Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County (/maɪˈæmi ˈdeɪd/) is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census,[4] making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in the United States.[7] It is Florida's third largest county in terms of land area with 1,946 square miles (5,040 km2). The county seat is Miami, the core of the nation's ninth-largest and world's 65th-largest metropolitan area with a 2020 population of 6.138 million people, exceeding the population of 31 of the nation's 50 states as of 2022.[8]
Miami-Dade County
January 18, 1836
Francis L. Dade and Miami, derived from the Miami River, and ultimately derived from Mayaimi
34
Two-tier federation
- Oliver Gilbert (Chair)
- Marleine Bastien
- Keon Hardemon
- Micky Steinberg
- Eileen Higgins
- Kevin M. Cabrera
- Raquel Regalado
- Danielle Cohen Higgins
- Kionne McGhee
- Anthony Rodriguez (Vice Chair)
- Roberto Gonzalez (appointed)
- Juan Carlos Bermudez
- René García
2,431.178 sq mi (6,296.72 km2)
1,898.753 sq mi (4,917.75 km2)
532.425 sq mi (1,378.97 km2) 21.9%
20−25 ft (6–8 m)
0 ft (0 m)
2,701,767
2,673,837
1,408.21/sq mi (543.71/km2)
Miami-Dadian
$219.476 billion (2022)
12086
As of 2022, Miami-Dade County has a gross domestic product of $184.5 billion, making the county's GDP the largest for any county in the State of Florida and it being the 14th-largest for the nation's 3,033 counties.[9][10] The county is home to the Port of Miami on Biscayne Bay, the world's largest passenger port with a world record 5.5 million passengers in 2018, and Miami International Airport, the third largest U.S. airport for international passengers and largest U.S. airport for international cargo. The county's land area of nearly 2,000 square miles exceeds that of two U.S. states, Delaware and Rhode Island.[11] The county is home to several universities and colleges, including Florida International University, one of the largest public universities in the country, and the University of Miami in Coral Gables, a private research university that is routinely ranked as one of the nation's top universities and is the county's second-largest employer with nearly 17,000 employees as of 2021.[12][13]
Miami-Dade County is heavily Hispanic and was the most populous majority-Hispanic county in the nation as of 2020. It is home to 34 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas.[14] The northern, central and eastern portions of the county are heavily urbanized with many high-rise buildings along the coastline, including Miami's Central Business District in Downtown Miami. Southern Miami-Dade County includes the Redland and Homestead areas, which make up the agricultural economy of the county. Agricultural Redland makes up roughly one third of Miami-Dade County's inhabited land area, and is sparsely populated, a stark contrast to the densely populated, urban portions of the county's northern sections.
The county includes portions of two national parks. To the west, the county extends into the Everglades National Park and is populated only by a Miccosukee tribal village. Biscayne National Park and the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves are located east of the mainland in Biscayne Bay.[15][16]
Agriculture[edit]
Most of the state's summer okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is grown here,[114] totalling 1,000 to 1,500 acres (400 to 610 ha) over the whole year.[115] It is grown as a "scavenger crop", one grown to scavenge the benefits of residual fumigant and fertilizer.[114] The most problematic pest is the Melon Thrips (Thrips palmi) but aphids are also significant.[115] Although the Silverleaf Whitefly (Sweet Potato Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci) reproduces in large numbers on this crop, the plant is not seriously harmed and the feeding damage is quickly repaired.[115] This does still leave okra as a problematic refuge from which SLW will migrate, to nearby tomato, bean, and ornamentals.[115] The University of Florida provides a production handbook[116]: 235 which recommends disease management and weed management practices.
Methyl bromide (MB) has been phased out and Telone products – fumigants – are heavily regulated here.[116]: 46 M-D much more heavily regulates Telone than the rest of the state does.[116]: 46 Therefore the best MB alternatives here are either metam sodium or metam potassium, both combined with chloropicrin.[116]: 46
M-D has some of the lowest Cry 1F resistance in the country.[117] Despite its high volume of cargo traffic with Puerto Rico and earlier speculation, none of PR's extreme Cry1F-r genetics seems to have spread to this area.[117] Southern Florida in general has the lowest in the country (including PR).[117]
The state's first invasion of the Peach Fruit Fly (Bactrocera zonata) began here.[118] An adult male PFF was found on November 10, 2010, on a guava tree (Psidium guajava).[118] The state responded by trapping an 81 square miles (210 km2) are around the site.[118]
The Little Fire Ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) is an invasive agricultural pest here.[119] In fact the first recorded invasion of the state was in 1924 in Coconut Grove (which was then near Miami and has since been incorporated into the city).[119][120]
M-D has the largest greenhousing/nursery industry in the state, but on the other hand produces very little of its own livestock.[121]