Moving to Southeast Florida (Miami-Fort Lauderdale)
Southeast Florida has two major international airports and a dense highway network, but it also has some of the worst traffic congestion in the country -- getting around this region day-to-day is a genuinely different, more difficult experience than in any other Florida region in this dataset, and that reality deserves honest treatment before anyone relocates here.
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Learn moreAirports and major highways
Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) give this region two major commercial airports, both with strong domestic and international connectivity -- FLL sits literally within Hollywood's city limits, a genuine convenience for residents there but also a real source of aircraft noise in nearby neighborhoods. I-95 runs the length of the coastal corridor, I-75 (Alligator Alley) provides an east-west route toward Southwest Florida, and Florida's Turnpike offers a parallel option running through the region's western suburbs. The Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) is a major Miami-Dade beltway connecting the region's western and southern suburbs (Doral, Kendall, Hialeah) to the urban core.
Traffic congestion is a real, sourced factor
This region's congestion is not a minor inconvenience -- as of 2025-2026 traffic studies, Miami ranked among the worst U.S. cities for traffic (one 2025 study placed it third nationally, up sharply from 12th the prior year, with drivers spending over 6.5 hours in weekly traffic; a separate 2026 global traffic scorecard put Miami sixth in the U.S. for annual hours lost per driver, at roughly 75 hours a year). This is a genuine, dated, and worsening trend, not an old reputation -- anyone relocating here for a job with a daily commute should factor real, above-average congestion into where they choose to live relative to where they'll work.
Brightline and getting around without a car
Brightline, the higher-speed intercity rail service connecting Miami to Orlando, stops at MiamiCentral, Aventura, and Fort Lauderdale within this region (plus West Palm Beach and Boca Raton further north in the Palm Beaches), giving those specific cities a real alternative to driving for regional and Orlando-bound travel -- though it doesn't substitute for local, day-to-day commuting within the metro. Most of this region remains genuinely car-dependent outside Miami's and Fort Lauderdale's urban cores, and the inland Broward suburbs (Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs, Sunrise, Tamarac, Plantation) have essentially no rail-transit alternative to driving.
What genuinely differs by which county and city you choose
Miami-Dade and Broward are separate counties with separate school districts, tax structures, and local governments, and the 18 member places here split roughly evenly between them -- confirm which county a specific place falls in before assuming shared services or schools carry across the metro. Some places (Kendall) are unincorporated, meaning no separate city government exists at all; residents there fall under county government directly, a real, practical difference from the other, incorporated cities in this region.
Key takeaways
- MIA and FLL give this region two major international airports; Brightline adds intercity rail service via stops in Miami, Aventura, and Fort Lauderdale.
- Miami-area traffic congestion is real and worsening -- recent studies rank Miami among the top handful of most-congested U.S. cities, not just "bad by Florida standards."
- Most of the region outside Miami's and Fort Lauderdale's urban cores remains genuinely car-dependent, with no meaningful rail-transit alternative for local commuting.
- Miami-Dade and Broward are separate counties with separate governments and school districts -- confirm which county a specific member place falls in before relocating.
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