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134-538: 25°55′01″N 80°24′31″W  /  25.91694°N 80.40861°W  / 25.91694; -80.40861 This Miami-Dade County, Florida location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a location in Broward County , Florida is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a location in Palm Beach County , Florida

268-523: 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

402-628: 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

536-425: A chapter on its disappearance. She wrote: "What had been a river of grass and sweet water that had given meaning and life and uniqueness to this enormous geography through centuries in which man had no place here was made, in one chaotic gesture of greed and ignorance and folly, a river of fire." The book has sold 500,000 copies since its publication, and Douglas's continued dedication to ecology conservation earned her

670-452: A dense forest in the middle of a freshwater marl prairie. Closer to Flamingo, more rugged trails take visitors through mangrove swamps, along Florida Bay. Christian Point Trail, Snake Bight Trail, Rowdy Bend Trail and Coastal Prairie Trail allow viewing of shorebirds and wading birds among the mangroves. Portions of the trails may be impassable depending on the time of year, because of mosquitoes and water levels. Ranger-led tours take place in

804-414: A drought severe enough to cause serious wildfires in 1939. The influx of humans had a detrimental effect on the plants and animals of the region when melaleuca trees ( Melaleuca quinquenervia ) were introduced to help with drainage, along with Australian pines brought in by developers as windbreaks . The region's timber was devastated for lumber supplies. Alligators, birds, frogs, and fish were hunted on

938-474: 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

1072-493: A large scale. Entire rookeries of wading birds were shot to collect their plumes, which were used in women's hats in the early 20th century. The largest impact people had on the region was the diversion of water away from the Everglades. Canals were deepened and widened, and water levels fell dramatically, causing chaos in food webs . Salt water replaced fresh water in the canals, and by 1997 scientists noticed that salt water

1206-419: A night or $ 10 a night for backcountry permits. Visitors spent $ 2.6 million within the park and $ 48 million in local economies. More than 900 jobs were sustained or created within or by the park, and the park added value of $ 35 million to local economies. Everglades National Park has had 19 superintendents since it was dedicated in 1947. The park's first superintendent, Daniel Beard (1947-1958),

1340-522: A single large community near the mouth of the Miami River , while the Calusa lived in 30 villages. Both groups traveled through the Everglades but rarely lived within them, remaining mostly along the coast. The diets of both groups consisted mostly of shellfish and fish, small mammals, game, and wild plants. Having access only to soft limestone, most of the tools fashioned by Native Americans in

1474-625: 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

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1608-619: A variety of epiphytes. Twenty-eight miles (45 km) of trails start near the Long Pine Key campgrounds and wind through Long Pine Key, well-suited for offroad cycling through the pine rocklands in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness. Two boardwalks allow visitors to walk through a cypress forest at Pa-Hay-O-Kee, which also features a two-story overlook, and another at Mahogany Hammock (referring to Swietenia mahagoni ) that takes hikers through

1742-422: 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 a gross domestic product of $ 184.5 billion, making

1876-536: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 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 the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in the United States . It

2010-612: 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

2144-605: 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 ,

2278-473: 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

2412-520: 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

2546-522: 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,

2680-547: 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 ,

2814-801: Is nearly impenetrable; beneath the canopy hammocks is an ideal habitat for animals. Reptiles (such as various species of snake and anole ) and amphibians (such as the American green tree frog , Hyla cinerea ), live in the hardwood hammocks. Birds such as barred owls ( Strix varia ), woodpeckers , northern cardinals ( Cardinalis cardinalis ), and southern bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus ) nest in hammock trees. Mammal species living in hardwood hammocks include Florida black bears ( Ursus americanus floridanus ), red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), minks ( Neogale vison ), marsh rabbits ( Sylvilagus palustris ), gray foxes ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus ), white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), and

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2948-556: 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

3082-526: Is relatively and consistently flat. The limestone that underlies the Everglades is integral to the diverse ecosystems within the park. Florida was once part of the African portion of the supercontinent Gondwana . After it separated, conditions allowed a shallow marine environment to deposit calcium carbonate in sand, shells, and coral to be converted into limestone. Tiny bits of shell, sand, and bryozoans compressed over multiple layers forming structures in

3216-443: Is required for fishing. Fresh water licenses are not sold in the park, but a salt water license may be available. Swimming is not recommended within the park boundaries; water moccasins, snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ), alligators, and crocodiles thrive in fresh water. Sharks, barracuda, and sharp dangerous coral are plentiful in salt water. Visibility is low in both salt water and fresh water areas. Everglades National Park

3350-447: 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,

3484-777: Is the largest continuous system of mangroves in the world. Within the Florida mangrove systems live 220 species of fish, and a variety of crabs, crayfish , shrimp, mollusks , and other invertebrates , which serve as the main source of food for many birds. Dozens of bird species use mangroves as nurseries and food stores, including pelicans , grebes , tricolored herons ( Egretta tricolor ), gulls , terns , hawks and kites, and arboreal birds like mangrove cuckoos ( Coccyzus minor ), yellow warblers ( Dendroica petechia ), and white-crowned pigeons ( Patagioenas leucocephala ). The mangroves also support 24 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 18 species of mammals, including

3618-553: Is today Big Cypress National Preserve , to escape the forced emigration to the west. Some survivors of the "Spanish Indians" were sent to Indian Territory with the Seminoles. From 1859 to about 1930, the Seminoles and Miccosukee lived in relative isolation, making their living by trading. In 1928, surveying and construction began on the Tamiami Trail , along the northern border of Everglades National Park. The road bisected

3752-525: The Everglades & Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and listed the park as a World Heritage Site in 1979, and the Ramsar Convention included the park on its list of Wetlands of International Importance in 1987. Everglades is one of only three locations in the world to appear on all three lists. Most national parks preserve unique geographic features; Everglades National Park was

3886-458: The Floridan aquifer lies about 1,000 feet (300 m) below the surface of South Florida . The Everglades has an immense capacity for water storage, owing to the permeable limestone beneath the exposed land. Most of the water arrives in the form of rainfall, and a significant amount is stored in the limestone. Water evaporating from the Everglades becomes rain over metropolitan areas, providing

4020-558: 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

4154-724: 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,

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4288-756: 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

4422-420: 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

4556-456: The 18th century, invading Creeks incorporated the dwindling numbers of the Tequesta into their own. Neither the Tequesta nor Calusa tribe existed by 1800. Disease, warfare, and capture for slavery were the reasons for the eradication of both groups. The only evidence of their existence within the park boundaries is a series of shell mounds that were built by the Calusa. In the first half of

4690-543: The 19th century, people call Spanish Indians and Muspas lived in southern Florida. At the same time Creeks , escaped African slaves, and other Indians from northern Florida displaced by the Creek War , formed the area's Seminole nation. After the end of the Seminole Wars in 1842, the Seminoles faced relocation to Indian territory near Oklahoma . A few hundred Seminole hunters and scouts settled within what

4824-487: 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

4958-558: The Calusa. The settlements in Chokoloskee and Flamingo served as trading centers for small populations of farmers, fishermen, and charcoal burners settled in the Ten Thousand Islands. Both settlements and the more isolated homesteads could only be reached by boat until well into the 20th century. Everglades City , on the mainland near Chokoloskee, enjoyed a brief period of prosperity when, beginning in 1920, it served as

5092-663: The Everglades is a politically charged issue in South Florida. Everglades National Park covers 1,508,976 acres (2,357.8 sq mi; 6,106.6 km ), throughout Dade , Monroe , and Collier counties in Florida, at the southern tip of the Atlantic coastal plain . The elevation typically ranges from 0 to 8 feet (2.4 m) above sea level , but a Calusa -built shell mound on the Gulf Coast rises 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level. The terrain of South Florida

5226-622: The Everglades attract a great variety of waders such as herons , egrets , roseate spoonbills ( Platalea ajaja ), ibises and brown pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis ), as well as limpkins ( Aramus guarauna ) and snail kites that eat apple snails , which in turn feed on the sawgrass. The sloughs' availability of fish, amphibians, and young birds attract a variety of freshwater turtles, alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ), water moccasin ( Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ), and eastern diamondback rattlesnake ( Crotalus adamanteus ). Freshwater marl prairies are similar to sloughs but lack

5360-446: The Everglades in the 1880s. The first canals built in the Everglades did little harm to the ecosystem, as they were unable to drain much of it. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward based the majority of his 1904 campaign for governor on how drainage would create "The Empire of the Everglades". Broward ordered the drainage that took place between 1905 and 1910, and it was successful enough that land developers sold tracts for $ 30 per acre, settling

5494-497: The Everglades were developed, proponents of the park's establishment faced difficulty in persuading the federal government and the people of Florida that the subtle and constantly shifting ecosystems in the Everglades were just as worthy of protection. When the park was established in 1947, it became the first area within the U.S. to protect flora and fauna native to a region as opposed to geologic scenery. The National Park Service recognizes nine distinct interdependent ecosystems within

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5628-510: The Everglades, introducing a steady, if small, traffic of white settlers into the Everglades. Some members of the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes continue to live within park boundaries. Management of the park includes approval of new policies and procedures by tribal representatives "in such a manner that they do not conflict with the park purpose". Following the end of the Seminole Wars , Americans began settling at isolated points along

5762-643: The Everglades. Plans arose in 1882 to drain the wetlands and develop the land for agricultural and residential use. As the 20th century progressed, water flow from Lake Okeechobee was increasingly controlled and diverted to enable explosive growth of the Miami metropolitan area . The park was established in 1934, to protect the quickly vanishing Everglades, and dedicated in 1947, as major canal-building projects were initiated across South Florida. The ecosystems in Everglades National Park have suffered significantly from human activity, and restoration of

5896-415: The Everglades. With a high tolerance of salt water, winds, extreme tides, high temperatures, and muddy soils, mangrove trees are uniquely adapted to extreme conditions. They act as nurseries for many marine and bird species. They are also Florida's first defense against the destructive forces of hurricanes, absorbing flood waters and preventing coastal erosion . The mangrove system in Everglades National Park

6030-463: The Everglades: peat, created by many years of decomposing plant matter, and marl , the result of dried periphyton , or chunks of algae and microorganisms that create a grayish mud. Portions of the Everglades that remain flooded for more than nine months out of the year are usually covered by peat. Areas that are flooded for six months or less are covered by marl. Plant communities are determined by

6164-787: 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

6298-547: 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: Everglades National Park Everglades National Park is a national park of the United States that protects

6432-582: The National Park Service reports there were probably about 20,000 natives living in or near the Everglades when the Spanish established contact in the late 16th century. The Calusa lived in social strata and were able to create canals , earthworks , and shellworks . The Calusa were also able to resist Spanish attempts at conquest. The Spanish had contact with these societies and established missions further north, near Lake Okeechobee . In

6566-474: 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

6700-664: The Royal Palm Visitor Center, the Anhinga Trail is a half-mile self-guided tour through a sawgrass marsh where visitors can see alligators, marsh and wading birds, turtles, and bromeliads. Its proximity to Homestead and its accessibility makes it one of the most visited sites in the park. The nearby Gumbo Limbo Trail is also self-guided, at half-mile long. It loops through a canopy of hardwood hammocks that include gumbo limbo ( Bursera simaruba ), royal palms ( Roystonea ), strangler figs ( Ficus aurea ), and

6834-471: 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

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6968-722: The Tamiami Trail (part of U.S. Route 41 ) directly west of Miami is the Shark Valley Visitor Center . A fifteen-mile (24 km) round trip path leads from this center to a two-story observation tower. Tram tours are available during the busy season. Closest to Homestead on State Road 9336 is the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center , where a 38-mile (61 km) road begins, winding through pine rockland, cypress, freshwater marl prairie, coastal prairie, and mangrove ecosystems. Various hiking trails are accessible from

7102-574: 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

7236-401: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, established an agricultural area directly south of Lake Okeechobee, and three water conservation areas, all bordered by canals that diverted excess water either to urban areas or into the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico or Florida Bay. South of these manmade regions was Everglades National Park, which had been effectively cut off from its water supply. By the 1960s,

7370-414: 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

7504-513: The Wilderness Waterway, Gulf Coast sites, and sites in the various keys. Several back-country sites are chickees ; others are beach and ground sites. Low-powered motorboats are allowed in the park; the majority of salt water areas are no-wake zones to protect manatees and other marine animals from harm. Jet skis , airboats, and other motorized personal watercraft are prohibited. Many trails allow kayaks and canoes. A state license

7638-513: The act, "Through this legislation that river of grass may now be restored to its natural flow of water". In 2000, Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a federal effort to restore the Everglades with the objectives of "restoration, preservation and protection of the south Florida ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region", and claiming to be

7772-655: The area become a national park in 1923. Five years later, the Florida state legislature established the Tropical Everglades National Park Commission to study the formation of a protected area. The commission was led by Ernest F. Coe , a land developer turned conservationist, who was eventually nicknamed Father of Everglades National Park. Coe's original plan for the park included more than 2,000,000 acres (3,125.0 sq mi; 8,093.7 km ) including Key Largo and Big Cypress , and his unwillingness to compromise almost prevented

7906-1073: The area bloom about 16 weeks after a fire. Nearly all pinelands have an understory of palm shrubs and a diverse ground covering of wild herbs. Pine rocklands are considered one of the most threatened habitats in Florida; less than 4,000 acres (6.3 sq mi; 16.2 km ) of pineland exist outside the park. Within the park, 20,000 acres (31.3 sq mi; 80.9 km ) of pineland are protected. A variety of animal species meet their needs for food, shelter, nesting, and rooking in pine rocklands. Woodpeckers, eastern meadowlarks ( Sturnella magna ), loggerhead shrikes ( Lanius ludovicianus ), grackles , and northern mockingbirds ( Mimus polyglottos ) are commonly found in pinelands. Black bears and Florida panthers also live in this habitat. Cypress trees are conifers that are adapted to live in standing fresh water. They grow in compact structures called cypress domes and in long strands over limestone. Water levels may fluctuate dramatically around cypress domes and strands, so cypresses develop "knees" that protrude from

8040-873: The birds frequenting park shorelines. The bay also has its own resident population of bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). The bay's many basins are broken up by sandbanks that serve as plentiful recreational fishing grounds for snook ( Centropomus undecimalis ), redfish ( Sciaenops ocellatus ), spotted seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus) , tarpon ( Megaflops atlanticus), bonefish ( Albula vulpes) , and permit ( Trichinous falcatus) , as well as snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), and bass . Wading birds such as roseate spoonbills ( Platalea ajaja ), reddish egrets ( Egretta rufescens ), and great white herons ( Ardea herodias occidentalis ) have unique subpopulations that are largely restricted to Florida Bay. Other bird species include bald eagles , cormorants , and ospreys . Mammals along

8174-509: The busier season only. Camping is available year-round in Everglades National Park. Camping with some services is available at Long Pine Key, close to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, where 108 sites are accessible by car. Near Flamingo, 234 campsites with some services are also available. Recreational vehicle camping is available at these sites, but not with all necessary services. Back-country permits are required for campsites along

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8308-478: The coast in what is now the park, from the Ten Thousand Islands to Cape Sable . Communities developed on the two largest pieces of dry ground in the area, on Chokoloskee Island and at Flamingo on Cape Sable, both of which established post offices in the early 1890s. Chokoloskee Island is a shell mound, a midden built roughly 20 feet (6 m) high over thousands of years of occupation by

8442-489: The coastlines of South Florida, sometimes growing inland depending on the amount of salt water present within the Everglades ecosystems. During drier years when less fresh water flows to the coast, mangroves will appear among fresh water plants. When rain is abundant, sawgrass and other fresh water plants may be found closer to the coast. Three species of mangrove trees—red ( Rhizophora mangle ), black ( Avicennia germinans ), and white ( Laguncularia racemosa )—can be found in

8576-444: The coasts were taken down for better views and replaced with shallow-rooted palm trees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on larger canals to control the rising waters in the Everglades. Nevertheless, Lake Okeechobee continued to rise and fall, the region was covered with rain, and city planners continued to battle the water. The 1926 Miami Hurricane caused Lake Okeechobee levees to fail; hundreds of people south of

8710-565: 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

8844-649: 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

8978-492: 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

9112-851: 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

9246-608: 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

9380-520: The creation of the new national park on May 30, 1934, but the Act (HR 2837), which permanently reserved lands donated by public or private donation as wilderness, passed only with a rider that ensured no money would be allotted to the project for at least five years. Coe's passion and U.S. Senator Spessard Holland 's politicking helped to fully establish the park, after Holland was able to negotiate 1,300,000 acres (2,031.2 sq mi; 5,260.9 km ) of

9514-451: The endangered green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata ), and West Indian manatee ( Trichechus manatus ). Coastal lowlands, or wet prairies, are salt water marshes that absorb marine water when it gets high or fresh water when rains are heavy. Floods occur during hurricane and tropical storm surges when ocean water can rise several feet over the land. Heavy wet seasons also cause floods when rain from

9648-508: The first created to protect a fragile ecosystem . The Everglades are a network of wetlands and forests fed by a river flowing 0.25 miles (0.40 km) per day out of Lake Okeechobee , southwest into Florida Bay . The park is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America and contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. Thirty-six threatened or protected species inhabit

9782-605: 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,

9916-668: The fresh water supply for the region. Water also flows into the park after falling as rain to the north onto the watersheds of the Kissimmee River and other sources of Lake Okeechobee, to appear in the Everglades days later. Water overflows Lake Okeechobee into a river 40 to 70 miles (64 to 113 km) wide, which moves almost imperceptibly. At the turn of the 20th century, common concepts of what should be protected in national parks invariably included formidable geologic features like mountains, geysers, or canyons. As Florida's population began to grow significantly and urban areas near

10050-405: The freshwater sloughs also inhabit marl prairies. Marl prairies may go dry in some parts of the year; alligators play a vital role in maintaining life in remote parts of the Everglades by burrowing in the mud during the dry season, creating pools of water where fish and amphibians survive from one year to the next. Alligator holes also attract other animals who congregate to feed on smaller prey. When

10184-490: The headquarters for the construction of the Tamiami Trail . A dirt road from Florida City reached Flamingo in 1922, while a causeway finally connected Chokoloskee to the mainland's Everglades City in 1956. After the park was established, private property in the Flamingo area was claimed by eminent domain , and the site was incorporated into the park as a visitor center. Several attempts were made to drain and develop

10318-454: 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

10452-558: 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 )

10586-498: The lake drowned. Two years later, the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane claimed 2,500 lives when Lake Okeechobee once again surged over its levees. Politicians who declared the Everglades uninhabitable were silenced when a four-story wall, the Herbert Hoover Dike , was built around Lake Okeechobee. This wall effectively cut off the water source from the Everglades. Following the wall's construction, South Florida endured

10720-521: 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

10854-504: 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

10988-403: 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

11122-757: The largest environmental restoration in history. It was a controversial plan; detractors worried that it "relies on uncertain technologies, overlooks water quality, subsidizes damaging growth and delays its environmental benefits". Supporters of the plan included the National Audubon Society , who were accused by Friends of the Everglades and the Biodiversity Legal Foundation of prioritizing agricultural and business interests. CERP projects are designed to capture 1.7 billion US gallons (6,400,000 m ) of fresh water every day, store it in underground reservoirs, and release

11256-568: The limestone called ooids , which created permeable conditions that hold water. The Florida peninsula appeared above sea level between 100,000 and 150,000 years ago. As sea levels rose at the end of the Wisconsin ice age , the water table appeared closer to land. Lake Okeechobee began to flood, and convection thunderstorms were created. Vast peat deposits south of Lake Okeechobee indicate that regular flooding had occurred about 5,000 years ago. Plants began to migrate, subtropical ones from

11390-712: 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

11524-427: The mangroves but "standing dead snags" several miles wide, but 30 years later the area had completely recovered. Predictably, what suffered the most in the park from the 2005 hurricanes were man-made structures. In 2009 the visitor center and lodge at Flamingo were irreparably damaged by 125 mph (201 km/h) winds and an 8 ft (2.4 m) storm surge ; the lodge had been functioning for 50 years when it

11658-444: The nicknames "Grand Dame of the Everglades", "Grandmother of the Everglades" and "the anti-Christ" for her singular focus at the expense of some political interests. She founded and served as president for an organization called Friends of the Everglades, initially intended to protest the construction of a proposed Big Cypress jetport in 1968. Successful in that confrontation, the organization has grown to over 4,000 members, committed to

11792-597: The north flows into the Everglades. Few trees can survive in the conditions of this region, but plants— succulents like saltwort and glasswort —tolerate salt, brackish water, and desert conditions. Animal life in this zone is dependent upon the amount of water present, but commonly found animals include Cape Sable seaside sparrow ( Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis ), Everglades snail kite ( Rostrhamus sociabilis ), wood stork ( Mycteria americana ), eastern indigo snake ( Drymarchon couperi ), and small mammals such as rats, mice, and rabbits. The largest body of water within

11926-482: The northern part of Florida, and tropicals carried as seeds by birds from islands in the Caribbean . The limestone shelf appears to be flat, but there are slight rises—called pinnacles—and depressions caused by the erosion of limestone by the acidic properties of the water. The amount of time throughout the year that water is present in a location in the Everglades determines the type of soil, of which there only two in

12060-508: 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

12194-513: The park is Florida Bay , which extends from the mangrove swamps of the mainland's southern tip to the Florida Keys . Over 800 square miles (2,100 km ) of marine ecosystem lies in this range. Coral , sponges , and seagrasses serve as shelter and food for crustaceans and mollusks , which in turn are the primary food source for larger marine animals. Sharks, stingrays , and barracudas also live in this ecosystem. Pelicans, shorebirds , terns, and black skimmers ( Rynchops niger ) are among

12328-431: The park that constantly shift in size owing to the amount of water present and other environmental factors. Freshwater sloughs are perhaps the most common ecosystem associated with Everglades National Park. These drainage channels are characterized by low-lying areas covered in fresh water, flowing at an almost imperceptible 100 feet (30 m) per day. Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough are significant features of

12462-403: The park was visibly suffering. The C&SF was directed to provide enough water to sustain the park; it did not follow through. A proposed airport that would have dire environmental effects on Everglades National Park became the center of a battle that helped to initiate the environmental movement into local and national politics. The airport proposal was eventually abandoned, and in 1972 a bill

12596-479: The park's creation. Various other interests, including land developers and sport hunters, demanded that the size of the park be decreased. The commission was also tasked with proposing a method to raise the money to purchase the land. The search coincided with the arrival of the Great Depression in the United States, and money for land purchase was scarce. The U.S. House of Representatives authorized

12730-719: The park, closed the park to airboats , directed the Department of the Army to restore water to improve the ecosystems within Everglades National Park, and "Direct(ed) the Secretary of the Interior to manage the Park in order to maintain the natural abundance, diversity, and ecological integrity of native plants and animals, as well as the behavior of native animals, as part of their ecosystem." Bush remarked in his statement when signing

12864-543: The park, including the Florida panther , the American crocodile , and the West Indian manatee , along with 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles. The majority of South Florida 's fresh water, which is stored in the Biscayne Aquifer , is recharged in the park. Humans have lived for thousands of years in or around

12998-716: The park, leaving out Big Cypress, Key Largo, the Turner River area , and a 22,000-acre (34.4 sq mi; 89.0 km ) tract of land called "The Hole in the Donut" that was too highly valued for agriculture. Miami Herald editor John Pennekamp was instrumental in pushing the Florida Legislature to raise $ 2 million to purchase the private land inside the park boundaries. It was dedicated by President Harry Truman on December 6, 1947, one month after Marjory Stoneman Douglas's book The Everglades: River of Grass

13132-511: The park, was declared a wilderness area . It was renamed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness in 1997. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 24, 1979, and as a Wetland of International Importance on June 4, 1987. It was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1993 until 2007 and then again in 2010. The park was added again due to the continued degradation of

13266-446: The park. Sawgrass growing to a height of 6 feet (1.8 m) or more, and broad-leafed marsh plants, are so prominent in this region that they gave the Everglades its nickname "River of Grass" , cemented in the public imagination in the title for Marjory Stoneman Douglas 's book (1947), which culminated years of her advocacy for considering the Everglades ecosystem as more than a "swamp". Excellent feeding locations for birds, sloughs in

13400-404: 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

13534-476: The preservation of the Everglades. She wrote and spoke about the importance of the Everglades until her death at age 108 in 1998. Floridians hoping to preserve at least part of the Everglades began to express their concern over diminishing resources in the early 20th century. Royal Palm State Park was created in 1916 and protected Paradise Key; it included several trails and a visitor center several miles from Homestead . Miami-based naturalists first proposed that

13668-482: 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

13802-432: The purchase of 207,000 acres (323.4 sq mi; 837.7 km ) of land at a cost of $ 1 billion. The plan aims to spend $ 10.5 billion over 30 years, combining 50 different projects and giving them 5-year timelines. Everglades National Park was directly hit by Hurricanes Katrina , Wilma , and Rita in 2005. Such storms are a natural part of the park's ecosystem; 1960's Hurricane Donna left nothing in

13936-509: The rare, critically endangered Florida panther ( Puma concolor couguar ). Miami-Dade County was once covered in 186,000 acres (290.6 sq mi; 752.7 km ) of pine rockland forests, but most of it was harvested by the lumber industry. Pineland ecosystems (or pine rocklands) are characterized by shallow, dry sandy loam over a limestone substrate covered almost exclusively by slash pines ( Pinus elliottii var. densa ). Trees in this ecosystem grow in solution holes , where

14070-720: The region floods again during the wet season, the fish and amphibians which were sustained in the alligator holes then repopulate freshwater marl prairies. Hammocks are often the only dry land within the park. They rise several inches above the grass-covered river and are dominated by diverse plant life consisting of subtropical and tropical trees, such as large southern live oaks ( Quercus virginiana ). Trees often form canopies under which animals thrive amongst scrub bushes of wild coffee ( Psychotria ), white indigoberry ( Randia aculeata ), poisonwood ( Metopium toxiferum ) and saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ). The park features thousands of these tree islands amid sloughs—which often form

14204-440: The region were made of shell, bone, wood, and animal teeth; shark teeth were used as cutting blades, and sharpened reeds became arrows and spears. Shell mounds still exist today within the park, giving archaeologists and anthropologists evidence of the raw materials available to the indigenous people for tool construction. Spanish explorers estimated the number of Tequesta at first contact to be around 800, and Calusa at 2,000;

14338-641: The road, which runs to the Flamingo Visitor Center and marina, open and staffed during the busier time of the year. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is closest to Everglades City on State Road 29 along the west coast. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center gives canoers access to the Wilderness Waterway , a 99-mile (160 km) canoe trail that extends to the Flamingo Visitor Center. The former Royal Palm State Park

14472-718: 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

14606-593: 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 ,

14740-553: The set causing significant indications of eutrophication (for example algal blooms) negatively impacting the marine life causing the US government to request UNESCO and IUCN for assistance in development. President George H. W. Bush signed the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act on December 13, 1989, that added 109,506 acres (171.1 sq mi; 443.2 km ) to the eastern side of

14874-402: The shape of a teardrop when seen from above (see park map) because of the slowly moving water around them—but they can also be found in pineland and mangroves. Trees in the Everglades, including wild tamarind ( Lysiloma latisiliquum ) and gumbo-limbo ( Bursera simaruba ), rarely grow higher than 50 feet (15 m) because of wind, fire, and climate. The plant growth around the hammock base

15008-477: The shoreline include raccoons , opossums , bobcats , and fox squirrels . Humans likely first inhabited the South Florida region 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. Two tribes of Native Americans developed on the peninsula's southern tip: the Tequesta lived on the eastern side and the Calusa , greater in numbers, on the western side. The Everglades served as a natural boundary between them. The Tequesta lived in

15142-413: The slow movement of surface water; instead, water seeps through a calcitic mud called marl . Algae and other microscopic organisms form periphyton , which attaches to limestone. When it dries it turns into a gray mud. Sawgrass and other water plants grow shorter in freshwater marl than they do in peat , the other type of soil in the Everglades which is found where water remains present longer throughout

15276-654: The soft limestone has worn away and filled with soil, allowing plants to take hold. Pinelands require regular maintenance by fire to ensure their existence. South Florida slash pines are uniquely adapted to promote fire by dropping a large amount of dried pine needles and shedding dry bark. Pine cones require heat from fires to open, allowing seeds to disperse and take hold. The trunks and roots of slash pines are resistant to fire. Prescribed burns in these areas take place every three to seven years; without regular fires, hardwood trees begin to grow in this region, and pinelands become recategorized as mixed swamp forests. Most plants in

15410-472: The southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida . The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River . An average of one million people visit the park each year. Everglades is the third-largest national park in the contiguous United States after Death Valley and Yellowstone . UNESCO declared

15544-438: 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

15678-412: 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

15812-629: The town of Davie , and developing regions in Lee and Dade counties. The canals also cleared water that made way for agricultural fields growing sugarcane . In the 1920s, a population boom in South Florida created the Florida land boom , which was described by author Michael Grunwald as "insanity". Land was sold before any homes or structures were built on it and in some cases before any plans for construction were in place. New landowners, eager to make good on their investments, hastily constructed homes and small towns on recently drained land. Mangrove trees on

15946-466: The type of soil and the amount of water present. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Royal Palm at Everglades National Park has a tropical monsoon climate ( Am ). Summers are long, hot, and very wet and winters are warm and dry. While they are common in the northern portion of Florida , no underground springs feed water into the Everglades system. An underground reservoir called

16080-764: The water at high levels to provide oxygen for the root systems. Dwarf cypress trees grow in drier areas with poorer soil. Epiphytes , such as bromeliads , Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides ), orchids and ferns grow on the branches and trunks of cypress trees. Everglades National Park features twenty-five species of orchids. Tall cypress trees provide excellent nesting areas for birds including wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ), ibis, herons, egrets, anhingas ( Anhinga anhinga ), and belted kingfisher ( Megaceryle alcyon ). Mammals in cypress regions include white-tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons , opossums , skunks, swamp rabbits, river otters ( Lontra canadensis ), and bobcats , as well as small rodents. Mangrove trees cover

16214-415: The water to areas within 16 counties in South Florida. Approximately 35,600 acres (55.6 sq mi; 144.1 km ) of man-made wetlands are to be constructed to confine contaminated water before it is released to the Everglades, and 240 miles (390 km) of canals that divert water away from the Everglades are to be destroyed. During the first five years of implementation, CERP was responsible for

16348-411: The year. Marl prairies are usually under water from three to seven months of the year, whereas sloughs may remain submerged for longer than nine months and sometimes remain under water from one year to the next. Sawgrass may dominate sloughs, creating a monoculture . Other grasses, such as muhly grass ( Muhlenbergia sericea ) and broad-leafed water plants can be found in marl prairies. Animals living in

16482-518: The years to the park or incorporated into other protected areas: Biscayne National Park , Big Cypress National Preserve , John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary were all protected after the park's opening in 1947. Everglades National Park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on October 26, 1976. On November 10, 1978, 1,296,500 acres (2,025.8 sq mi; 5,246.7 km ), about 86% of

16616-415: 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

16750-684: Was also its longest-serving. After Superintendent Beard, Warren F. Hamilton served between 1958 and 1963, followed by Stanley C. Joseph (1963-1966), Roger W. Allin (1966-1968), John C. Raftery (1968-1970), Joseph Brown (1970-1971), Jack E. Stark (1971-1976), John M. Good (1976-1980), John M. Morehead (1980-1986), Marueen E. Finnerty (Acting Superintendent, 1986), Michael V. Finley (1986-1989), Robert L. Arnberger (Acting Superintendent, 1989), Robert S. Chandler (1989-1992), Dick Ring (1992-2000), Marueen E. Finnerty (2000-2003), Dan Kimball (2004-2014), Shawn Benge (Acting Superintendent, 2014), Bob Krumenaker (Acting Superintendent, 2014-2015), and finally Pedro Ramos, who

16884-626: Was appointed in 2015 and continues to serve. The park was placed into Administrative Region I in 1937, when the regions were first established. Region I was retitled the Southeast Region in 1962, which was restructured into the Southeast Area in 1995. The reorganized unified Interior regions put it in the new Region 2. The busiest season for visitors is from December to March, when temperatures are lowest and mosquitoes are least active. The park features five visitor centers: on

17018-553: Was introduced to curb development in South Florida and ensure the national park would receive the amount of water it needed. Efforts turned to repairing the damage wrought by decades of mismanagement: the Army Corps of Engineers changed its focus in 1990 from constructing dams and canals to constructing "purely environmental projects". Regions originally included in Ernest Coe's vision for a national park were slowly added over

17152-437: 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

17286-428: Was released. The same year, several tropical storms struck South Florida, prompting the construction of 1,400 miles (2,300 km) of canals, sending water unwanted by farmers and residents to the ocean. The Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project (C&SF) was authorized by Congress to construct more than one thousand miles of canals and flood control structures across South Florida. The C&SF, run by

17420-473: Was seeping into the Biscayne Aquifer, South Florida's water source. In the 1940s, Marjory Stoneman Douglas , a freelance writer and former reporter for The Miami Herald , began to research the Everglades for an assignment about the Miami River . She studied the land and water for five years and published The Everglades: River of Grass in 1947, describing the area in great detail, including

17554-546: 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

17688-491: 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

17822-574: Was the site of the first Everglades National Park visitor center and later became the Royal Palm Visitor Center within the park. The western coast of the park and the Ten Thousand Islands and the various key islands in Florida Bay are accessible only by boat. Several walking trails in the park vary in hiking difficulty on Pine Island, where visitors can cross hardwood hammocks, pinelands, and freshwater sloughs. Starting at

17956-463: Was torn down; nothing is slated to replace it. Everglades National Park reported in 2005 a budget of over $ 28 million. Of that, $ 14.8 million was granted from the National Park Service and $ 13.5 million from various sources including CERP, donations, and other grants. The entry fee for private vehicles in 2021 is $ 30. Of the nearly one million visitors to Everglades National Park in 2006, more than 38,000 were overnight campers, paying $ 16

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