Miami, FL
How much and where to park in Miami during a hurricane or flood threat
Parking during severe weather in Florida: Where to keep your car safe in Miami during a hurricane or tropical storm. What residents should know.
When hurricane season strikes, it’s hard not to picture the iconic “cars floating in water” scenario.
That effect typically occurs due to storm surge.
Residents in South Florida, which usually has the highest hurricane potential, know to move their vehicle to higher ground, if possible.
In the event of flood threats − aside from tropical storms or hurricanes − cities in South Florida may allow residents to park for free in select public garages, although proof of residency is frequently required.
But as the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season nears, many Floridians are bracing for the storm, and that includes buying a hurricane preparedness kit, getting the hurricane shutters out of the garage, and/or devising what to do with your car.
Keep reading for more information on where to park in Miami in the event of a flood threat such as a hurricane.
When is 2026 hurricane season in Florida?
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30 every year, with August, September and October being the most active months, particularly in Florida. In several years past, however, hurricane season has started early, with tropical systems named as early as April or May.
In addition to building damage or palm trees that bend from strong wind, the image of car tops peeking through floodwaters has become synonymous with Florida hurricanes.
Photos of hurricane damage, flooded cars in Florida
If there’s a hurricane in Miami, Florida, some public garages will be open to protect cars from floods
Those living in low-lying areas could see their homes flood in the event of a tropical storm – but there are ways to mitigate damages.
For instance, while you can’t uproot and move your entire property, you and your family can evacuate, and you can move your vehicle to higher ground. In the event of flood threats, cities in South Florida may allow residents to park for free in select public garages, although proof of residency is frequently required.
The city of Miami Beach, for one, is located in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, according to the city government. It provides qualifying residents – those with properties on streets where the elevation is low enough to experience flooding from King Tides – with free temporary parking accommodations at three of its municipal parking facilities. Residents must register, and will receive a notification via email when a flood event is “activated.”
Miami and Miami Beach allow residents to park free during floods. How to apply
For GPS and web searches, here are the addresses of participating parking garages:
- Garage 1 at 200 7th St., Miami Beach, FL 33139
- Garage 9 at 500 17th St., Miami Beach, FL 33139
- Garage 6 at 400 W. 42nd St., Miami Beach, FL 33140
The city of Miami and Miami Parking jointly offer a similar initiative – the hurricane parking program – which allows residents and employees of the city of Miami to park one vehicle per household in select garages during flood events.
Participating garages for that include:
- College Station Garage, 190 NE 3rd St., Miami, FL 33132
- Knight Center Garage, 100 SE 1st St., Miami, FL 33131
- Regatta Harbour Garage, 3351 Pan American Drive, Miami, FL 33133
Applications for the hurricane parking program are open year-round, but anyone interested must provide either proof of residency or employment – utility bills, vehicle registration and city of Miami employee badges are all acceptable forms of documentation, according to the MPA’s website.
Registration for the program expires one year from the date it was initiated, and must be renewed on a rolling basis to maintain access. If there’s a storm or flood alert, the program could be activated “at the discretion of the CEO of the Miami Parking Authority,” but is guaranteed to be activated once the National Hurricane Center or Emergency Operations Center issues a hurricane watch, according to the MPA.
Will my car at a Miami parking garage be accessible during a Florida tropical storm or hurricane?
Once a hurricane warning is issued, all MPA facilities will be shut down until the Emergency Operations Center deems them safe to reopen. So while your car may be safe from flood threat, it may not be accessible.
How much does parking cost in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida?
Normally, hourly rates for parking vary in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida, usually depending on the time and day of the week. Parking garage rates in Miami Beach can range from $2 an hour to $20 for 15 hours. In the event of an emergency such as a tropical storm or hurricane in the Miami-Dade County area, parking fees can be waived.
If you do live in a low-lying area that’s prone to flooding, it may be safer to evacuate entirely if there’s a severe weather threat. The Florida Division of Emergency Management maintains a website to help you determine whether you live in an evacuation zone – just click the link and enter your address.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Find a USA TODAY Network newspaper near you.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
The full 2026 NFL schedule was released on Thursday night — including dates and times for all 17 regular season Miami Dolphins games. However, following that release, the NFL also released preseason schedules for all teams — and a familiar face will be returning to Miami to face-off against the team that made him the #5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was released by the Dolphins this offseason, but quickly found a new home in Atlanta with the Falcons. During the final week of preseason action, Tagovailoa will be returning to South Florida when the Falcons play the Dolphins on Friday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
It is not uncommon for NFL teams to practice against each other for a few days leading up to a preseason showdown, so Tagovailoa may find himself on familiar ground for longer than one game if the Dolphins and Falcons choose to mix it up in Miami Gardens ahead of their Week 3 preseason tilt.
Of course, plenty of teams rest starters during the final week of the preseason, so Tagovailoa may not actually end up seeing the playing field when the game kicks off, but seeing the former first-rounder on the sidelines again in Miami — albeit on the visiting sideline this time around — will be a peculiar sight nonetheless.
We will continue to keep you updated on all things Miami Dolphins as the march towards the preseason — and regular season — continues on through the summer.
A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida over a land giveaway for his proposed presidential library.
Almost three acres of prime waterfront land that once belonged to Miami Dade College (MDC) was illegally gifted to the US president by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the lawsuit states.
It cites the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution that prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal gain, profit or advantage from their position.
The action was brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Washington DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) on behalf of plaintiffs including an MDC student, a Miami non-profit, and residents, who state the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami”.
Instead, the filing states, “the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President”.
Plans for the “gaudy” project were unveiled in March, to be built next to Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the historical landmark and community art museum. A giant golden statue of the president will stand before a 50-story tower block that will feature the controversial $400m Boeing “flying palace” jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar, but not yet in service, in its cavernous lobby.
At the time, Trump said the building was “most likely going to be a hotel”.
The land on which it will sit, the lawsuit said, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the CAC said in a statement.
The library has already been the subject of one lawsuit that claimed MDC trustees, most of them handpicked by DeSantis, erred by originally handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting with no public discussion.
The board held a do-over in December, and voted unanimously to proceed with the transfer.
The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office for comment.
To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.
A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.
A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.
FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.
Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.
Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.
Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.
After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.
Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.
Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.
Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.
FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.
It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.
Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.
Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.
In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.
Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.
First half highlights
Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.
He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.
In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.
In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.
The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.
-
Sports22 seconds agoSky vs Mercury betting preview: Why the over 166.5 looks like the play in this WNBA matchup
-
Technology6 minutes agoIs that traffic ticket text a scam or real?
-
Business12 minutes agoAltadena’s latest roadblock to rebuilding: Sewage
-
Entertainment18 minutes agoBreaking down Drake’s Temu haul of an album drop
-
Lifestyle24 minutes agoL.A. Affairs: He wanted to get kinky. But was his Madonna-whore complex a deal-breaker?
-
Politics30 minutes agoReport: Conditions at immigrant detention centers in California have worsened under Trump
-
Sports42 minutes agoPrep talk: Granada Hills coach Tom Harp goes for another boys’ volleyball title
-
World54 minutes agoSpanish row fuels north–south tensions ahead of tough EU budget talks