FL
SurfsideCity Guide
A half-mile of Atlantic sand between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour
Surfside is a 0.56-square-mile oceanfront town on Miami-Dade's barrier island, incorporated in 1935 by members of the private Surf Club and tucked between Miami Beach to the south and Bal Harbour to the north. The Atlantic is on one side, Biscayne Bay on the other, and the walk from edge to edge takes about ten minutes.
A village inside a metropolis
About 5,700 people live in Surfside, and it's the kind of place where neighbours recognize each other on the beachwalk. The population skews multigenerational — families, retirees, and seasonal owners from the Northeast and Latin America — and the town has the densest Jewish community by share in Miami-Dade, with roughly 44% of 33154 residents identifying as Jewish and active Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Sephardic, and Hispanic Jewish congregations operating within walking distance of one another.
Most of the town is low-rise: pre-war single-family homes and mid-century condominiums west of Collins Avenue, with a band of taller beachfront buildings on Collins itself — the Surf Club Four Seasons, Eighty Seven Park, Fendi Château, and the future Delmore at 8777 Collins on the former Champlain Towers South site. Buyers comparing options should look across both homes for sale in Surfside — the single-family and condo stories run on different clocks.
The result is one of the quietest places to own real estate in Miami-Dade without being far from anything: about ten minutes to South Beach, fifteen to downtown Miami, and a five-minute walk to Bal Harbour Shops across 96th Street.
Key Details
What makes Surfside special
Where it sits
Surfside spans 87th Terrace to 96th Street between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic — about half a square mile of barrier-island town wedged between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour. Most addresses are within five minutes of the sand.
Who lives here
Multigenerational families, retirees, snowbirds, and one of the most concentrated Jewish communities in Florida. Around 44% of the 33154 ZIP identifies as Jewish, with Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Sephardic, and Hispanic Jewish congregations all represented locally.
The market
Single-family prices and new-construction luxury condos along Collins — Surf Club Four Seasons, Eighty Seven Park, Fendi Château — remain strong. Older mid-century condos are softer, weighed down by special assessments stemming from Florida's post-Champlain milestone-inspection law (SB 4-D, 2022).
Getting around
Walk Score 77 on Harding Avenue. Miami-Dade Transit Routes 100 and 125 run along Collins and Harding; the free Bal Harbour–Surfside–Bay Harbor Interlocal Shuttle connects the three towns. MIA is about a 25-minute drive; FLL is roughly 30 minutes.
Schools
Most addresses are zoned to Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center, an A-rated Miami-Dade public school in Bay Harbor Islands. Nearby private and religious schools include Lehrman Community Day, Hebrew Academy (RASG), and Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes.
Beach & boardwalk
A mile of public, lifeguarded beach from 87th to 96th Street, with platted access points on most cross streets. The paved beachwalk runs north into Bal Harbour and connects south all the way down to South Pointe in Miami Beach.
Harding Avenue dining
Harding between 94th and 96th holds one of the country's densest kosher restaurant clusters — Josh's Deli, The Harbour Grill, Neya, Roast, Rustiko — alongside cafés, pizza, and Grove Kosher Market, the area's full-service Glatt grocer.
Climate & resilience
Most of Surfside is in FEMA AE or VE flood zones, with Atlantic hurricane exposure typical of a barrier-island town. Post-Champlain, Miami-Dade tightened its 40-year condo recertification to a 30-year milestone inspection with 10-year re-inspections, reshaping carrying costs across the older condo stock.
Lifestyle & Highlights
The best of Surfside
Market Intelligence
Real estate trends in Surfside
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Surfside
Thinking about buying in Surfside?
Talk to a local expert who knows the Harding Avenue strip, the post-Champlain condo landscape, and what's coming next along Collins.