Miami-Dade COunty, florida

Biophilic Cities Network Partner Since 2021

Miami-Dade County is a subtropical paradise nestled between two beautiful U.S. treasures, with Everglades National Park on the west and Biscayne National Park and Aquatic Preserve connecting local waterways to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. For generations, residents have praised and enjoyed the region’s natural beauty, which attracts millions of tourists to South Florida each year. The County’s unique biodiversity offers a healthy habitat for natural wonders found nowhere else in the world, including the savanna-like Pine Rocklands forest that thrives on a limestone foundation, along with more than four dozen plant species unique to the region, and beloved fauna, such as endangered sea turtles, alligators, and birds along with majestic manatees. Numerous Miami-Dade County programs and wide-ranging endeavors by local nonprofits and academic institutions celebrate this biological diversity while promoting its protection, restoration, and expansion.

Miami-Dade’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program plays a vital role in conserving sensitive terrain, with more than 20,700 acres placed into public ownership since 1990.  In addition, Miami-Dade’s Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (PROS) department manages 2,800 acres of natural lands for a total of more than 23,500 protected acres. Creativity abounds in finding new ways to engage the community in activities that embrace the great outdoors.

County community events inspire people to get moving as they learn about and care for the wonderful world outside their homes, with such activities as the annual Baynanza waterway clean up, the newly launched Miami Dark Sky Week night observations of the stars and Bike305 program to motivate everyone to go cycling. The desire to spend time in nature grew exponentially starting in 2020 due to the COVID crisis, with health-conscious residents and visitors dramatically increasing their time in parks, beaches and safe outdoor havens as they avoid indoor gatherings and reacquaint themselves with the peace and beauty of spaces external to the built environment.

Partner Contacts:

Brenda Krebs, Office of Resilience

local spotlights

Baynanza preserves the beauty of Miami-Dade County’s waterways by involving residents in a fun, annual clean up.

Biscayne Bay Report Card, launched in 2021, fosters more active citizen engagement in protecting Miami-Dade County’s waterways while enhancing the biophilic connections between residents and beloved natural wonders, with stewardship of this effort led by the County’s first-ever Chief Bay Officer. 

Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park and Aquatic Preserve nestle Miami-Dade County between two beautiful U.S. treasures, creating a subtropical paradise.

Fit2Lead has expanded its youth programming to develop leadership skills and promote social equity in access to outdoor recreation for at-risk youth in underserved areas while increasing their connections with nature in places managed by Miami-Dade County’s department of Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (PROS).

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and Deering Estate highlight the County’s rich history of merging nature with the built environment, beautifully blurring the lines between interior and exterior spaces.

Frost Science Museum encourages people of all ages to take an active role in supporting nature through its Citizen Science program that tracks vital work such as coral restoration while the museum’s masterfully-designed, three-story Miami Aquarium brings aquatic life into closer view.

Million Trees Miami run by Miami-Dade County’s department of Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (PROS) is committed under Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to achieving 30 percent tree coverage by 2030, as outlined in the County’s participation in the Cities4Forests initiative, which also will include a focus on Growing Green Bus Stops in socially equitable ways thanks to work led by the nation’s first-ever Interim Chief Heat Officer Jane Gilbert.

Pine Rocklands form a savanna-like forest that thrives on a limestone foundation.

Super Hero Garden Autism Playground at Tamiami Park creates a safe, biophilic space for children of all abilities and needs.

The Underline is transforming 120 acres of County-owned land under the existing Metrorail guideway into a world-class walking, biking and outdoor fitness trail. Developed through strong public-private partnerships, the Underline has already opened several sections of the new linear park, which will one day extend 10 miles, bringing nature back into a formerly dead gray space beneath the County’s transit line to revitalize the urban core so that people have more room for connecting in healthy park settings to enjoy nature. 

Miami-Eco Adventures offers a variety of naturalist-guided excursions for nature lovers and enthusiast alike with the mission of promoting and enhancing the knowledge, understanding, appreciation and protection of our natural resources through quality hands-on interpretive programs.

Zoo Miami provides exceptional delights for naturalists, with botanic gardens accredited by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.

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