Episode 1 · Neighborhood Overview & Local Vibe
Pinecrest, Florida: Parks, Commute and Flood
Pinecrest is a village of detached houses on large, planted lots under mature trees, with no compact downtown and its shops strung along one long road on its edge. This page covers daily life there: a botanical garden at its heart, parks across the village, a car for most errands, a train that stops just outside, and flood zones set one lot at a time.
💡 Key Insights & Takeaways
- As of 23 September 2026, Pinecrest Gardens has a Walk Score of 35 and a Bike Score of 58, while the village-wide Walk Score is 29.
- Metrorail does not enter Pinecrest, and its Green and Orange lines stop at Dadeland South station, just outside the village.
- Pinecrest Gardens, a botanical garden listed on the National Register of Historic Places, hosts the Pinecrest Farmers Market every Sunday.
- The village map holds four FEMA flood zones, X, X-500, AE and AH, so no single zone or base flood elevation covers Pinecrest.
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools assigns by address, with magnet and other choice programs on top, so type the exact address into the School Board Buffer Viewer.
Swap walking for a bicycle at Pinecrest Gardens and your score climbs from a Walk Score of 35 to a Bike Score of 58, as of 23 September 2026. Across the whole village the Walk Score is 29, so most errands mean the car. In return you get a botanical garden, a lighted path along Red Road and tree-lined streets.
At a glance
Walk Score, Transit Score and Bike Score measure how easily you can reach daily errands from one spot on foot, by transit or by bike, and a higher score means easier. Every row below is as of 23 September 2026.
| Measure | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Walk Score at Pinecrest Gardens, the reference address | 35 (village-wide 29) | 2026-09-23 |
| Transit Score, same address | 25 (village-wide 33) | 2026-09-23 |
| Bike Score, same address | 58 (village-wide 45) | 2026-09-23 |
| Days a year above 90°F, Miami International Airport normals | 91.4 days | 1991–2020 normals |
| FEMA flood zones mapped inside the village | X, X-500, AE and AH | 2026-09-23 |
The three scores describe one address and the village as a whole, not every street. The heat row comes from an airport station about 9 miles northwest, because no official station sits in Pinecrest.
What is Pinecrest actually like?
Pinecrest is its own village in Miami-Dade County, run by the Pinecrest Village Council. Most of it is detached houses on large, planted lots along streets shaded by mature trees. It has no compact downtown. Shops, offices and village services line one long road on its edge, Pinecrest Parkway, which is also South Dixie Highway and US 1.
Pinecrest Gardens is the place the village gathers. It is a botanical garden on the old Parrot Jungle site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a meadow, a splash area and animal exhibits. The Banyan Bowl there hosts outdoor shows, and every Sunday the Pinecrest Farmers Market sets up on the grounds. Seasonal programs such as Nights of Lights and the Art and Design Fair run there too, so check the current calendar before you plan around one.
The parks spread across the village. Red Road Linear Park is a lighted walking and biking path along Red Road, from Snapper Creek to Killian Drive. Coral Pine Park has tennis and pickleball courts, a playground and a small preserve of native pineland. Evelyn Greer Park, Suniland Park and Flagler Grove Park carry the baseball, soccer, football and lacrosse fields. Veterans Wayside Park, on the Parkway, has a pond and picnic space, with a new playground under way. Pinecrest Community Center, on Killian Drive, runs the fitness classes and meeting rooms and has a playground of its own.
For errands you drive to the Parkway. Pinecrest Place puts a Target and a Whole Foods Market in one shopping center, and Pinecrest Village Plaza sits farther south on the same road. Trader Joe's is on that corridor as well. For dinner you can pick Captain's Tavern, Anacapri or Platea, or get a sandwich at Roasters 'N Toasters.
The village also runs its own government. It adopts its own budget, and it is updating its comprehensive plan, the long-range map of what can be built where. The rules for the business corridor along the Parkway are part of that public debate, so the Parkway you see today may change.
What is the weather like in Pinecrest?
It is hot and wet for much of the year. The nearest official record is the NOAA station at Miami International Airport, and its 1991–2020 normals show an annual mean of 77.4°F and 67.41 inches of rain a year. Most of that rain falls from late spring through early fall. No station sits inside Pinecrest, so treat these as regional figures.
The weather shows up on the house first. Heat and rain wear on the roof, the drainage and the cooling system, so ask for the roof's permit history, look at the yard and the street after a heavy rain, and check how hard the air conditioning has to work. A wind mitigation inspection records the roof and window features an insurer can give credit for, and it is worth having before you set a budget.
Flood is set one lot at a time. The village map holds four FEMA flood zones, so no single zone and no single base flood elevation covers Pinecrest. Base flood elevation is the height floodwater is expected to reach in the flood the maps plan for, and it decides how high a house should sit. Look up the exact address, ask for the elevation certificate, and check the evacuation zone for that address too.
The checks below apply to one house at a time, as of 23 September 2026.
| What to check | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Flood zone and base flood elevation | The Miami-Dade Flood Zone Web Application, the FEMA Map Service Center and the house's elevation certificate |
| Evacuation zone | Miami-Dade's Know Your Zone lookup |
| Roof, windows and wind features | The permit history and a current wind mitigation inspection |
| Insurance | A quote on the exact house, from Citizens and from private insurers |
| Association costs | For a townhouse, a condominium or a named pocket with its own association: the budget, the reserves, the minutes and any pending assessment |
| Special district charges | The parcel's tax bill, because no village-wide district was found and a single lot can still differ |
| Condominium buildings | The building's milestone inspection, its reserve study and the county's recertification records |
How long does it take to get anywhere from Pinecrest?
Exact travel time depends on the address and the hour you leave, so this section gives the mode and the route. Run each trip in a live trip planner, such as the Miami-Dade GO app, at your own departure time before you choose a street.
The train does not enter Pinecrest. Metrorail's Green and Orange lines stop at Dadeland South station, just outside the village, and that is where most transit trips change. You reach it by bus, by the express buses on the South Dade TransitWay along US 1, or by car.
The routes below are as of 23 September 2026. Check the current timetable for the hours you ride, because service intervals change more often than routes do.
| Route | Where it runs | Where it takes you |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Express Route 601 | The South Dade TransitWay along the US 1 edge, with limited stops at peak hours | Dadeland South, for Metrorail |
| Metrobus Route 602 | The same TransitWay, with local stops, around the clock | Dadeland South and the communities to the south |
| Metrobus Route 73 | Red Road through the village | Dadeland South one way and Palmetto Bay the other |
| Metrobus Route 104 and 104A | SW 88th Street and SW 104th Street | The Dadeland North area |
| Metrobus Route 136 | Douglas Road, Old Cutler Road and SW 136th Street | The Douglas Road corridor and southern Miami-Dade |
| Pinecrest People Mover | A village shuttle with stops at parks, civic buildings, schools and shops | Local trips and transfers |
The next table gives the way to reach each main job center, as of 23 September 2026. Door-to-door time depends on the address and the hour you leave, so check a live trip planner for each one.
| Destination | By transit | By car |
|---|---|---|
| Dadeland | Route 73, Route 601 or Route 602 to Dadeland South, with no train needed | A direct drive |
| University of Miami | A bus to Dadeland South, then Metrorail to University station | A direct drive |
| Coral Gables business district | Route 73 or Route 136, or Metrorail plus a local connection | A direct drive |
| Brickell | A bus to Dadeland South, then Metrorail to Brickell station | A direct drive |
| Downtown Miami | A bus to Dadeland South, then Metrorail to Government Center | A direct drive |
| Miami International Airport | A bus to Dadeland South, then the weekday Orange Line | A direct drive |
Driving is the default here. Pinecrest Parkway is the main road out, and the Palmetto Expressway starts just north of the village. On a bicycle, the reference address scores better than it does on foot or on transit. Red Road Linear Park and the South Dade Trail beside the TransitWay give you two long paths, and the village is planning shared-use paths on SW 62nd Avenue and SW 120th Street.
Which schools serve Pinecrest, and how are they assigned?
Miami-Dade County Public Schools assigns by address, with magnet and other choice programs on top. A boundary can split a street or a block, so the house next door can be assigned to a different school. Type the exact address into the Miami-Dade School Board Buffer Viewer before you tour, and use the Find Your School page as the starting point for choice programs.
Five public schools sit inside the village. Pinecrest Elementary School, Palmetto Elementary School and Howard Drive Elementary School teach the younger grades. Palmetto Middle School and Miami Palmetto Senior High School cover the older ones. We name them as places on the map, and none of them is the school any one address will get.
Where can I check schools and crime information for Pinecrest?
Big Data Realty does not rate schools or neighborhoods. Ratings and reviews are on GreatSchools. Miami-Dade County Public Schools' school locator confirms which school an address is assigned to, and the state publishes official school reports as Florida school accountability reports. Check them for the most recent information, because boundaries and reports change every school year.
For crime information, check the most recent reports directly with the Pinecrest Police Department's police page with the crime map.
Who does Pinecrest suit?
The trade here is space, shade and a garden against a car for almost every errand and a train that starts outside the village. How you rank those decides it.
- If a yard and trees matter more to you than walking to dinner, most of the village is built for that trade.
- If you want to walk to shops, look at the streets closest to Pinecrest Parkway, and time the walk from the house you like.
- If you ride transit to Brickell or downtown Miami, count the bus leg to Dadeland South into every morning.
- If you bike, start your search near Red Road Linear Park or the South Dade Trail.
- If a dry lot matters most, let the flood zone lookup choose the street before the listing does.
- If you want one car rather than two, test the People Mover and the bus routes from the exact address first.
- If you want to walk to shops, look at the streets closest to Pinecrest Parkway, and time the walk from the house you like.
- If you ride transit to Brickell or downtown Miami, count the bus leg to Dadeland South into every morning.
- If you bike, start your search near Red Road Linear Park or the South Dade Trail.
- If a dry lot matters most, let the flood zone lookup choose the street before the listing does.
- If you want one car rather than two, test the People Mover and the bus routes from the exact address first.
Common questions
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