Miami Relocation Kit
The Oscar Puig Team
Getting Settled In & Setting Up Utilities
Here is a checklist of utility and service companies:
Electricity: Florida Power & Light Co. provides an online system for opening an electric service account.
Water: To apply for water and sewer service, visit the Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department’s online portal.
Trash & Recycling: Visit Miami-Dade County’s trash and recycling website.
Telephone, Internet, and Cable: Xfinity and AT&T offer bundled packages for phone, internet, and cable TV services to suit your needs and interests.
Mail Forwarding: Change your address and set up mail forwarding with the United States Postal Service.
Newspaper Delivery: Miami Herald offers both English and Spanish-language daily newspapers and publications in print and online.
Register to Vote: Fulfill your civic duty and register to vote in Miami-Dade County.
WYNWOOD TOUR GUIDE
Download the iPhone app
The Wynwood Arts District offers a seemingly endless swirl of graffiti and murals across a neighborhood filled with galleries, shops, restaurants, and more. The neighborhood has a hip factor replete with locally-owned coffee shops and restaurants. The Wynwood Tour Guide app is useful not only for navigating Wynwood but also for spotting must-see works of art. This is particularly useful because Wynwood is thought of as a giant outdoor museum, but the art can be hard to identify without the typical explanations you’d see alongside a display in a typical museum.
Cost: Free
RIDE FREEBEE
Download the iPhone app
Download the Android app
This free service in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, Brickell, Pinecrest, Doral, and parts of Miami Beach is an on-demand electric shuttle service within these neighborhoods to minimize short car trips and make getting around easy. Download the app and call a Freebee that will come directly to your destination to get you. While you’re on the lookout for the small electric vehicle with a few rows of seating, browse the app for local deals and specials offered exclusively to Freebee users.
Cost: Free
CITY OF MIAMI TROLLEY
Download the iPhone app
Download the Android app
The City of Miami Trolley links the areas between Coconut Grove and Little Haiti. With plenty to see and do everywhere in between, you can spend a day using the air-conditioned trolley as your primary mode of transit with the help of the app. This free service makes stops roughly every 15 to 20 minutes at each pick-up point. Use the app to confirm that the route you’re trying to hop aboard is being serviced, to track the trolleys in real-time and to plan your route.
Cost: Free
Driving in Florida
TOLL ROADS
SunPass is an electronic prepaid tolling system used on most Florida toll roads; it is also the most affordable way to use all of the toll roads. A small, pocket-sized device called a "SunPass Portable transponder" or a "SunPass Mini Sticker transponder" is attached to the inside of your car windshield, just below the rearview mirror. That device communicates with the toll plaza overhead readers via radiofrequency.
USING THE I-95 EXPRESS LANES
Located to the far left in both the North and Southbound lanes, the I-95 express lanes offer a faster option to beat heavy traffic delays. These lanes are toll lanes and the fees change according to the time of day and increase at higher travel volume times. To use the I-95 express lanes, you must have a SunPass transponder. There are many vehicles that are EXEMPT from the tolls for using the express lanes. If you are using a rental car, you may purchase a PlatePass or Pass24 at your rental car agency location.
Entries/Exits from the express lanes are limited but that’s why they allow you to travel faster.
Once in the express lanes, it’s important to note:
- There isn’t an exit for approximately seven miles, until just north of the 151st Street Exit.
- You can’t stop inside the express lanes.
- Driving around or between the plastic poles is not allowed and incurs extra penalty fees.
PARKING
The Miami Parking Authority operates most of the public parking spaces in several Miami neighborhoods including Downtown, Coconut Grove, Brickell, Little Havana, Wynwood, and the Design District (including public lots, metered street parking, and garages). The easiest way to pay for parking in these areas is to download the Apple or Android Pay by Phone app. And the good news is that you can use the same exact app whenever you’re paying to park in the City of Coral Gables.
The City of Miami Beach manages parking on South Beach and surrounding neighborhoods. Watch carefully for signs that state whether street parking is for residents only or is available to the public. The easiest way to pay for parking on Miami Beach is to download the ParkMobile app. And because parking can sometimes be scarce (especially during peak travel times), we recommend using the Apple or Android ParkMe - Miami Beach app, which will show you instantly where parking spots are available.