3% Chinese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Korean, and 0.1% were Vietnamese.[74]

In 2010, 2.8% of the population considered themselves to be of only American ancestry (regardless of race or ethnicity.)[74][75] And 1.5% were of Arab ancestry, as of 2010.[74]

As of 2010, there were 67,499 households, while 30.1% were vacant. 13.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.3% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.1% were non-families. 49.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older (4.0% male and 8.0% female.) The average household size was 1.84 and the average family size was 2.70.[74][77]

In 2010, the city population was spread out, with 12.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 38.0% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.0 males.[74][77]

As of 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $43,538, and the median income for a family was $52,104. Males had a median income of $42,605 versus $36,269 for females. The per capita income for the city was $40,515. About 10.9% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 27.5% of those aged 65 or over.[78]

In 2010, 51.7% of the city's population was foreign-born. Of foreign-born residents, 76.9% were born in Latin America and 13.6% were born in Europe, with smaller percentages from North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.[75]

As of 2000, speakers of Spanish at home accounted for 54.90% of residents, while those who spoke exclusively English made up 32.76%. Speakers of Portuguese were 3.38%, French 1.66%, German 1.12%, Italian 1.00%, and Russian 0.85% of the population. Due to the large Jewish community, Yiddish was spoken at the home of 0.81% of the population, and Hebrew was the mother tongue of 0.75%.[79]

As of 2000, Miami Beach had the 22nd highest concentration of Cuban residents in the United States, at 20.51% of the population.[80] It had the 28th highest percentage of Colombian residents, at 4.40% of the city's population,[81] and was tied with two other locations for the 14th highest percentage of Brazilian residents, at 2.20% of its population.[82] It also had the 27th largest concentration of Peruvian ancestry, at 1.85%,[83] and the 27th highest percentage of people of Venezuelan heritage, at 1.79%.[84] Miami Beach also has the 33rd highest concentration of Honduran ancestry at 1.21%[85] and the 41st highest percentage of Nicaraguan residents, which made up 1.03% of the population.[86]

Public Transportation in Miami Beach is operated by Miami-Dade Transit (MDT). Along with neighborhoods such as Downtown and Brickell, public transit is heavily used in Miami Beach and is a vital part of city life. Although Miami Beach has no direct Metrorail stations, numerous Metrobus lines connect to Downtown Miami and Metrorail (i.e., the 'S' bus line). The South Beach Local (SBL) is one of the most heavily used lines in Miami and connects all major points of South Beach to other major bus lines in the city. Metrobus ridership in Miami Beach is high, with some of the routes such as the L and S being the busiest Metrobus routes.[87]

The Airport-Beach Express (Route 150), operated by MDT, is a direct-service bus line that connects Miami International Airport to major points in South Beach. The ride costs $2.65, and runs every 30 minutes from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. seven days a week.[88]

Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Miami Beach.

• North Beach Elementary
• Treasure Island Elementary
• South Pointe Elementary
• Mater Beach Academy
• Biscayne Elementary
• Fienberg/Fisher K - 8 Center
• Nautilus Middle School
• Miami Beach Senior High School

Private schools include Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy, St. Patrick Catholic School, Landow Yeshiva – Lubavitch Educational Center (Klurman Mesivta High School for Boys and Beis Chana Middle and High School for Girls), and Mechina High School. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates St. Patrick Catholic School in Miami Beach. The archdiocese formerly operated Saint Joseph School in Miami Beach.[91]

In the early history of Miami Beach, there was one elementary school and the Ida M. Fisher junior-senior high school.[92] The building of Miami Beach High was constructed in 1926, and classes began in 1928.[93]

The Florida International University School of Architecture has a sister campus at 420 Lincoln Road in South Beach, with classroom spaces for FIU architecture, art, music and theater graduate students.[94]

Other Colleges include:

• Johnson & Wales University (satellite campus closing at the end of the 2020-21 school year.)[95]

The Fillmore

The Fontainebleau

• Bass Museum
• Eden Roc (hotel)
• The Fillmore Miami Beach (originally the Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium)
• Flagler Monument Island
• Fontainebleau Hotel
• Versace Mansion (Casa Casuarina)
• Holocaust Memorial
• Jewish Museum of Florida
• Lincoln Road
• Miami Beach Architectural District
• Miami Beach Botanical Garden
• North Beach
• Ocean Drive
• South Beach
• South Pointe Park
• Wolfsonian-FIU Museum
• World Erotic Art Museum Miami
• The Setai Hotel

Knute Rockne

Neal Walk

Walter Winchell

• George Abbott, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director
• George Ade, writer
• Moses Annenberg, newspaper publisher
• Desi Arnaz (1917-1986), entertainer
• Walter Briggs, Sr., entrepreneur, owner of the Detroit Tigers
• Barbara Baer Capitman, historic preservation activist, writer
• Douglas Isaac Busch, photographer and teacher
• Al Capone, mobster
• David Caruso, actor and producer, star of NYPD Blue and CSI: Miami
• John S. Collins, horticulturist
• Kent Cooper, Associated Press
• James M. Cox, Governor of Ohio and presidential candidate
• Andrew Cunanan, serial killer
• Ron Dermer, Israeli Ambassador to the US
• Harvey Firestone, Firestone Tires
• Carl Graham Fisher, developer of Miami Beach
• Frank Gannett, Gannett Media Corporation
• Jackie Gleason, comedian, actor. TV host (Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine 1964–66, The Jackie Gleason Show 1966-70)
• Tony Goldman, real estate developer
• Ronald Green (1944-2012), American-Israeli basketball player
• Gabriel Heatter, radio commentator
• Jerry Herman, Broadway composer
• John D. Hertz, Hertz Rental Cars
• Nunnally Johnson, film director
• S.S. Kresge, retailer
• Meyer Lansky, mobster
• Albert Lasker, businessman
• Ring Lardner, writer
• Dan Le Batard, ESPN Radio & TV host
• Bernarr MacFadden, bodybuilder, owner of the Deauville Hotel
• Alex Omes, co-founder of Ultra Music Festival
• Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia, IFBB professional bodybuilder
• James Cash Penney, department store magnate
• Irving Jacob Reuter, General Motors
• Grantland Rice, sportswriter
• Knute Rockne, football player and coach
• Damon Runyon, newspaperman and writer
• Nicholas Schenck, MGM studios
• Dutch Schultz, mobster
• Robin Sherwood, actress
• Sid Tepper, Songwriter
• Gianni Versace, fashion designer
• Betty Viana-Adkins, IFBB professional bodybuilder
• Neal Walk (1948–2015), basketball player
• Albert Warner, Warner Brothers studio founder
• Walter Winchell, columnist
• Garfield Wood, inventor

Miami Beach has 12 sister cities[96]

• Brampton, Canada[97]
• Almonte, Spain
• Marbella, Spain
• Fortaleza, Brazil
• Santa Marta, Colombia
• Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
• Nahariya, Israel
• Pescara, Italy
• Fujisawa, Japan
• Cozumel, Mexico
• Ica, Peru
• Basel, Switzerland
• Asmara, Eritrea[98]

The City of Miami Beach accounts for more than half of tourism to Miami Dade County. Of the 15.86 million people staying in the county in 2017, 58.5% lodged in Miami Beach. Resort taxes account for over 10% of the city's operating budget, providing $83 million in the fiscal year 2016–2017. On average, the city's resort tax revenue grows by three to five percent annually. Miami Beach hosts 13.3 million visitors each year. In fiscal year 2016/2017, Miami Beach had over 26,600 hotel rooms. Average occupancy in fiscal year 2015/2016 was 76.4% and 78.5% in fiscal year 2016/2017.[99] Mayor Harold Rosen is credited with beginning the revitalization of Miami Beach when he notably abolished rent control in 1976, a move that was highly controversial at the time.[100][101]

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  The historical Art Deco District at South Beach at night.
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  The Art Deco District at South Beach during the day.
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  Miami Beach Police HQ
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  A street of Miami Beach with royal palms