Miami River (Florida)

The Miami River in Florida drains out of the Everglades and runs through downtown Miami, Florida from Miami International Airport (from the Miami Canal) to Biscayne Bay. The 5.5-mile river is narrow and polluted, due to its proximity to the Miami-Dade metropolis.

In its original natural state, the river started at rapids that were formed by a rocky edge of the Everglades. These rapids were removed when the Miami Canal was dredged in an attempt to drain the wetland.

The Miami River has long been home to many small cargo terminals at which smaller ships (up to about 70m in length) call to load cargo, most of which is destined for ports in The Bahamas and various Caribbean nations. It is also an area into which all manner of contraband - illegal drugs, illegal aliens, etc. -has been discharged into the US. Because of continuing efforts of the US Coast Guard, U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DEA and other agencies, that illicit trade has been minimized in recent years.

While the part of the river from Northwest 36th Street to its mouth is still polluted, this condition has been mitigated considerably by rigid enforcement of both international and US laws regarding discharge of oil and sewage by ships as well as of laws addressing industrial dumping. The muddy bottom, however, is still reported to contain undesirable substances in significant quantities.

In years past, many vessels docked in the river at the ends of their last voyages, were abandoned, and sank alongside the docks creating eyesores and hazards to navigation. Those derelicts have been removed.

Invoking the authority of Port State Control, the US Coast Guard now vigorously enforces the many international and national regulations regarding safety equipment, construction, maintenance, and manning of ships entering all US ports including the Miami River, virtually eliminating the many dangerously substandard vessels that had sailed from the US in previous years.

In recent years, realizing they had common interests, various business entities along the river formed the Miami River Group. The Group works closely with local law enforcement agencies, the US Coast Guard, ICE, and others to maintain clear channels of communication and cooperation and now acts much as one port with numerous port facilities and support entities such as agents, surveyors, consultants, naval architects and engineers, ship and machinery repair businesses, etc.

Many of the ships sailing from the Miami River carry much needed cargo to ports in Haiti including Port-au-Prince, Miragoane, Cap-Haitien, Port de Paix, St. Marc, Gonaives, and Jacmel. Their cargo typically consist of dry foodstuffs such as beans and rice, canned goods, clothing, household goods and appliances, and used cars, trucks, and buses.

In times past, some of the cargo terminals on the river were hotbeds of almost total lawlessness - not because of any failure of law enforcement or regulatory agencies, but because of some people involved in illicit businesses. Methodically, law enforcement and regulatory agencies have eliminated most of that sort of activity. When the International Ship and Port Security Code and the US Maritime Transportation Act of 2002 came into force (and in the prior runup) on July 1, 2004, most opportunities for the "bad guys" to continue their activities were eliminated.

Some of the terminals and other business related to cargo shipping on the "lower end" of the river near downtown Miami have been eliminated or moved farther upstream due either directly or indirectly to illicit shipping activities. The "lower end" of the river has been the subject of much renovation and building of high rise offices, hotels, and living structures, thus making it a pleasant area for locals and visitors alike.