Consultant: South Miami parks broadly popular but need better connectivity, more indoor sports and aquatics

Pat Lee Peterson, project manager for the parks and recreation master plan, told the City Commission on Nov. 18 that South Miami’s parks system scores well in many categories but faces growing pressure on core parks and notable gaps in access and indoor amenities. "Right now the city is providing 3.6 acres per thousand," Peterson said, adding that including underlying parcels like Ludlum Trail and Snapper Creek would raise that figure to about 5.4 acres per thousand.

Peterson said the study used 12 quantitative and qualitative measures and included on‑site assessments, stakeholder interviews, focus groups and a statistically representative household survey (348 responses, margin of error under 5%). She said 99% of respondents had recently visited a park and 80% rated park quality as "excellent" or "good." The consultant highlighted access and connectivity as recurring themes and showed maps indicating that almost all residents are within a 10‑minute walk of a park while a 5‑minute walk standard would reveal remaining gaps.

"A lot of the parks in the core of the city are working really hard," Peterson said, noting new developments near City Hall and along Sunset Drive. The assessment identified indoor sports amenities and aquatics as the largest facility gaps against peer systems; dog parks, small courts and playgrounds exceed the benchmark.

Vice Mayor (acting chair) thanked staff for the presentation; commissioners asked for the 5‑minute‑walk maps so they could prioritize future acquisitions and improvements. Staff confirmed the needs assessment will be finalized this week and that a draft strategic implementation plan — covering capital improvements, acquisitions, programs and funding recommendations — is expected to be delivered to the commission by early February. The consultant also announced a public workshop on the plan later in the week to collect additional community input.

The presentation included a review of recent investments: full‑time parks and recreation positions increased about 30% since 2022 and capital spending has doubled in recent years, while revenue per capita for parks is about $96. Staff said the city will use those revenue results to explore fee policies, program revenue strategies and grant opportunities to sustain recommended improvements.

Next steps: staff will publish the survey report, share the needs assessment with commissioners and return with a draft implementation plan and funding scenarios for commission review.