Surfside, Florida

Surfside, Florida
Town
Town of Surfside
Harding Avenue commercial district
Flag Seal
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing town boundaries
Coordinates: 25°52′46″N80°07′32″W / 25.87944°N 80.12556°W / 25.87944; -80.12556
Country	United States of America
State	Florida
County	Miami-Dade
Incorporated	May 18, 1935
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
•  Mayor	Charles Burkett
•  Vice Mayor	Tina Paul
•  Commissioners	Ruben Antonio Coto, Gerardo Vildostegui, and Nelly Velasquez
•  Town Manager	Hector Gomez
•  Town Clerk	Sandra N. McCready
Area [1]
• Total	0.56 sq mi (1.46 km2)
• Land	0.56 sq mi (1.44 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)  1.9%
Elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,689
• Density	10,213.64/sq mi (3,941.00/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip Code	33154
Area code(s)	305, 786, 645
FIPS code	12-70075 [2]
GNIS feature ID	0291892 [3]
Website	www.townofsurfsidefl.gov

Surfside is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Surfside is a primarily residential beachside community, with several multistory condominium buildings adjacent to Surfside Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The town is bordered on the south by the North Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, on the north by Bal Harbour, on the west by Biscayne Bay, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. It also serves as part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 5,689 as of the 2020 census.

History

Between 1923 and 1925, the Tatum Brothers subdivided the land on what is now Surfside. ^[4]

Starting in 1924, Henri Levy developed Biscaya Island and a portion of land from 87th to 92nd Streets. ^[4]

In 1929–1930, Russell Pancoast, built the Surf Club 90th Street and Collins Avenue. ^[4]

In 1935, fearing annexation by the city of Miami Beach, Florida, 35 members of the privately-owned club incorporated the Town of Surfside and financed the venture with a $28,500 loan. ^[4]

Spearman Lewis was the first mayor of Surfside. ^[4]

In 1956, Surfside purchased the Lehman Estate on the northeast corner of 93rd Street and Collins Avenue. It acquired additional land via eminent domain and then built a community center. ^[4]

In 1960, Hawthorne Park was dedicated. ^[4]

On March 1, 1973, Surfside signed a contract with Miami-Dade County to outsource fire/rescue services. ^[4]

In 1983, The Shul of Bal Harbour was established at 9540 Collins Avenue. ^[4]

Condominium building collapse

Main article: Surfside condominium collapse

On June 24, 2021, at 1:22 a.m. EDT, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story condominium building at 8777 Collins Avenue, partially collapsed, causing 98 deaths, in one of the deadliest structural failures in United States history. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]} The building's 40-year recertification was in progress and the roof was being repaired. The cause of the collapse of the structure has not been established.

Geography

Surfside has a total area of 2.5 km² (1.0 sq mi). 1.3 km² (0.5 sq mi) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 sq mi) of it (47.42%) is water. ^[2]

Surrounding areas

  Bal Harbour

  Bay Harbor Islands Atlantic Ocean

Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek   Atlantic Ocean

  Miami Beach Atlantic Ocean

  Miami Beach

Street names

Avenues in Surfside are named for British and American authors and run in alphabetical order from east to west. In 1979, 95th Street in Surfside was renamed "Isaac Singer Boulevard" to reflect the residency of the famous Yiddish author Isaac Bashevis Singer on that street from 1977 until his death in 1991.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1940	295		—
1950	1,852		527.8%
1960	3,157		70.5%
1970	3,614		14.5%
1980	3,763		4.1%
1990	4,108		9.2%
2000	4,909		19.5%
2010	5,744		17.0%
2020	5,689		−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

2020 census

Surfside racial composition
(Hispanics excluded from racial categories)
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^[11]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	2,717	47.76%
Black or African American (NH)	59	1.04%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	2	0.04%
Asian (NH)	79	1.39%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	3	0.05%
Some other race (NH)	69	1.21%
Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)	248	4.36%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,512	44.16%
Total	5,689

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,689 people, 2,285 households, and 1,331 families residing in the town. ^[12]

2010 census

Surfside Demographics
2010 Census	Surfside	Miami-Dade County	Florida
Total population	5,744	2,496,435	18,801,310
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010	+17.0%	+10.8%	+17.6%
Population density	10,067.9/sq mi	1,315.5/sq mi	350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)	94.6%	73.8%	75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)	50.1%	15.4%	57.9%
Black or African-American	1.3%	18.9%	16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	46.5%	65.0%	22.5%
Asian	1.3%	1.5%	2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan	0.1%	0.2%	0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	1.7%	2.4%	2.5%
Some other race	1.0%	3.2%	3.6%

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,744 people, 2,210 households, and 1,369 families residing in the town. ^[13]

Languages

As of 2000, Spanish was spoken as a first language by 49.41% of residents, while English was spoken by 42.11% of the population. Other languages spoken included Portuguese 2.36%, Russian 2.04%, German and Yiddish were both tied at 1.40%, and French was the mother tongue for 1.29% of the populace. ^[14]

Jewish population

As of 2021, approximately one-third of the population of Surfside are Jews. ^{[15] [16] [17]} It is also the most Jewish community in the Miami metropolitan area. Around 2,500 Jews reside in Surfside. ^[18] Including neighboring areas, 34% of Jews describe themselves as Orthodox, 24% as Conservative, 18% as Reform and 24% as "just Jewish". ^[19]

Education

Residents are assigned to Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K–8 Center in Bay Harbor Islands serves as the local elementary and K–8 school. Residents who want to have a conventional middle school may instead choose the zoned middle school, ^[20] Miami Beach Nautilus Middle School. ^[21] Miami Beach Senior High School is the senior high school serving Surfside. ^[22]

Notable people

• Philip B. Hofmann, former CEO of Johnson & Johnson
• Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Senior Advisor to the President between 2017 and 2021. ^{[23] [24]}
• Rudolph W. Riefkohl, officer in United States Army
• Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yiddish writer, lived in Surfside from 1977 until his death in 1991
• Sid Tepper, songwriter, lived in Surfside from 1970 to 2004
• Ivanka Trump, daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Senior Advisor to the President between 2017 and 2021 ^{[23] [24]}

In popular culture

In 2018, Josh's Deli offerings of "Jewban" and "Spicy Tuna Latke" were featured in Food Paradise (season 17) .

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
2. "QuickFacts Surfside town, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Town of Surfside 75th Anniversary" (PDF). Surfside.
5. Howard, Giulia; Mazzei, Patricia; Burch, Audra D. S. (July 26, 2021). "Final Victim of Surfside Condo Collapse Is Identified" . The New York Times .
6. Holcombe, Madeline; Vera, Amir (July 15, 2021). "The death toll in the Surfside condo collapse has risen to 97". CNN .
7. Gross, Samantha J.; Flechas, Joey; Weaver, Jay (July 6, 2021). "After demolition of Surfside condo, more victims are being found in original rubble". Miami Herald .
8. Brown, Julie K.; Neal, David J.; Rabin, Charles; Chang, Daniel (June 28, 2021). "Death toll hits 10 in Champlain condo collapse on fifth day of search for 151 missing". Miami Herald .
9. Luscombe, Richard (June 27, 2021). "Miami condo collapse: death toll rises to nine as crews search pile for survivors". The Guardian .
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
11. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
12. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Surfside town, Florida". United States Census Bureau .
13. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Surfside town, Florida". United States Census Bureau .
14. "MLA's Data Center Results of Surfside, FL". Modern Language Association.
15. Karabelnicoff, Shaked (June 25, 2021). "Surfside: Miami's 'most' Jewish community". Unpacked. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
16. SALES, BEN (June 25, 2021). "The deadly building collapse in Surfside struck a growing, diverse Jewish community". Jewish Telegraphic Agency .
17. KAMPEAS, RON (July 11, 2021). "How the world's Jewish community came together to bring aid to Surfside". The Jerusalem Post .
18. DUNST, CHARLES (July 9, 2018). "Miami's most Jewish area is home to 'aggressively' un-kosher deli". The Times of Israel .
19. Reiley, Laura; Shammas, Brittany (June 30, 2021). "Surfside's Jewish community grows closer after tower collapse: 'It's three degrees of separation'". The Washington Post .
20. "Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K-8 Center Boundaries Legal Description". Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
21. "Miami Beach Nautilus MS Boundaries Legal Description". Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
22. "Miami Beach SHS Boundaries Legal Description". Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
23. Parsley, Aaron (February 15, 2022). "Inside Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's Life in the Tiny Beach Town Where They Avoid the Spotlight". People.
24. Hartmann, Margaret (February 9, 2022). "Ivanka and Jared Can't Escape Neighbor Drama". New York Magazine. Retrieved December 1, 2022.

External links

• Town of Surfside Official government website
• Visit Surfside Official tourism website