Location
Miami-Dade County encompasses more than 2,000 square miles (larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware). One-third of Miami-Dade County is located in Everglades National Park. Our community is located along the southeast tip of the Florida peninsula. It is bounded by Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Everglades National Park to the west, the Florida Keys to the south, and Broward County to the North.

Governance
The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of unincorporated Miami-Dade County and has broad, regional powers to establish policies for Miami-Dade County services. The government provides major metropolitan services countywide and city-type services for residents of unincorporated areas.

Miami-Dade has an Executive Mayor with the power to veto Commission action items. In January 2007, the Mayor was given additional powers providing for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of Miami-Dade. The Mayor can only serve two terms of four years.

Through ordinances and resolutions, the 13-member Commission sets policies and establishes laws for the community. Commissioners are chosen in non-partisan, single-district elections, and have no term limits. Miami-Dade County is structured into 13 districts. Residents choose only from among candidates running in the district in which they live. Commissioners serve four-year staggered terms, with elections scheduled every two years. Commissioners in the even-numbered districts will be elected in November 2010.

Municipalities
The total population of the 35 municipalities  in 2005 was approximately 1,280,878. The City of Miami is the largest municipality, followed by Hialeah, Miami Gardens, Miami Beach, North Miami and Coral Gables. With a population of more than one million, our unincorporated area, if declared a city, would form the largest in Florida and one of the largest in the nation.

Unincorporated Municipal Service area (UMSA)
The areas of the County that do not fall within municipal boundaries comprise the unincorporated area of Miami-Dade. With a population exceeding one million people, the unincorporated area, if declared a city, would form the largest city in Florida and one of the largest in the nation.

Background
The total County population was 2,379,818 in 2005. The area has a fascinating history and discoveries have found ceremonial artifacts dating back 2,000 years near the Miami River. To learn more about Miami-Dade County, take a look at some of our statistics.

• Miami-Dade County At-a-Glance