Civil and Municipal - Jan 22

35 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 KEY B I SCAYNE , FLOR IDA Williamson adds, “We have the original Key Biscayners who are the folks that grew up here and we’ve had a number of local groups move here over time. More recently, we have seen an increased number of people from across the U.S, Europe and South America come to the Village. They, and we, are just thriving as a result.” The diverse culture has lent itself to the village’s culinary offerings, with dozens of restaurants on the island offering an array of multicultural cuisines. “Nobody can believe we have so many restaurants in such a small space, but there are a lot of people to feed. We definitely have a variety from, Greek to empanadas to Indian and pretty much anything you could possibly want,” Chiocchetti says. “And then there are the eateries on the water, where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets and fresh fish.” The vibrant island community of Key Biscayne is located 20 minutes east of Miami, just over the Rickenbacker Causeway. According to Dr. Roland Samimy, Key Biscayne’s Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer, “It’s a really nice mix of feelings – like you live in a small town, while at the same time being part of a major metropolitan area. Even though you’re in this urbanized context, you’re still very much a part of the environment and connected to nature. We aren’t a sleepy little island in the middle of nowhere. The village has many facets to it and the people care about the community and are truly engaged in making it as good as it can be.” Key Biscayne rests on 1.25 square miles of land and is bordered by Crandon Park, a Miami- Dade County park, to the north, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to the south, the Atlantic Photo Courtesy of Kiko Ricote