Cape Florida Park aka Bill Baggs State Park

Key Biscayne, Florida

Miami Waterkeeper wants to thank Hydro Flask for its generous support

Cape Florida Park, also know as Bill Baggs park in honor of the editor of the Miami News who played a large role in saving this precious land from the hands of deveolopers in 1967. Voted one of the Top 10 beaches in the United States, we are thankful to Mr. Baggs. The award winning one mile stretch of beach is rarely too crowded as the park gates close after a certain number of visitors enter so make sure to arrive early in the day. This natural wonder provides wonderfully soft and white sand, but there is often a line of seaweed at the high water mark which may give shelter to flies and mites. There are also beds of turtle grass a short distance from the shore. This slice of authentic Florida is the real thing. A big attraction is the Cape Florida Lighthouse. There are guided tours of the restored 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse from Thus. to Mon., 10 AM & 1 PM (Tues. and Wed. closed). Situated on the tip of Key Biscayne, the Cape Florida Lighthouse is the oldest structure in Miami-Dade County. Cultural displays depicting early island life may be seen in the lighthouse keeper's cottage. A video presentation is shown in the former cookhouse. Throw in your fishing lines from the seawall along Biscayne Bay for some of the best shoreline fishing in the region, or enjoy other activities such as renting a bike, sailboat, kayak, beach chair, umbrella, paddle boat, to see and enjoy the park both on and off of the water. There are miles of paved roads that are closed to automotive traffic that are great for rollerblading or bike riding.
The park has two restaurants specializing in fresh seafood with a Cuban touch. Enjoy some fresh catch for lunch or wait for dinner and take in a beautiful sunset!

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Cape Florida Park, también conocido como el parque Bill Baggs en honor del editor de Miami News, quien jugó un papel importante en el rescate de esta tierra preciosa de manos de desarrolladores en 1967. Elegida como una de las 10 mejores playas de los Estados Unidos, agradecemos al Sr. Baggs. El galardonado tramo de playa de una milla rara vez está demasiado lleno ya que las puertas del parque se cierran después de que un cierto número de visitantes ingresan, así que asegúrese de llegar temprano en el día. Esta maravilla natural proporciona una arena maravillosamente suave y blanca, pero a menudo hay una línea de algas marinas en la parte alta de las aguas que pueden dar refugio a las moscas y los ácaros. También hay camas de hierba de tortuga a poca distancia de la orilla. Esta rebanada de Florida auténtica es real. Una gran atracción es el faro del cabo Florida. Hay visitas guiadas del faro restaurado de 1825 restaurado del cabo Florida de jueves a lunes, de 10 AM a 1 PM (martes y miércoles cerrado).

Situado en la punta de Key Biscayne, el faro del cabo Florida es la estructura más antigua del Condado de Miami-Dade. En la cabaña del farero se pueden ver exhibiciones culturales que muestran la vida temprana en la isla. En la antigua cocina de campaña se muestra una presentación de video. Lanza tus sedales desde el muelle a lo largo de la Bahía Vizcaína para disfrutar de la mejor pesca costera de la región, o disfruta de otras actividades como alquilar una bicicleta, velero, kayak, silla de playa, sombrilla, bote de remos, para ver y disfrutar del parque tanto dentro como fuera del agua. Hay kilómetros de carreteras pavimentadas que están cerradas al tráfico automotriz que son ideales para patinar o andar en bicicleta.
El parque tiene dos restaurantes especializados en mariscos frescos con un toque cubano. ¡Disfrute de una pesca fresca para el almuerzo o espere la cena y disfrute de una hermosa puesta de sol!

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WATER QUALITY

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on December 2nd, 2019. Miami Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

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CURRENT WEATHER

19°C

A few clouds

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MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

If you have specific questions as to why we marked a beach closed, please feel free to email us.

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Dade County beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. Monitoring results are collected weekly on Mondays and results are posted to the Florida Healthy beaches website on Wednesday. Samples are collected year round, however the peak season is from March to November. Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday.

The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;
Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;
Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.
Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.
A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH