Tropical Park
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Our Crandon Tennis center also hosts the Sony Ericsson Open. Considered the most glamorous tennis event on the ATP and WTA Tour calendars, the Sony Ericsson Open brings record crowds, the biggest names in music and entertainment, and the world's best tennis players to the Tennis Center at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne each spring. The 2012 Sony Ericsson Open will take place March 19-April 1. Now in its 28th year, the Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine ATP World Tour Master's 1000 events and a WTA Premier Mandatory event. Featuring 96-player singles draws for both men and women, 32-team doubles draws, and over $9.7 million in prize money the Sony Ericsson Open is only surpassed in size and prestige by the four Grand Slams.
Our mission is to create outstanding recreational, natural and cultural experiences to enrich you and to enhance the quality of life for our community for this and future generations and we are proud to be of service.
Each year, 25 million people use our parks system to safely recreate, enjoy nature, become more physically fit, and to connect with neighbors, friends and pets. Our facilities, programs and events form the backdrop for the long lasting memories that are formed in our parks from a child's first bike ride to an adult's first swim.
Scenic and historical parks are the cornerstone of the Department's foundation, from the woodsy Greynolds Park with its bird rookery to Matheson Hammock Park, comprised mainly of hardwood forest, mangroves and winding trails.
Sports enthusiasts whet their appetites with more than 175 ballfields that accommodate baseball, soccer, softball or football. Running clubs can be caught practicing for a meet at one of the running tracks. The lakes, rivers and ocean fronts that sculpt the landscape offer fishing, swimming, boating and other water sports. There is no end to the possibilities: camping, nature studies, arts and crafts classes, agricultural and archaeological excursions, outdoor concerts and horse shows.
Miami-Dade Parks also offers outstanding attractions including:
- Fruit and Spice Park - The only tropical botanical garden of its kind in the United States and a gardener's and horticulturalist's dream destination. The 35-acre park boasts more than 500 varieties of exotic and tropical fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices and herbs.
- Zoo Miami - A 740-acre cageless zoo that showcases more than 900 animals belonging to more than 250 species. It has excelled in the successful breeding of rare and endangered animals.
- Deering Estate at Cutler - A historic 444-acre bayfront park with nature preserves, archaeological sites, off shore island, and a education center and museum on South Florida Ecology. House tours of restored 1922 Stone Mansion.
- Crandon Golf Course - On Key Biscayne and Audubon certified, it is one of South Florida's premier golf courses in a pristine natural setting with breathtaking views and wildlife.
- EcoAdventures™ Excursions - Naturalist guided tours through South Florida's unique and exciting network of parks, beaches, wildlife-landscapes, and wetlands, including the Everglades.
Arts and culture are also celebrated in Miami-Dade Parks facilities, creating a positive and inspiring environment for the presentation and development of the arts and to use the arts to bring together people of diverse cultures, generations, and walks of life. Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department also welcomes persons with disabilities in all of our facilities, programs and events, and provides a wide variety of fun recreational opportunities for people of all ages with disabilities.
*Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division - Last updated February 3, 2010
Right-of-Way Aesthetic and Assets Management Division (RAAM)
The Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department also comprises the Right-of-Way Aesthetic and Assets Management Division (RAAM) for the County. It fulfills five primary functions: Landscape Maintenance, Roadway Landscape Maintenance, Basic Roadside Safety Mowing, Enhanced Roadside Safety Mowing, and Metrorail/Metromover Landscape Maintenance Services.
Landscape Maintenance: Since Hurricane Andrew ravaged our community in 1992, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners has recognized and emphasized the importance of landscape beautification, tree canopy restoration and maintenance along roadways in order to provide long-term environmental benefits and improve the quality of life of residents and tourists.
In 1999, the Miami-Dade County Public Works Department created the Right-of-Way Aesthetic and Assets Management Division (R.A.A.M.), to manage the contracts for landscape maintenance of medians and roadsides, and to provide professional quality tree care, planting, structural pruning and trimming, and tree fertilization and watering.
Roadway Landscape Maintenance: The R.A.A.M. Division provides landscape maintenance services to rights-of-way along Miami-Dade County roads. The work responsibilities include: grass mowing services along roadway medians and roadsides; tree trimming and pruning, and the collection and disposal of litter and debris. Since South Florida's climate contributes to a relatively fast vegetation growth rate, mowing is performed 15 times per year to adequately maintain the aesthetic appearance of the County's main roadway corridors.
Additionally, the R.A.A.M. Division provides landscape maintenance services 9 times per year to roadsides located in the unincorporated areas of the County. Depending on the characteristics of the rights-of-way areas, two levels of service are provided.
Basic Roadside Safety Mowing: the mowing of a four to six-foot wide motorist safety shoulder strip next to the edge of the roadway.
Enhanced Roadside Safety Mowing: mowing the full width of the public right-of-way area where trees have been planted by the County, maintaining tree rings, and mowing around utilities, such as, fire hydrants, utility poles, etc. This enhanced level of service also includes the trimming of tree limbs and branches, and litter pick-up and disposal services. Metrorail/Metromover Landscape Maintenance Services: The R.A.A.M. Division also provides full landscape maintenance services to all Metrorail/Metromover.
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