Community Background Report

Village of Key Biscayne

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

North: Crandon Park
South: Bill Baggs Cape Florida Park
West: Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve
East: Atlantic Ocean

Community Type

Municipality

History

Key Biscayne stretches 4 miles long and is just 1.25 square miles wide. The municipality is located on an island that it shares with a park to its north and another to its south. Key Biscayne is located between 4 and 5 miles from the coast of Coral Gables and is accessible by land only through the Rickenbacker Causeway. Although Key Biscayne is newly incorporated, the village has served as an important historical aspect of South Florida. Juan Ponce de Leon officially discovered the island in 1513, claiming it for the Spanish King and naming it Santa Marta.

In the 1700s, the island was known as Rat Key. In the 1800s, Slaves from across the South and members of the Seminole Indian tribe were at times able to make their way to the island and await the arrival of ships taking them from slavery, to the Bahamian Islands. It is estimated that around 100 to 300 slaves used this route to obtain their freedom. Due to this history in 2005, the area was commemorated as a portion of the historical Underground Railroad.

In 1838, the United States Military established a base on Key Biscayne called Fort Bankhead. This base was strategically located to protect settlers from revolting Seminole Indians. The concept of Key Biscayne was platted in 1838. Wealthy landholders planned the first town of Key Biscayne in 1839, offering 264 lots at $500 each, using the lighthouse compound as a central plaza. Rickenbacker Causeway, a scenic roadway, which connects the island to the rest of Miami-Dade County, was opened in 1947. The U.S military used Key Biscayne as an affordable housing community for WWII veterans during the 1950s. The village of Key Biscayne incorporated on June 18, 1991.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew flooded some homes and businesses on Key Biscayne. The storm damage was a mixed blessing for the parks because it destroyed all the non-native vegetation. Federal and State funding allowed for replanting with native vegetation, making the parks a showplace natural area.

Key Biscayne is one of the wealthiest communities in the United States. The Village, which is only accessed by boat and via the Rickenbacker Causeway, served as the Florida home to former president Richard Nixon and to actor Andy Garcia. As travelers cross the Rickenbacker Causeway onto Key Biscayne, they pass the Miami Seaquarium and Virginia Key Beach, the historical black beach of the 1960s.

Community Dynamics

Key Biscayne has a population of 12,935, with a median age of 44 and a median household income of $124,504. Between 2015 and 2016, the population of Key Biscayne grew from 12,888 to 12,935, a 0.36% increase, and its median household income grew from $121,434 to $124,504, a 2.53% increase.

The population of Key Biscayne is 65.8% Hispanic, 32% White, and 1.54% Asian. In Key Biscayne, 72.6% of the population speaks a non-English language, and 75.4% are U.S. citizens. The most common foreign languages in Key Biscayne are Spanish (7,258 speakers), French (215 speakers), and Italian (209 speakers).

The median property value in Key Biscayne is $1.03M, and the homeownership rate is 72.1%.

Business Landscape

Key Biscayne is host to the annual NASDAQ 100 tennis tournament. The tournament features big names in tennis and brings fans from around the world to this attractive vacation place. The Village also hosts an annual art festival that attracts over 200 artists and vendors.

The Village’s community center, which opened in late 2004, offers services to residents, such as ballet lessons, swim lessons, computer lessons, and other instructional opportunities.

The Village has its own fire department, police department, and public elementary and middle schools. The millage tax rate remains one of the lowest of any municipality in Miami-Dade County. In 2004, the Village completed the construction of a civic center, including fire, police and administration buildings, and a recreation and community center with indoor multi-use courts, an outdoor swimming pool, and a renowned musical theater program.

In recent years, the construction of several large resort hotels, condominium complexes and shopping centers on the island has affected the once bucolic island life, as commercialism has continued to accelerate at a frenetic pace. The Village has implemented zoning codes to prompt redevelopment and protect Key Biscayne’s “character.” By doing this, the community has achieved a pedestrian friendly and aesthetically inviting area that balances the rights of its business owners with the desires of the residents. The island currently contains five public parks and about 30 acres of beach. In order to protect and preserve its beaches, the Village has developed a 50-year program to replenish the beach with imported sand.

Transportation Characteristics

The Village is bordered on the north by Crandon Park, on the south by Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by Biscayne Bay. The four mile long Rickenbacker Causeway runs from Miami to Virginia Key and on to Key Biscayne. There is one way in and one way out. When events occur, like a tennis tournament, etc., the causeway operates at a level of service “F”, indicating heavy congestion and congestion delays. The issue is that there are so many event days, and increased weekend traffic, that untenable congestion is a regular occurrence.

Multi-modal transportation planning and outreach are in place to encourage residents and visitors to use a combination of cars, bikes, walking, public transit and golf carts, to ease the bottlenecks of congestion in the Village.