Community Background Report

City of South Miami

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

See interactive map

Community Type

Municipality

History

The history of the City of South Miami, as with all of Miami-Dade County, is tied to the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway in 1906. It was during that time that Wilson A. Larkins bought the property around the railroad, establishing a general store and post office to serve a community that eventually grew to 350 people by 1917. In 1926, the residents of the community called Larkins voted to incorporate and the Town of South Miami was born. The Town was devastated by a major hurricane in September of that same year, and lost its lifeline, the Florida East Coast Railway. In 1927, the Town had its status changed by the Florida State Legislature to become the City of South Miami. The next decade was a turbulent time for the City as it faced bankruptcy, and with dwindling support for its continued existence, there was some doubt that the City would continue. In 1933, in an effort to lessen municipal responsibilities and to appease many concerned citizens, South Miami's total area was reduced from its original six square miles to just over three square miles. Five years later, the City's size was reduced again, as many dissatisfied northern residents sued to be excluded from the municipality. These actions created most of the irregular boundaries that still characterize South Miami today. Following World War II, South Miami, like most of Miami-Dade County, witnessed a boom. Since the 1950s, South Miami has experienced growth in both residential and business sectors.

Community Dynamics

South Miami is a very diverse community. According to the 2015 American Community Survey, its predominant communities are Hispanic (66.2%), Black (16.7%) and non-Hispanic White (14.7%). The average age of South Miami residents, 37.7 years, is slightly lower than the county average of 39.6 years. The median income in South Miami is $54,101, higher than the county average of $42,926, but the percentage of residents living below the poverty line is considerable. The highest percentages of occupations held in South Miami are executives, at 14.4%, administrative supervisors, at 11.5%, and interestingly, postsecondary teachers, at 10.9%.

The City of South Miami has completed several major transportation and waste disposal projects. The City operates a trolley bus for use by both residents and visitors. In June of 2005, the City began constructing several storm water catch basins and, in August of the same year, initiated a water main extension project. The City has also dredged and cleaned its canals, and strengthened the embankments along those canals.

Business Landscape

South Miami has seen several major developments since the 1950s, most notably the Bakery Center and its replacement, The Shops at Sunset Place. With more new developments planned in South Miami, the City is trying to work with developers to provide more parks and low income housing for its residents. South Miami is known for diverse restaurants in historical downtown settings. The City is also home to the Miami Conservatory, Miami's oldest and best known ballet school, founded in 1949.

Transportation Characteristics

South Miami is served by Metrobus throughout the municipality, and by Miami’s Metrorail with a station at SW 72nd Street and South Dixie Highway (US-1). A high percentage of South Miami’s neighborhoods are verdant residential areas. There are only two relatively short segments of major streets that function as primary traffic arteries (i.e., US-1 and SW 72nd Street). Bottleneck traffic often occurs on these two major street segments, due to the presence of shopping strips and the Sunset Place mall.

The City enforces a very strict traffic policing system, diligently ticketing red light and parking violators. Recently, with help from FDOT and Miami-Dade Public Works, the City installed white light technology to catch red light violators at traffic intersections.