Miramar, Florida


Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721, making it the fourth-largest city in Broward County, the sixth-largest city in the Miami metro area, and the 14th-largest city in Florida.
WWW Official Site

History

Miramar was founded by A.L. Mailman to serve as a "bedroom community" for nearby Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Mailman bought the original property he was to develop from H.D. Perry Sr. in 1953. He built 56 homes on the property that were inexpensive homes of concrete and flat roofs. These homes sold quickly because of the low cost of both the homes and the land, and the city of Miramar came into being.
The city was incorporated on May 26, 1955, and was named for the Miramar area of Havana, Cuba where Mailman had a summer home. At the time of incorporation, the city had a population of less than 200 people. With approximately 2.9 square miles of land area, Miramar's original city boundaries were Southwest 64 Avenue on the east, University Drive on the west, the Dade County line on the south, and Pembroke Road on the north. On June 20, 1955, the city's first mayor and city council were sworn in, all of whom were appointed by the governor and served until January 1959, at which time the first municipal election was held. Mayor Robert Gordon is the individual who is attributed to have given the city its name. The city seal is inscribed with the motto "Beauty and Progress".
H.D. Perry Sr.'s part in Miramar did not cease with selling the land to Mailman for development. He is recognized as one of the pioneers in the history of Miramar. His character and civic-activities influenced not only the lives of early residents but continues to the present day, as evidenced by the schools and parks in the city which bear his family's name. Many long-time residents fondly recall the community barbecues hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Perry during those early years. Others are grateful to Mr. Perry for the lessons in animal husbandry, which he conducted for the benefit of Miramar's youth so that they could learn something of farm life.
The only major roads when Miramar was developed were U.S. 441 which was a two-lane road at that time, Hallandale Beach Boulevard to Southwest 66 Terrace and Pembroke Road which was a dirt road to University Drive. There were no other transportation routes of any kind supplying access to the new community. Miramar's early city fathers advocated the philosophy of planned and controlled growth. The city adopted a Comprehensive Land Use Plan in 1972 before cities and counties were mandated to do so. This provided the framework for the orderly development of future growth. Two-thirds of the land within city limits is currently undeveloped.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
A 2017 study put the city in fifth place for US cities most vulnerable to coastal flooding, with 93,000 residents living within FEMA's coastal floodplain.

Demographics

Historical racial composition20202010200019901980
White 8.0%11.6%21.6%65.6%90.6%
Hispanic or Latino41.1%36.9%29.4%17.3%7.8%
Black or African American 41.1%43.5%42.0%14.5%0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 5.7%5.2%3.1%2.2%0.8%
Native American 0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.8%
Some other race 1.0%0.6%0.6%0.2%0.8%
Two or more races 2.9%2.1%3.2%N/AN/A
Population134,721122,04172,73940,66332,813

Nativity20202010200019901980
% population native-born61.3%57.1%59.3%79.9%89.9%
... born in the United States58.1%53.1%55.6%76.3%87.8%
... born in Puerto Rico or Island Areas2.0%2.9%2.9%2.7%2.1%
... born to American parents abroad1.3%1.1%0.8%1.0%2.1%
% population foreign-born38.7%42.9%40.7%20.1%10.1%
... born in Jamaica7.9%10.1%12.5%5.2%N/A
... born in Haiti6.5%5.7%3.9%1.4%N/A
... born in Cuba5.8%4.8%5.7%2.5%1.7%
... born in Colombia2.9%3.8%2.6%1.2%N/A
... born in Venezuela2.0%1.3%0.7%0.1%N/A
... born in the Dominican Republic1.3%2.1%1.6%0.7%N/A
... born in other countries12.3%15.1%13.7%9.0%8.4%

As of 2000, Miramar had the fifth highest percentage of Jamaican residents in the United States, with 15.4% of the population, the 58th highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, at 2.51% of the city's population, and the 48th highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, at 8.77% of the city's population. It also had the 78th most Dominicans in the US, at 1.98%, while it had the 31st highest percentage of Haitians, at 6% of all residents. Miramar's Trinidadian community had the 12th highest percentage of residents, which was at 1.2%.

Economy

moved to Miramar from Eastpointe, Michigan, in November 1999. JL Audio and Arise Virtual Solutions are also headquartered in Miramar.
The Leadership in Energy & Environment Design in Miramar houses the Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami field office and a General Services Administration office; named after two FBI agents who died in the 1986 FBI Miami Shootout, it is a Leadership in [Energy & Environment Design] facility located on a site. The FBI field office, previously in North Miami Beach, moved to Miramar on December 8, 2014. The building was dedicated on April 10, 2015.

Top employers

According to Miramar's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:
#Employer# of employeesPercentage of total city employment
1Comcast of South Florida15304.30%
2Strayer University14013.94%
3Royal Caribbean Cruises11743.31%
4Memorial Hospital Miramar11473.23%
5City of Miramar10592.98%
6Humana Medical Plans8872.49%
7Interactive Response Technologies/iQor7071.99%
8Spirit Airlines6221.75%
9Carnival5831.64%
10Quest Diagnostics4721.33%

Arts and culture

Landmarks

The Miramar Cultural Center and ArtsPark was created to celebrate creativity and diversity within the city. Located in the heart of the Miramar Town Center, situated adjacent to City Hall and centrally located, the center is visible and accessible from Red Road, Miramar Boulevard and Hiatus Road. Free parking is available in the parking garage.
The Miramar Branch Library Education Center's collection consists of over 80,000 items in all media and genres. The library also offers video games in several PlayStation, Xbox and Wii formats. Other features include a 100-seat multi-purpose room, conference room, group study room, several tutoring rooms and over 50 public computers and printed with instruction and special software available in its Computer Center.
The Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater provides an opportunity for live concert performances and outdoor entertainment, housed and produced in a uniquely-developed venue in South Florida. This open-air venue seats approximately 5,000 people. It is also used for film and television production.

Government

Municipal government

On June 20, 1955, the city's inaugural mayor and city council were sworn in, all having been appointed by the governor of Florida. They all served until the city's first municipal elections were held in 1959.
The city's current mayor is Wayne Messam.
Miramar currently operates under a commission–city manager government.
Up until March 13, 1991, the city had operated under the "strong mayor" form of the mayor–city commission form of government. In 1989, by unanimous accord of the mayor and the Miramar City Commission, work was laid to study changing to a commission–manager form of government. On March 14, 1990, Miramar voters approved a referendum to change to this form of government.

List of mayors

NamePeriod served
Robert GordonJune 1955 – January 1959
Charles KnappJanuary–February 1959
Samuel WinfieldApril 1959 – January 1960
Richard CalhounJanuary 1960 – March 1975
Harry RosenMarch 1975 – March 1979
Joe VeinsMarch 1979 – March 1983
Frank BrancaMarch 1983 – April 1989
Vicki CoceanoJune 1989 – March 1999
Lori Cohen MoseleyMarch 1999 – March 2015
Wayne MessamMarch 2015 – Present

Education

Miramar is served by Broward County Public Schools.

Public schools

Middle schools

K–8 schools

  • Annabel C. Perry K–8
  • Silver Shores STEAM Academy K–8

High school

Alternative schools

  • Henry D. Perry Education Center

Charter schools

  • Somerset Academy Miramar Elementary Charter School
  • Somerset Academy Central Miramar Elementary Charter School
  • Somerset Academy Miramar Middle Charter School
  • Somerset Academy Central Miramar Middle Charter School
  • Somerset Academy Central Miramar High Charter School

Private schools

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates Catholic schools. Saint Bartholomew Catholic School is in Miramar.
Saint Stephen Catholic School opened in 1956. It opened in the 1950s and closed in 2009, with the building rented to a charter school.

Trade schools

Higher education

Media

Miramar is a part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood media market, which is the twelfth largest radio market and the seventeenth largest television market in the United States. Its primary daily newspapers are the South Florida-Sun Sentinel and The Miami Herald, and their Spanish-language counterparts El Sentinel and El Nuevo Herald. WTVJ, the Miami area's NBC owned and operated station and WSCV, the Telemundo station also owned by NBC, have their studios and administrative offices in Miramar.

Notable people