Sunny Isles Beach, the City of Sun and Sea, is located on a barrier island in the northeast corner of Miami-Dade County, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west. Golden Beach lies to the north, Bal Harbour and Haulover Park are immediately to the south.

Sunny Isles Beach is midway between downtown Miami and Fort Lauderdale with easy access to business centers, entertainment, sports and recreational facilities, and tourist attractions. Residents and visitors can fly into either Miami International or Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International airports, or cruise into the Port of Miami or Port Everglades and be in Sunny Isles Beach within 20 to 30 minutes.

Almost one million vacationers visit Sunny Isles Beach annually to enjoy the 2 ½ mile-long fine sand beach and outdoor amenities such as water sports, boating, fishing, and tennis as well as the abundant shopping, dining and entertainment options nearby. The landmark fishing pier is a local favorite while the beautiful Gilbert Samson Oceanfront Park provides a children's play area and space to relax; meet friends and enjoy the sunrise.

The City is experiencing a major redevelopment renaissance on the east side of Collins Avenue, the main thoroughfare. Zoning laws ensure that view corridors and beach access pathways will always offer residents a life with a view. To the west of Collins Avenue, the City is building parks, improving the infrastructure and laying the groundwork for future redevelopment.

The emphasis of most of the redevelopment is on residential condominium construction. The City is steadily replacing outdated motels with luxury residential oceanfront development. Much of the residential construction is not for year-round occupancy, however the statistics show a steady growth in young families who desire to be near the ocean.

History of Sunny Isles Beach

In 1920 a private investor purchased a 2.26-square mile tract of land for development as a tourist resort. He named it Sunny Isles -- "The Venice of America."

When the Haulover bridge was completed in 1925, the area became accessible from Miami Beach, attracting developers who widened streams, dug canals and inlets and created islands and peninsulas for building waterfront properties on Biscayne Bay.

In 1926, a group of investors spent nearly one million dollars to build an all-wooden racetrack with stands for 12,000 spectators. After just one "international auto race," the track was destroyed by a major hurricane, its wooden beams blown all over the county. This event, dubbed "Fulford's Folly," was a forerunner to the auto races at Sebring and Daytona.

In 1936 the Sunny Isles Pier was built and soon became a popular destination. In 1982 the ½- mile-long pier was designated a historic site. It is still used by fishing enthusiasts and sightseers today.

Sunny Isles developed slowly until the 1950s when the first single-family homes were built in the Golden Shores area. During the 1950's and 1960's more than 30 motels sprang up along Collins Avenue including Ocean Palm, the first two-story motel in the U.S. Tourists came from all over to vacation in themed motels of exotic design along "Motel Row."

The Beatles were among noted visitors to Sunny Isles, cavorting at the Castaways Motel's famed Wreck Bar on Collins Avenue (State Road A1A) just south of Sunny Isles Boulevard. (The Castaways Motel was demolished in the 1970s and Oceania Towers, the first luxury condominium complex in Sunny Isles, was constructed on the site in the 1990s.)

The popular oceanfront community gained many new residents (both year-round and seasonal) as condominium communities such as Winston Towers and Arlen House were built in the 1970s.

Over the next decade, tourists from Europe and North America, flocked to Sunny Isles hotels and motels attracted by favorable exchange rates and value-for-money accommodation.

New mid- and high-rise multi-family buildings were constructed adding to the residential options in Sunny Isles. The City's three single-family communities, Golden Shores, Atlantic Island and Golden Gate, a luxury enclave at the northern tip of the city, are all on the Intracoastal Waterway.

In 1997, the citizens of this area voted to incorporate as a municipality, thus putting the city on the map as a highly desirable oceanfront community. Sunny Isles Beach is now in the midst of a major redevelopment with mostly luxury high-rise condominiums and some elegant hotels under construction.