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58-582: Key Largo is connected to the mainland of Miami-Dade County by two routes, the first being the Overseas Highway —the southernmost portion of U.S. Highway 1 —which enters Key Largo at Jewfish Creek (near the middle of the island) before turning southwest. The second route is via Card Sound Road, which connects to the northern end of Key Largo and runs southeastward, connecting with County Road 905 , which runs southwest and joins U.S. 1 at about mile marker 106. These routes originate at Florida City on

116-523: A carbonate plateau created millions of years ago. Eastern Dade is composed of Oolite limestone while western Dade is composed mostly of Bryozoa . Miami-Dade is among the last areas of Florida to be created and populated with fauna and flora, mostly in the Pleistocene . The bay is divided from the Atlantic Ocean by many barrier islands along the coast. The city of Miami Beach , home to

174-702: A gross domestic product of $ 184.5 billion, making the county's GDP the largest for any county in the State of Florida and the 14th-largest for the nation's 3,033 counties. The county is home to the Port of Miami on Biscayne Bay , the world's largest passenger port with a world record 5.5 million passengers in 2018, and Miami International Airport , the third largest U.S. airport for international passengers and largest U.S. airport for international cargo. The county's land area of nearly 2,000 square miles exceeds that of two U.S. states, Delaware and Rhode Island . The county

232-405: A tropical savanna climate ( Aw ). Frost has never been recorded on the island. Key Largo enjoys close to 3,000 hours of sunshine annually. Miami-Dade County, Florida Miami-Dade County ( / m aɪ ˈ æ m i ˈ d eɪ d / ) is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida . The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census , making it

290-628: A "Sheriff's Office". Instead, the county's law enforcement agency is known as the Miami-Dade Police Department, and its leader is known as the Metropolitan Sheriff and Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department; Nonetheless, Miami-Dade Police badges bear the inscription, "Deputy Sheriff, Sheriff's Office, Dade County, Fla." Miami-Dade County has voted for the Democratic Party candidate in most of

348-474: A female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% (2.5% male and 5.9% female) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.33. The age distribution is 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

406-625: A statesman and diplomat from South Carolina who drafted the Treaty of San Lorenzo . The county's credited father, Richard Fitzpatrick, preferred this name as he was from South Carolina himself; however, when news reached Tallahassee of the Dade Massacre , the Territorial Legislative Council inserted Dade's name instead into a pending bill to create the new county. At the time of its creation, Dade County included

464-412: A subsequent ice age . The highest elevation is a slight ridge forming the spine of the island, which rises to about 15 feet (4.6 m). The island's substrate is called Key Largo limestone ; in many places, fossilized corals and smooth, eroded limestone "caprock" are visible at the surface. Solution holes, which are pockets dissolved in the limestone by acidic rainwater, form shallow depressions in

522-612: Is an estimated 23,064 Muslims with 15 congregations, 3,069 Hindus with 7 congregations, and 1,342 Buddhist with 17 congregations. In 2005 the Jewish population of the county has decreased but stabilized at about 121,000 with a high percentage of retired and elderly persons (but less than in Broward and Palm Beach counties). There are more than 60 congregations, 34 Jewish educational institutions, and three Jewish community centers. The highest percentage and increase in Jewish population

580-605: Is elected countywide to serve a four-year term and is considered a "strong mayor". The mayor is not a member of the County Commission, appoints all 25 directors who oversee the operations of the County Departments and has veto power over the Commission. A mayoral appointment and veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the County Commission. The post is occupied by Daniella Levine Cava ,

638-473: Is heavily Hispanic and was the most populous majority-Hispanic county in the nation as of 2020. It is home to 34 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas . The northern, central and eastern portions of the county are heavily urbanized with many high-rise buildings along the coastline, including Miami's Central Business District in Downtown Miami . Southern Miami-Dade County includes

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696-520: Is home to several universities and colleges, including Florida International University , one of the largest public universities in the country, and the University of Miami in Coral Gables , a private research university that is routinely ranked as one of the nation's top universities and is the county's second-largest employer with nearly 17,000 employees as of 2021. Miami-Dade County

754-522: Is in North Dade, especially in Aventura. Miami-Dade County hosts Florida's third largest Jewish population and the nation's tenth largest. Altogether, 39.8% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Miami-Dade County had 731 religious organizations,

812-602: Is land and 533 square miles (1,380 km ) (21.9%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Florida by land area and second-largest by total area. Most of the water is in the Biscayne Bay , with another significant portion in the adjacent Atlantic Ocean . Miami-Dade County is only about 6 feet (1.8 m) above sea level . It is rather new geologically and is at the eastern edge of the Florida Platform ,

870-615: Is populated only by a Miccosukee tribal village. Biscayne National Park and the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves are located east of the mainland in Biscayne Bay . The earliest evidence of Native American settlement in the Miami region is from approximately 12,000 years ago. The first inhabitants settled on the banks of the Miami River , with the main villages on the northern banks. The inhabitants at

928-447: Is the "upper tier", and it provides services of a metropolitan nature, such as emergency management, airport and seaport operations, public housing and health care services, transportation, environmental services, solid waste disposal etc. These are funded by county taxes, which are assessed on all incorporated and unincorporated areas. Of the county's 2.6 million total residents (as of 2013), approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas,

986-576: The Calusa and the Tequesta . The earliest description of the area and its inhabitants was by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda , a survivor of a shipwreck who lived among the Calusa people from 1549 to 1566. The earliest reference to Key Largo is found on a map prepared in 1639 by Dutch cartographer Johannes Vingboons , in which it is named Caio des 12 Leguas (islet of twelve leagues ). Some time later, it

1044-662: The Caribbean Club in 1938 as his last project. Key Largo is situated between Everglades National Park , to the northwest, and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park , to the east, the first underwater park in the United States. The latter state park protects part of the Florida Reef , the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Barrier reefs are critical to coastal communities and environments as they are able to dissipate up to 97% of

1102-558: The Redland and Homestead areas, which make up the agricultural economy of the county. Agricultural Redland makes up roughly one third of Miami-Dade County's inhabited land area, and is sparsely populated, a stark contrast to the densely populated, urban portions of the county's northern sections. The county includes portions of two national parks. To the west, the county extends into the Everglades National Park and

1160-724: The South Beach neighborhood and its Art Deco district, is built on these barrier islands. The archipelago of the Florida Keys , which extends in an arc to the south-southwest, is only accessible through Miami-Dade County, although most of the Keys are part of neighboring Monroe County . Miami is 68 miles from West Palm Beach , and 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale . Miami-Dade County includes 34 incorporated areas, 38 census-designated places , and 16 unincorporated regions. U.S. Census Bureau 2010 ethnic/race demographics: In 2010,

1218-756: The poverty line , including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those aged 65 or over. In 2010, 51.1% of the county's population was foreign born , with 48.7% being naturalized American citizens . Of foreign-born residents, 93.0% were born in Latin America, 3.2% were born in Europe, 2.7% born in Asia, 0.5% born in Africa, 0.5% in North America, and 0.1% were born in Oceania. As of 2010, 28.1% of

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1276-420: The 14th most out of all US counties. Miami-Dade County has operated under a metropolitan system of government, a "two-tier federation ", since 1957. This was made possible when Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1956 that allowed the people of Dade County (as it was known) to enact a home rule charter . Prior to this year, home rule did not exist in Florida, and all counties were limited to

1334-487: The 24th and 25th districts. Brightstar Corporation , Burger King , Intradeco Holdings, Latin Flavors , Norwegian Cruise Line , Lennar and Ryder have their headquarters in unincorporated areas in the county. Centurion Air Cargo , Florida West International Airways , IBC Airways , and World Atlantic Airlines have their headquarters on the grounds of Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area in

1392-787: The Miami River. At about the same time, the Seminole Indians arrived, along with a group of runaway slaves. The area was affected by the Second Seminole War , during which Major William S. Harney led several raids against the Indians. Most non-Indian residents were soldiers stationed at Fort Dallas . It was the most devastating Indian war in American history, causing almost a total loss of population in Miami. After

1450-560: The Miami-Dade County lost a few corporations, including Eastern Airlines, which folded in 1991. At one time the cruise line ResidenSea had its headquarters in an unincorporated area in the county. According to Miami's Beacon Council, the top private employers in 2014 in Miami-Dade were: Substrate (marine biology) Substrate is the earthy material that forms or collects at the bottom of an aquatic habitat. It

1508-474: The Republican Party, resulting in the best Republican performance since 2004 . In the 2022 gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections, Republicans Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio respectively won the county. DeSantis became the first Republican Governor to win Miami-Dade since Jeb Bush in 2002 . Rubio won the county for the second time, following his victory in 2010 . In 2024 , Donald Trump won

1566-471: The Second Seminole War ended in 1842, William English re-established a plantation started by his uncle on the Miami River. He charted the "Village of Miami" on the south bank of the Miami River and sold several plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, and six years later a census reported there were ninety-six residents in the area. The Third Seminole War was not as destructive as

1624-630: The Tequesta sent a couple of local chiefs to Havana , Cuba, to ask if they could migrate there. The Cubans sent two ships to help them, but Spanish illnesses struck and most of the Tequesta died. The first permanent European settlers arrived in the early 19th century. People came from the Bahamas to South Florida and the Keys to hunt for treasure from the ships that ran aground on the treacherous Great Florida Reef . Some accepted Spanish land offers along

1682-414: The United States was Hurricane Andrew , which hit Miami in the early morning of Monday, August 24, 1992. It struck the southern part of the county from due east, south of Miami and very near Homestead , Kendall , and Cutler Ridge , which was later renamed Cutler Bay . Damages exceeded US$ 25 billion in the county, and recovery took years in these areas where the destruction was greatest. Hurricane Andrew

1740-565: The county by a comfortable margin due to its heavy shift to the right, Florida being his home state, and its large Cuban population, making him the first Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1988 to carry the county. Miami-Dade County is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republicans Maria Elvira Salazar , Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart of the 27th, 28th and 26th districts, and Democrats Frederica Wilson and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of

1798-492: The county's first female mayor. The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body, consisting of 13 members elected from single-member districts. Members are elected to serve four-year terms, and elections of members are staggered. The board chooses a chairperson, who presides over the commission, as well as appoints the members of its legislative committees. The board has a wide array of powers to enact legislation, create departments, and regulate businesses operating within

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1856-851: The county. Hewlett Packard 's main Latin America offices are on the ninth floor of the Waterford Building in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Other companies with offices in an unincorporated area not in any CDP: Several defunct airlines, including Airlift International , Arrow Air , National Airlines , and Rich International Airways , were headquartered on or near the airport property. After Frank Borman became president of Eastern Airlines in 1975, he moved Eastern's headquarters from Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan , New York City to an unincorporated area in Miami-Dade County Around 1991

1914-608: The county. It also has the power to override the mayor's veto with a two-thirds vote. Florida's Constitution provides for five elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"): Sheriff , Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, and Clerk of the Circuit Court (also functions as Comptroller). However, the Constitution allows voters in home-rule counties (including Miami-Dade) to abolish

1972-459: The film's success, pressure from local businesses resulted in a change in the name of the post office serving the northern part of the island, from "Rock Harbor" to "Key Largo", on June 1, 1952. After that, every resident north of Tavernier had a Key Largo address and the postmark read "Key Largo". The island of Key Largo is an exposed, fossilized remnant of a coral reef formed during a period of higher sea level and then uncovered and eroded during

2030-550: The first recorded landing when they visited the Tequesta settlement in 1566 while looking for Avilés' missing son, shipwrecked a year earlier. Spanish soldiers led by Father Francisco Villarreal built a Jesuit mission at the mouth of the Miami River a year later but it was short-lived. After the Spaniards left, the Tequesta Indians were left to fend themselves from European-introduced diseases like smallpox . By 1711,

2088-454: The highest group of immigrants . Miami-Dade has small communities of Brazilians , Portuguese , Spaniards , Ukrainians and Poles along with Canadians (including Francophone from the province of Quebec ), French , Germans , other Europeans , British expatriates and Israelis . There were 867,352 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 18.8% had

2146-558: The international name recognition of Miami . Voters were acting pursuant to home rule powers granted to Dade County, including the ability to change the name of the county without the consent of the Florida Legislature . With the name change, Miami-Dade County became the only county in the United States whose name was hyphenated. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 2,431 square miles (6,300 km ), of which 1,898 square miles (4,920 km )

2204-521: The land that now contains Palm Beach and Broward counties, together with the Florida Keys from Bahia Honda Key north and the land of present-day Miami-Dade County. The county seat was originally at Indian Key in the Florida Keys; then in 1844, the County seat was moved to Miami . The Florida Keys from Key Largo to Bahia Honda were returned to Monroe County in 1866. In 1888 the county seat

2262-430: The land. The natural shoreline of the island is generally rocky. A slippery, gray, limestone-based clay called " marl " is the shoreline and near-shore soil. No natural sand beaches occur on the island. Inland, decomposed vegetation forms a rich, acidic humus soil up to about 6 in (15 cm) thick, topped by " leaf litter ". The soil supports a diverse flora of herbaceous plants, woody shrubs, and hardwood trees. Key Largo has

2320-504: The larger bones in a box for the village people to see. The Tequesta are credited with making the Miami Circle . Juan Ponce de León was the first European to visit the area in 1513 by sailing into Biscayne Bay . His journal records he reached Chequescha , a variant of Tequesta , which was Miami's first recorded name. It is unknown whether he came ashore or made contact with the natives. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his men made

2378-403: The largest ancestry groups were: Residents of Miami-Dade County are often described as "Miamians." In 2010, Cubans made up the largest population of immigrants (with more than half of the population) with Colombians coming in second, Haitians in third, followed by Nicaraguans in fourth place, then Dominicans , Venezuelans , Peruvians , Jamaicans , Mexicans , and Argentinians among

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2436-603: The mainland. Key Largo is a popular destination for many. It has been dubbed the "Diving Capital of the World" as the living coral reefs , a few miles offshore, attract thousands of scuba divers , sport-fishing enthusiasts and scientific researchers each year. Key Largo's proximity to the Everglades also makes it an ideal starting point for scientists, kayakers and ecotourists , among others. Automotive and highway pioneer (and Miami Beach developer) Carl G. Fisher built

2494-712: The majority of which are heavily suburbanized. These residents are part of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Area (UMSA). For these residents, the County fills the role of both lower- and upper-tier government, the County Commission acting as their lower-tier municipal representative body. Residents within UMSA pay a UMSA tax, equivalent to a city tax, which is used to provide County residents with equivalent city services (police, fire, zoning, water and sewer, etc.). Residents of incorporated areas do not pay UMSA tax. The Mayor of Miami-Dade County

2552-470: The most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in the United States . It is Florida's third largest county in terms of land area with 1,946 square miles (5,040 km ). The county seat is Miami , the core of the nation's ninth-largest and world's 65th-largest metropolitan area with a 2020 population of 6.138 million people, exceeding the population of 31 of the nation's 50 states as of 2022. As of 2022, Miami-Dade County has

2610-402: The oceanic wave forces exerted during hurricanes and other tropical storms, with the reef serving as a protective buffer against flooding further inland. The barrier reef, itself, provides over $ 675 million in storm surge protection, annually. When Europeans first arrived in the Florida Keys in the 16th century, the area was uninhabited or only sparsely inhabited by indigenous peoples such as

2668-508: The offices and reorganize them as subordinate County departments; Miami-Dade voters chose this option for Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. The offices of Clerk of the Circuit Court, State Attorney , and Public Defender are still branches of State government and are, therefore, independently elected and not part of County government. Miami-Dade is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff or

2726-404: The population spoke only English at home, while 63.8% of the population spoke Spanish , 4.2% spoke French Creole (mainly Haitian Creole ), 0.6% French , and 0.6% Portuguese . About 52% of the county residents were born outside the United States, while 71.9% of the population spoke a language other than English at home. In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Miami-Dade County

2784-482: The presidential elections in the past four decades, and had gone Democratic in every election since 1992, until 2024, when it voted for Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Kamala Harris. It did vote twice for Ronald Reagan (1980, 1984) and once for George H. W. Bush (1988). From 1904 to 1972 it supported the Democratic candidate in all but four elections. The Democrats had expanded their winning margin in each of

2842-718: The same set of powers by the Florida Constitution and state law . Unlike a consolidated city-county , where the city and county governments merge into a single entity, these two entities are separate. Instead there are two "tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There are 34 municipalities in the county, the City of Miami being the largest. Cities are the "lower tier" of local government, providing police and fire protection, zoning and code enforcement, and other typical city services within their jurisdiction. These services are paid for by city taxes. The County

2900-593: The second, but it slowed the settlement of southeast Florida. At the end of the war, a few of the soldiers stayed. Dade County was created on February 4, 1836, under the Territorial Act of the United States. The county was named after Major Francis L. Dade , a soldier killed in 1835 in the Second Seminole War , at what has since been named the Dade Battlefield . Originally, the county was set to be named " Pinckney County ", after Thomas Pinckney ,

2958-438: The three elections from 2008 to 2016; in 2008 and 2012 , Democrat Barack Obama averaged 59.69% of the vote. In 2016 , Democrat Hillary Clinton won 63.22% of the vote. However, in 2020 , Democrat Joe Biden only won 53.31% of the vote, winning the county by just over seven percent over Republican Donald Trump . This was attributed to a large swing of Cuban Americans , Venezuelan Americans , and other Hispanic Americans to

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3016-412: The time of first European contact were the Tequesta people, who controlled much of southeastern Florida, including present-day Miami-Dade County, Broward County , and the southern part of Palm Beach County . The Tequesta Indians fished, hunted, and gathered the fruit and roots of plants for food, but did engage in agriculture. They buried the small bones of the deceased with the rest of the body, and put

3074-415: Was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 43,605, and the median income for a family was $ 50,065. Males had a median income of $ 35,096 versus $ 29,980 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 22,957. About 13.8% of families and 17.2% of the population were below

3132-511: Was established at "Cayo Largo" (in the current Rock Harbor area). It closed and another was opened called "Largo" in 1881. Additional post offices opened in Planter in 1891 and Aiken in 1895. The island gained fame as the setting for the 1948 film Key Largo , but apart from background filming used for establishing shots, the film was shot on a Warner Bros. sound stage in Hollywood. After

3190-437: Was moved to Juno, near present-day Juno Beach, Florida , returning to Miami in 1899. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed from the northern portion of what was Dade County, and then in 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County contributed nearly equal portions of land to create what is now Broward County. There have been no significant boundary changes to the county since 1915. The third-costliest natural disaster to occur in

3248-476: Was named Cayo Largo — meaning long islet — by Spanish explorers. In 1770, Dutch surveyor Bernard Romans reported that the area was uninhabited, although evidence was found that indigenous people visited the area from time to time. By the end of the Third Seminole War in 1858, the area was under control by the United States government, though it remained largely uninhabited. In 1870, a post office

3306-546: Was the Archdiocese of Miami with 544,449 Catholics in 65 parishes, followed by 96,749 non-denominational adherents with 197 congregations, 80,123 SBC Baptists with 313 congregations, 47,921 NBC Baptists with 44 congregations, 27,901 Seventh-day Adventists in 62 congregations, 25,244 AoG Pentecostals with 45 congregations, 14,628 LDS Mormons with 18 congregations, 12,569 TEC Episcopalians with 30 congregations, and 11,880 UMC Methodists with 32 congregations. There

3364-491: Was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history until Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf region in 2005. Miami-Dade County has previously attempted to change its name 5 times between 1958 and 1990, with voters rejecting each proposal. Below are the results of the previous elections to change the county's name: On November 13, 1997, voters changed the name of the county from "Dade County" to "Miami-Dade County" to acknowledge

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