Miami-Dade County, Florida
U.S. County|
county = Miami-Dade County|
state = Florida |
seal = |
map = Map of Florida highlighting Miami-Dade County.svg |
founded =
February 4,
1836 | seat =
Miami | area = 6,297
km² (2,431
mi²) |
area land = 5,040 km² (1,946 mi²) |
area water = 1,257 km² (485 mi²) |
area percentage = 19.96% |
census yr = 2000|
pop = 2,253,362 |
density = 447|
web = www.miamidade.gov|}}
 |
Miami-Dade County Logo |
Miami-Dade County (formerly known as
Dade County) is a
county located in the southeastern part of the
state of
Florida. As of the
2000 U.S. census, the population was 2,253,362, making it the most populated county in the state. The
2005 census estimate indicated a population of 2,376,014, making it the eighth most populous county in the nation. Its
county seat is
Miami, located in the northeastern part.
Miami-Dade County is one of three counties that comprise the
South Florida metropolitan area.
Dade County was created in
1836. It was named for Major
Francis L. Dade, a soldier killed in
1835 in the
Second Seminole War, at what has since been named the
Dade Battlefield. The county seat was originally at
Indian Key in the Florida Keys. The name was changed to Miami-Dade County on
July 22,
1997 after being approved by voters.
The second-costliest natural disaster to occur in the
United States was the
disastrous Hurricane Andrew, which hit this county early Monday
morning on
August 24,
1992. It struck the central part of the county from due east, south of
Miami and very near
Homestead,
Kendall, and
Cutler Ridge (now the Town of
Cutler Bay). Damages numbered over 25
billion dollars in the county alone, and recovery has taken years in these areas where the destruction was greatest.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,297
km² (2,431
mi²). 5,040 km² (1,946 mi²) of it is land and 1,257 km² (485 mi²) of it (19.96%) is water, most of which is
Biscayne Bay, with another significant portion in the adjacent waters of the
Atlantic Ocean.
The
bay is divided from the
Atlantic Ocean by the many barrier isles along the coast, one of which is where well-known
Miami Beach is located, home to
South Beach and the
Art Deco district. The
Florida Keys,which are also barrier islands are only accessible through Miami-Dade County, but which are otherwise part of neighboring
Monroe County.
Miami is the only
metropolitan area in the
United States that borders two
national parks.
Biscayne National Park is located east of the mainland, in
Biscayne Bay, and the western third of Miami-Dade County lies within
Everglades National Park.
Adjacent Counties
*
Broward County, Florida - north
*
Monroe County, Florida - south and west
*
Collier County, Florida - northwest
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 2,253,362 people, 776,774 households, and 548,402 families residing in the county. The
population density was 447/km² (1,158/mi²). There were 852,278 housing units at an average density of 169/km² (438/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.70%
White, 29.29%
Black (with a large part being of
Caribbean descent) and
African American, 0.19%
Native American, 1.41%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 4.58% from
other races, and 3.79% from two or more races. 55.32% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic whites make up 13.67% of the population. 50% of the county residents were born outside the United States, while 67% of the population speaks a language other than English at home.
Miami-Dade is unusual among U.S. counties in that the native
language of the majority of the population is not English. As of the census of 2000,
Spanish was the first language of 59.2% of the population,
English, 32.1%,
Haitian Creole, 4.1%,
Portuguese, 1.1%,
Russian, 1.0%,
Hebrew 0.8%,
French, 0.7%,
Italian 0.4%, other 0.7%.
There were 776,774 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were
married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.35.
The age distribution is 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,966, and the median income for a family was $40,260. Males had a median income of $30,120 versus $24,686 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $18,497. About 14.5% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
Presidential elections results| Year | Republican! Democrat |
|---|
| 2004 | 46.6% 361,095 | 52.9% 409,732 |
| 2000 | 46.3% 289,574 | 52.6% 328,867 |
| 1996 | 37.9% 209,740 | 57.3% 317,555 |
| 1992 | 43.2% 235,313 | 46.7% 254,609 |
| 1988 | 55.3% 270,937 | 44.3% 216,970 |
| 1984 | 59.2% 144,281 | 40.8% 223,863 |
| 1980 | 50.7% 265,888 | 40.2% 210,868 |
| 1976 | 40.5% 211,148 | 58.1% 303,047 |
| 1972 | 58.9% 256,529 | 40.8% 177,693 |
| 1968 | 37.0% 135,222 | 48.4% 176,689 |
| 1964 | 36.0% 117,480 | 64.0% 208,941 |
| 1960 | 42.3% 134,506 | 57.7% 183,114 |
|
Miami-Dade County has operated under a unique 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 then) to enact a
home rule charter. Prior to this year, home rule did not exist in
Florida, and
counties were only able to exercise those powers specifically granted to them under the
Florida Constitution and
state law. Local laws could only be enacted by a special act of the
Legislature.
Federation, not total consolidation
Unlike a
consolidated city-county, where the
city and
county governments merge into a single entity, these two entities remain separate. Instead there are two "tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There are 35
municipalites 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 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 2.2 million total residents (
as of 2000), approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas, the majority of which are heavily urbanized. 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 an 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.
Structure of county government
The Executive
Mayor of Miami-Dade County is elected countywide to serve a four-year term. The Mayor is not a member of the County Commission. The Mayor appoints a
County Manager, with approval and consent of the Board of County Commissioners, to oversee the operations of the County Departments. The Mayor has
veto power over the Commission. The current mayor is
Cuban-born
Carlos Alvarez.
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 the County. It also has the power to override the Mayor's
veto with a two-thirds vote.
The election of Commissioners from single member districts came to be in
1992 after a group led by attorney and City of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele, Jr. with the support of some African American and Hispanic civic leaders, challenged the at large election system in the courts, arguing that the present system did not allow for the election of minority commissioners, despite the fact that African American Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler had been elected several times. The court, under the ruling of Judge Graham, created the single member district election system. To many in the community, this was the first giant step towards a parochial system of representation, resulting in a general loss of interest on issues of regional importance and focusing instead on neighborhood issues.
Reorganization of constitutional officers
Florida's
Constitution provides for four elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"):
Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. Each of these offices were reorganized and became subordinate County Departments. Today these positions are appointed by and report to the
County Manager.
The most visible distinction between Miami-Dade and other Florida counties is the title of its law enforcement agency. It is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff, or an agency titled "Sheriff's Office." Instead the equivalent 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.
Independent judiciary and school district
The judicial 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.
In Florida, each county is also a
school district.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools, is operated by an independently-elected
School Board. A professional
Superintendent of Schools manages the day-to-day operations of the district, who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the School Board.
Incorporated
Unincorporated areas and census-designated places
*
Brownsville(j)
*
Coral Terrace(o)
*
Country Club(d)
*
Country Walk(cc)
*
Fairlawn(r)
*
Fountainbleau(k)
*
Gladeview(i)
*
Glenvar Heights(q)
*
Golden Glades(c)
*
Goulds(hh)
*
Homestead Base(ll)
*
Ives Estates(a)
*
Kendale Lakes(v)
*
Kendall(u)
*
Kendall West (a census-defined area west of the Florida Turnpike)(w)
*
Lakes by the Bay(gg)
*
Leisure City(kk)
*
Naranja(jj)
*
Ojus(b)
*
Olympia Heights(m)
*
Palm Springs North(e)
*
Palmetto Estates(z)
*
Pinewood(f)
*
Princeton(ii)
*
Richmond Heights(aa)
*
Richmond West(dd)
*
South Miami Heights(ff)
*
Sunset(t)
*
Tamiami(l)
*
The Crossings(y)
*
The Hammocks(x)
*
Three Lakes(bb)
*
University Park(m)
*
West Kendall (a neighborhood within the community of Kendall)(u)
*
West Little River(h)
*
West Perrine(ee)
*
Westchester(n)
*
Westview(g)
*
Westwood Lakes(s)
City districts and neighborhoods (and recently annexed census-designated places)
*
Andover in
Miami Gardens*
Coconut Grove in
Miami*
Bunche Park in
Miami Gardens*
Carol City in
Miami Gardens*
Cutler in
Palmetto Bay*
East Perrine in
Palmetto Bay*
Fisher Island in
Miami Beach(p)
*
Lake Lucerne in
Miami Gardens*
Norland in
Miami Gardens*
Opa-locka North in
Miami Gardens*
Scott Lake in
Miami Gardens*
Liberty City in
MiamiPublic high schools
See Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsStreet grid
A
street grid stretches from downtown Miami throughout the county.
Miami-Dade County has 23
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):{| valign="top" |
*
Veracruz,
Mexico*
Iquique,
Chile*
Kingston,
Jamaica*
Petit Goâve,
Haiti*
The Bahamas*
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic*
Lamentin,
Guadeloupe*
City Hall of
Tenerife,
Canary Islands,
Spain*
Asti Province,
Italy*
Stockholm County,
Sweden*
Taipei County,
Taiwan*
Pereira,
Colombia
* San José, Costa Rica
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Mendoza, Argentina
* State of Monagas, Venezuela
* São Paulo, Brazil
* Pucallpa, Peru
* Santa Cruz, Bolivia
* Asunción, Paraguay
* Maldonado, Uruguay
* Cayman Islands | 
