Miami occupies the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula at approximately sea level, bounded to the east by Biscayne Bay and to the west by the Everglades ecosystem. This geographic position places the city in immediate proximity to two federally administered National Park Service units — Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park — both located within or directly adjacent to Miami-Dade County. The Miami River bisects the historic urban core, connecting Biscayne Bay to inland waterways, while the barrier islands to the east, including Miami Beach, fall under separate municipal jurisdictions. Land management across the region is divided among the National Park Service, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami, whose parks and cultural facilities program receives partial funding through the voter-approved $400 million Miami Forever Bond, as documented by the City of Miami's Office of Capital Improvements.
State and federal lands
Two of the largest units in the National Park Service system are accessible from Miami. Everglades National Park, the only subtropical preserve in North America, lies immediately west of the Miami-Dade urban boundary and protects the slow-moving freshwater system that defines South Florida's ecological character. Biscayne National Park, located to the southeast, encompasses 172,000 acres of Biscayne Bay — the majority of which is open water, mangrove shoreline, and coral reef — making it one of the largest marine-dominated parks in the continental United States. Both parks are federally administered by the National Park Service and are documented in the research brief as geographically proximate to the City of Miami.
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America and is administered by the National Park Service. The park protects the southern terminus of a slow-moving freshwater system that extends across South Florida. Its western boundary lies immediately adjacent to the Miami-Dade County urban footprint, placing it within the broader metropolitan area. The park encompasses sawgrass prairies, mangrove estuaries, and marine environments along Florida Bay.
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park encompasses approximately 172,000 acres in southeastern Miami-Dade County, the majority of which is open water, mangrove coastline, and coral reef. Administered by the National Park Service, the park protects the northernmost portion of the Florida Reef Tract and a chain of barrier islands separating Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The park is documented as one of the largest aquatic-dominated parks in the continental United States.
Beaches and waterways
Biscayne Bay serves as the primary marine boundary of the City of Miami, separating the urban core from the barrier islands to the east. The Miami River, which bisects the city's historic core, has functioned as a working commercial waterway since the founding era and connects the bay to inland waterways. Miami Beach, the most widely recognized beach destination in the region, is a separate municipal jurisdiction located across the bay. The City of Miami maintains waterfront access points and bayside parkland along the Biscayne Bay shoreline, funded in part through the Miami Forever Bond program, which the City of Miami's Office of Capital Improvements documents as allocating resources to parks and cultural facilities alongside sea-level rise infrastructure.
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay forms the eastern boundary of the City of Miami, separating the mainland urban core from the barrier islands. The bay is a shallow subtropical estuary that connects to the Atlantic Ocean to the south and to PortMiami — administered by Miami-Dade County — at its northern reaches. The southern portion of the bay is protected within Biscayne National Park. Miami-Dade County's Sea Level Rise Strategy, as documented on the county's official resilience page, identifies bayside areas as priorities for adaptation planning.
More on Biscayne BayMiami River
The Miami River bisects the city's historic urban core, running from inland freshwater sources westward to Biscayne Bay. The river has served as a working commercial waterway since the city's founding era in the late 19th century, as documented by The Reality Reports in its account of Miami's 1896 incorporation. The river corridor passes through multiple neighborhoods including Little Havana and the Downtown core, and its banks include both industrial and recreational uses.
City parks
The City of Miami administers a network of municipal parks across its neighborhoods, ranging from neighborhood greenspace to larger waterfront facilities. The Miami Forever Bond — a $400 million voter-approved capital program administered by the City of Miami's Office of Capital Improvements — allocates funding to parks and cultural facilities alongside infrastructure categories including sea-level rise prevention, roadways, public safety, and affordable housing. The bond program is subject to oversight by the Miami Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board, as documented on the City of Miami's official bond program pages. The city's park system is also shaped by the Miami-Dade County Sea Level Rise Strategy, which identifies low-lying parkland and open space as components of climate adaptation planning.
Miami Forever Bond — Parks and Cultural Facilities Program
The Miami Forever Bond, a $400 million voter-approved capital investment program administered by the City of Miami's Office of Capital Improvements, allocates funding to parks and cultural facilities as one of five programmatic categories. The bond program is documented on the City of Miami's official website as addressing sea-level rise and flood prevention, roadways, parks and cultural facilities, public safety, and affordable housing. A Citizens Oversight Board provides public accountability for expenditures.
More on Miami Forever Bond — Parks and Cultural Facilities ProgramConservation areas
Miami-Dade County operates a Sea Level Rise Strategy that designates Adaptation Action Areas — geographic zones identified as priorities for climate resilience investment. The first such area is documented by Miami-Dade County as being in the Little River neighborhood, a low-lying community in the northern part of the county. This policy framework, described on the county's official resilience page, intersects directly with open space and conservation planning: parkland, greenways, and undeveloped coastal edges in designated AAAs are incorporated into the county's broader strategy for managing tidal flooding and long-term sea level rise. The Beacon Council additionally documents $330 million in annual Miami-Dade County investment in green and blue economy industries as part of the county's Climate Action Plan.
Miami-Dade Adaptation Action Areas
Miami-Dade County's Adaptation Action Areas (AAAs) are a planning designation identifying geographic zones of elevated tidal flooding and sea level rise risk. The first AAA is documented by Miami-Dade County as covering the Little River area. Open space and parkland within these zones are incorporated into the county's Sea Level Rise Strategy, which is administered through Miami-Dade County's Office of Resilience. The framework is documented on the county's official sea level rise and flooding page.
More on Miami-Dade Adaptation Action AreasSources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: Population (446,663), median age (39.7), median household income ($59,390), median home value ($475,200), poverty rate (19.2%), unemployment rate (4.9%), labor force participation (74.5%), educational attainment (21.5% bachelor's or higher), housing tenure (30.7% owner / 69.3% renter), median gross rent ($1,657), total housing units (219,809)
- PortMiami Announces Banner Year for Cruise Passengers and Cargo TEU Volume — Miami-Dade County Official Release https://www.miamidade.gov/global/release.page?Mduid_release=rel1764622080449470 Used for: PortMiami FY2025 cruise passenger record of 8,564,225; 4.02% year-over-year increase; increased cargo TEU volume
- Robust Economy — The Beacon Council (Miami-Dade County Economic Development) https://www.beaconcouncil.com/robust-economy/ Used for: Miami's dominant industries (international trade, finance, tourism, technology); highest concentration of international banks in the nation; $330 million annual green and blue economy investment by Miami-Dade County
- Why Miami — Miami Economic Development Initiative https://eidmiami.org/why-miami/ Used for: Fintech, health-tech, advanced mobility as leading growth sectors; over $5 billion in venture capital investments cited via Knight Foundation
- Mayor Eileen Higgins — City of Miami Official Website https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/City-Officials/Mayor-Eileen-Higgins Used for: Eileen Higgins documented as first female Mayor of the City of Miami; prior service as Miami-Dade County Commissioner District 5 since 2018
- 2025 General Municipal and Special Elections — City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Elections/2025-General-Municipal-and-Special-Elections-November-4-2025 Used for: 2025 Miami mayoral election timeline and qualifying period
- Miami Forever Bond — City of Miami Office of Capital Improvements https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Office-of-Capital-Improvements/Miami-Forever-Bond Used for: Miami Forever Bond: $400 million total investment across sea-level rise/flood prevention, roadways, parks and cultural facilities, public safety, affordable housing
- Miami Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board — City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Office-of-Capital-Improvements/Miami-Forever-Bond/Miami-Forever-Bond-MFB-Citizens-Oversight-Board Used for: Bond Oversight Board role in ensuring transparency and accountability for Miami Forever Bond
- Sea Level Rise and Flooding — Miami-Dade County https://www.miamidade.gov/global/environment/resilience/sea-level-rise-flooding.page Used for: Miami-Dade Sea Level Rise Strategy; Adaptation Action Areas (AAAs); first AAA in Little River area
- Miami is Ground Zero for Climate Risk — CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/26/miami-is-ground-zero-for-climate-risk-people-move-there-build-there-anyway.html Used for: Miami infrastructure enhancements: higher elevation requirements, permeable ground, higher roads and sea walls; City of Miami $400 million climate resilience bond; chief resilience officer position
- The Woman Who Built Miami — The Reality Reports https://www.therealityreports.com/2026/03/the-woman-who-built-miami-how-biscayne.html Used for: Miami incorporation date July 28, 1896; Miami documented as the only major U.S. city founded by a woman (Julia Tuttle)
- Cuban Exiles in America — PBS American Experience https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/castro-cuban-exiles-america/ Used for: Four waves of Cuban immigration since 1959; first arrivals in Miami following the Cuban Revolution; settlement in Little Havana
- Pérez Art Museum Miami — Official Museum Website https://pamm.org/en/ Used for: PAMM's education programs and collection character
- Cuban Immigrants — EBSCO Research Starters https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/cuban-immigrants Used for: First wave of Cuban immigrants (1959) as businessmen and professionals who established economic and cultural base in Miami; subsequent immigration waves
- Pérez Art Museum Miami — Greater Miami and the Beaches Tourism Authority https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/l/arts-and-culture/perez-art-museum-miami-(pamm)/2037 Used for: PAMM collection focus on 20th/21st century art with emphasis on Latin America, Caribbean, and African diaspora; Herzog & de Meuron building design; Freedom Tower as Cuban refugee processing center and current home of Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College