Q & A on Virginia Key: What it is, why it matters and what you can do about it.

Why do locals care so much about the future of Virginia Key? Why is this place significant?

Virginia Key is a 1,000 acre barrier island that at its heart is a wilderness, just steps from downtown Miami. People care about it because it is the last great green space in an urban area that is short on public spaces and urban wilderness, and spectacular waterfront parks, in particular.

Have local organizations and residents been working together to help plan the future of this area? What has happened so far?

Most recently the City of Miami Commission approved a new masterplan for Virginia Key in July 2010 that is much “greener” and less commercial than previous versions proposed. It also envisions the restoration of the historically designated Miami Marine Stadium.

Local organizations and residents have been working to help shape the future of Virginia Key for several generations but efforts heated up again about five years ago with the City of Miami began a master plan process, hiring a consultant to develop a new master plan.

Which organizations have been involved?

Miami Neighborhoods United (MNU), Sierra Club  Miami Group, Tropical Audubon Society, Urban Paradise Guild, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, Urban Environment League, Surfriders, ECOMB (Miami Beach),, Miami Rowing Club, Izaak Walton League, Dade Heritage Trust, Friends of Virginia Key, Windsurfers of Virginia Key, Citizens for a Better South Florida and many more groups and individuals. 


If someone wants to get involved now, what can they do?

They can contact any of the groups above or work on their own by contacting city and county officials, the mayor of Miami Tomas Regalado. Or they can start their own group, Facebook page, write letters to the editor of local newspapers, start a petition, design a poster, create a flyer, post photos, whatever they are inspired to do to raise awareness. Anyone can make a difference. 

How can they start the process?

Visiting the island is the first thing anyone should do. Often people just drive by the island entrances off the Rickenbacker and assume there’s not much beyond the Marine Stadium area. In fact, there are natural sandy beaches, tropical hammocks, estuaries and marshes, underwater archaeological sites, hiking and biking trails, mangrove islands and the surrounding waters of the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve teeming with life. 

Beyond that there are websites, Facebook sites and blogs and the City of Miami planning site. 

Which Websites/blogs have more information?

Friends of Virginia Key, Historic Virginia Key Beach, Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium on Facebook.

www.viewfromvirginiakey.com is a blog with articles on history, events and opinion pieces

www.virginiakeymasterplan.com is the website developed by the City of Miami’s planning consultant, EDSA. There you can see various versions of the plan developed over more than five years at different public meetings.

http://ci.miami.fl.us/planning/pages/master_plans/VKey.asp is the City of Miami’s Planning Department website.

Each of the groups that have been working on the issue have their own websites, Facebook sites with more information.

What else should you know?
There is a movement to have Virginia Key become a part of the National Park system, as an extension of Biscayne National Park, whose waterway boundaries are just outside the island where they meet with Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve.

Or, perhaps include Virginia Key and Key Biscayne corridor as part of a National Recreation Area.  Biscayne National Park has been seeking a site to build a northern visitor center on Virginia Key for many years and has identified several sites on Virginia Key, including Miami Dade County land leased to the Miami Seaquarium. Another site suggested is the  area around the Miami Marine Stadium. Tour boats could dock in the adjacent marina.