Surfside, Florida: the quiet mile of beach between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour
Surfside, Florida is a small town with a mile of public beach north of Miami Beach: where to get on the sand, the $5 parking rule and the weekend market.
En bref
- Where: Miami-Dade County, between Miami Beach (south) and Bal Harbour (north).
- The beach: About a mile of public sand, 87th Terrace to 96th Street.
- Parking: $5 an hour, three hours at most, in six town lots (October 2026).
- Weekends: Farmers market at the 96th St beach entrance, Sat and Sun 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
- Getting around: Free Freebee rides inside the town's service area, booked in the app.
Surfside is the calm, residential mile of beach just north of Miami Beach: come for a quiet swim and the weekend market, but plan your parking, because the town caps visitors at three hours in its lots.
Note de la rédaction
Two things first. This is Surfside in Miami-Dade County, Florida, a town of nearly 6,000 people squeezed between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, not Surfside Beach in South Carolina or Texas. And it is the town where the Champlain Towers South building collapsed in June 2021, killing 98 people. A permanent memorial at the 88th Street street end has been approved but not yet built. Visitors are welcome on the beach; around 88th Street, behave as you would at a memorial.
What Surfside is like
The Town of Surfside runs from 87th Terrace to 96th Street along Collins Avenue, with Miami Beach to the south and Bal Harbour Village to the north. It was founded on May 18, 1935, incorporated by 35 members of the Surf Club, and the town describes its beach as "a mile of pristine public beach."
It is residential and low-key compared with South Beach. Loggerhead sea turtles come back to nest on this beach every year, and the town marks them with a public art trail, the Turtle Walk. At the beach end of 94th Street stands a sculpture by Pablo Atchugarry, and at the 95th Street entrance a turtle sculpture called Ke, Mother Turtle.
The town's small business strip is Harding Avenue around 94th and 95th Streets, one block west of Collins, and Town Hall is at 9293 Harding Avenue.
Where to park in Surfside
| Lot or zone | Rate and limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 200 block of 93rd Street | $5 an hour, 3 hours max | Closest lot to the 93rd Street beach end |
| 93rd Street and Collins Avenue | $5 an hour, 3 hours max | On Collins, near the beach |
| 94th Street and Harding Avenue | $5 an hour, 3 hours max | In the business district |
| 200 block of 95th Street, north and south side | $5 an hour, 3 hours max | Two lots, a short walk to the 95th and 96th Street entrances |
| 9500 block of Abbott Avenue | $5 an hour, 3 hours max | West of Harding |
| Harding Avenue, 9400 and 9500 blocks | $5 an hour, 3 hours max | Enforced 24 hours a day |
| Residential streets (Abbott, Byron, Carlyle) | Paid, 1 hour max for non-residents | Only in marked zones; no parking at all on 88th, 89th and 91st to 93rd Streets between Harding and Abbott |
Time cannot be extended past the limit. Pay at the multi-space meters by card or with PayByPhone, which has a one-hour minimum. All lots are open 24/7.
Town of Surfside parking pages and June 2025 parking release, checked October 2026
The three-hour problem
Every paid space in Surfside, in the lots and on the street, is $5 an hour with a three-hour cap that cannot be renewed. On residential side streets, non-residents get only one hour in the marked paid zones. For a half day on the sand that is fine; for a full beach day it is not.
If you want to stay longer, arrive another way. Surfside's Freebee service gives free rides seven days a week anywhere inside its service area, which takes in Bal Harbour, the Kane Concourse shops in Bay Harbor Islands and the post office in Miami Beach. Book in the Ride Freebee app, or call 855-918-3733 if you have no smartphone.
Rideshare works too: ask to be dropped at the 93rd, 95th or 96th Street beach end, which are the entrances the town uses for its events.
When Surfside is the right beach
| You want quiet sand without the South Beach crowds | Surfside, on a weekday morning |
| You want markets and something to eat by the beach | A weekend from October to May, when the farmers market runs at the 96th Street beach entrance |
| You want a free concert on the sand | Music on the Beach at 93rd Street: the next one listed is Classic Rock on Sunday, November 15, 2026 |
| You want to stay all day with a car | A beach with longer parking, such as Haulover's paid lots, or come to Surfside by Freebee or rideshare |
| You have a dog with you | Not Surfside; the town treats animals on the beach as a code violation. Haulover's dog beach is a short drive north |
The Champlain Towers South memorial
The Surfside Town Commission gave final approval to the permanent memorial at a special meeting on August 6, 2026. It will stand in the street-end park at 88th Street, not on the former building lot at 8777 Collins Avenue. The design was scaled back in March 2026 to about $3.5 million, including a $1 million state grant, and its 13 Pillars of Light start near the Collins Avenue entrance and incorporate rebar and debris from the building.
In its August 13, 2026 announcement the town said construction would begin shortly and that a timeline would follow. We found no start date as of October 26, 2026.
Before you go
- Pay for parking right away; the meters take cards and PayByPhone works in every lot
- Set an alarm for three hours: time in Surfside's paid spaces cannot be extended
- The farmers market runs Saturdays and Sundays, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, from October 3, 2026 to May 29, 2027
- Leave the dog at the hotel; animals on the beach can draw a warning and then a citation
- We could not find the town's lifeguard schedule; look for a staffed tower before you swim
- Loggerhead turtles nest on this beach every year; give any nest you see plenty of space
Les questions qu’on se pose
Where is Surfside Beach in Florida?
Surfside is a town in Miami-Dade County between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, running along Collins Avenue from 87th Terrace to 96th Street. It has about a mile of public beach.
How much is parking in Surfside, Florida?
The town charges $5 an hour with a three-hour maximum that cannot be renewed, in its six municipal lots and on the street, as of October 2026. Non-residents get one hour in marked residential zones.
Is Surfside beach good for families?
It is quieter and more residential than South Beach, with a weekend farmers market from October to May and free events on the sand at 93rd Street. Check for a staffed lifeguard tower before children swim.
Where is the Surfside collapse memorial?
The permanent Champlain Towers South memorial was approved on August 6, 2026 for the street-end park at 88th Street. The town said construction would begin shortly; no start date had been announced by late October 2026.
Autres guides
Things to do in Sunny Isles Beach: the pier, the parks, the free bus and a day planBeaches · Sunny isles · 4 min de lectureNorth Beach and Mid-Beach Miami: the quieter half of Miami Beach, street by streetBeaches · Miami beach · 4 min de lectureHaulover Beach: the clothing-optional section, parking, dogs and what else the park hasBeaches · Haulover · 3 min de lectureTown facts, beach entrances, art, market dates, Freebee and parking from the Town of Surfside (townofsurfsidefl.gov); memorial details from the town's August 2026 release and WLRN; dog rule from a town code-enforcement reply seen via search; all checked October 2026.