Miami, FL

**Miami** is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of southern Florida. As the seat of Miami-Dade County, it is the second-most populous city in the southeastern United States. It is a major urban center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts and international trade.

## Overview

Miami has the third tallest skyline in the US with over 300 high-rises. Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies. The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers and biotechnology industries.

It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines and is referred to as "The Cruise Capital of the World".

Miami has the largest Latin American population outside of Latin America. English however remains the predominant language. Spanish is a language often used for day-to-day discourse in many places, although English is the language of preference, especially when dealing with business and government. Some locals do not speak English, but this is usually centered among shops and restaurants in residential communities and rarely the case in large tourist areas or the downtown district.

About 27.3% of the population were below the poverty line at the census, including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 32.8% of those aged 65 or over.

### Crime

Miami is frequently heralded as a center of crime and drug smuggling and it has been since the late 1970's. Overtown (next to Liberty City) has the highest violent crime rate in the city.

Drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking are the most lucrative criminal activities in the city. While a number of gangs, supervillains and criminal organizations operate within and around the city the main villainous organization holding Miami in its grasp are **The Iron Spear** (see Paragons, below).

## Culture

### Entertainment & Performing Arts

In addition to such annual festivals like Calle Ocho Festival and Carnaval Miami, Miami is home to many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks and performing arts centers. The newest addition to the Miami arts scene is the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States after the Lincoln Center in New York City, and is the home of the Florida Grand Opera.

The city attracts a large number of musicians, singers, actors, dancers, and orchestral players. Miami has numerous orchestras, symphonies and performing art conservatories. Some of these include the Florida Grand Opera, FIU School of Music, Frost School of Music, Miami City Ballet, Miami Conservatory, Miami Wind Symphony, New World School of the Arts, New World Symphony Orchestra, as well as the music, theater and art schools of the city's many universities and schools.

Miami is also a major fashion center, home to models and some of the top modeling agencies in the world. Miami is also host to many fashion shows and events, including the annual Miami Fashion Week and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami held in the Wynwood Art District.

### Museums & Art

The city is home to numerous museums as well, many of which are in Downtown. These include the Frost Art Museum, HistoryMiami, Miami Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Science Museum, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and the Miami-Dade Cultural Center, home of the Miami Main Library.

Miami is also the home of the world's largest art exhibition, dubbed the "Olympics of Art", Art Basel Miami. The event is held annually in December, and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.

### Music

Miami music is varied. Cubans brought the conga and rumba, while Haitians and the rest of the French West Indies have brought kompa and zouk to Miami from their homelands instantly popularizing them in American culture. Dominicans brought bachata, and merengue, while Colombians brought vallenato and cumbia, and Brazilians brought samba. West Indians and Caribbean people have brought, reggae, soca, calypso, and steel pan to the area as well.

Miami is also home to a vibrant techno and dance scene and hosts the Winter Music Conference, the largest dance event in the world, Ultra Music Festival and many electronica music-themed celebrations and festivals. There are also several rap and hip hop artists out of Miami. They include Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Trina, Pitbull, Pretty Ricky, and the Miami Bass group 2 Live Crew.

### Cuisine

The cuisine of Miami is a reflection of its diverse population, with a heavy influence especially from Caribbean cuisine and from Latin American cuisine. By combining the two with American cuisine, it has spawned a unique South Florida style of cooking known as "Floribbean Cuisine". Floribbean cuisine is widely available throughout Miami and South Florida, and can be found in restaurant chains such as Pollo Tropical.

Cuban immigrants in the 1960s brought the Cuban sandwich, medianoche, Cuban espresso, and croquetas, all of which have grown in popularity to all Miamians, and have become symbols of the city's varied cuisine. Today, these are part of the local culture, and can be found throughout the city in window cafés, particularly outside of supermarkets and restaurants.

Restaurants such as Versailles restaurant in Little Havana are landmark eateries of Miami. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, and with a long history as a seaport, Miami is also known for its seafood, with many seafood restaurants located along the Miami River, and in and around Biscayne Bay.[115] Miami is also the home of restaurant chains such as Burger King, Tony Roma's and Benihana.

### Sports

* **Football:** Miami Dolphins
* **Baseball:** Miami Marlins
* **Basketball:** Miami Heat
* **Hockey:** Florida Panthers
* **Soccer:** Miami MLS Team

## Climate

Because of its low latitude Miami has a subtropical savannah climate. There are two seasons in Miami, a warm and dry season from November through mid April....and a hot and wet season from May through October. The wet or summer months of June-September will see most daytime highs in the upper 80s Fahrenheit with lows in the low to mid 70's with high humidity. The coldest winter months from December through March have highs in the upper 70's and lows near 60°F, with sunny and dry weather with often very low humidity. At times winter can be quite dry with water restrictions and cold snaps. Miami has the warmest ocean surf after Honolulu in the United States annually - reaching 85°F in summer and 73°F in winter.

## Districts

### Downtown

The cultural, financial, and commercial center of South Florida, Downtown is home to many major museums, parks, education centers, banks, company headquarters, courthouses, government offices, theaters, shops and many of the oldest buildings in the city. Downtown is renowned for its unique skyline, with many of the buildings decked out in brilliant greens, pinks and orange neons that sometimes make the city look more like Las Vegas in Florida.

* **Central Business District:** Downtown is the heart of Miami. By day there's plenty of activity as lawyers and bankers in suits share the sidewalks with Latino merchants wearing open-neck, intricately embroidered shirts called guayaberas. But it gets pretty quiet when all the merchants close up Miami shops for the night.
* **Omni: I**mmediately north of the Central Business District. It is sometimes known as the **Media and Entertainment District** for its rich cultural life. Omni is primarily known as a residential neighborhood with some of Miami's best shopping and entertainment.
* **Brickell: I**ncludes the Financial District. Home to the majority of the major corporations and large businesses in Miami. Along Brickell Avenue, you will find headquarters for major banks, real estate companies and law firms.

### North Miami

This vibrant section of the city includes the hip, artsy Design District, fast-growing Midtown, the immigrant community of Little Haiti, and the historic "MiMo" district of modern architecture in the Upper Eastside.

* **Midtown:** The collective term for the Wynwood and Edgewater neighborhoods.
* **Overtown:** A historically African-American neighborhood located just north of downtown Miami and is considered part of Miami's Central District. It is also Miami’s poorest neighborhood. Despite the Renaissance attempt to revive the community, there are still reports of homicide and sexual crimes in Overtown. Crime occurs like in any other place, but there is a lot of drug activity that goes on around here during the day and at night, and as the Miami Vice saying goes: "Where there's drugs, there's violence."
* **Liberty City:** Liberty City fares little better than the neighborhood it was founded to help (Overtown). An extremely poor neighborhood, Liberty City has a high index of violent crime and gang activity; it has been and still is the battlegrounds of drug wars between various rival gangs and supervillains.
* **Design District:** A small neighborhood in Miami about two miles north of Downtown, with several blocks of filled with furniture showrooms, art galleries, fashion boutiques and hip eateries. Many creative services, such as architects and graphic designers, have also set up shop within the district.
* **Little Haiti:** It is named for its large population of Haitian immigrants and its status as a center of Francophone culture in the city. Thanks to the efforts of several prominent citizens, Little Haiti is gradually experiencing an urban rejuvenation, including the development of the trendy Miami Design District in the southern tip of the district, but crime and poverty still remain very real problems. The Iron Spear, in particular, has worked against the renewal process, as Little Haiti is one of their preeminent markets in the drug trade. Recently, the neighborhood has been the site of several violent vigilante attacks on drug dealers; at least three have been beaten to death and dumped at the feet of the statue of General Toussaint L’Ouverture on the corner of 62nd Street and Miami Avenue.
* **Upper Eastside:** Known for its "Miami Modern" style buildings. The neighborhood is home to many upper-class residents.

### West and South Miami

These neighborhoods have some of Miami's biggest attractions, from the Cuban culture of Little Havana to the lush vegetation and history of Coconut Grove.

* **Little Havana:** Located just west of Downtown Miami. Also known as the Latin Quarter. This neighborhood is best known for its annual Calle Ocho Street Festival, a part of *Carnival*. The massive celebration takes place on 8th Street between 27th Avenue and 4th Avenue and attracts more than one million visitors each year.
* **West Miami:** Includes the districts of Flagami, West Flagler, and Allapattah in Miami. The area is known for its large population of immigrants, particularly from Latin America and the Caribbean.
* **Coral Gables:** Called the “City Beautiful”, Coral Gables is an independent city often lumped in with Miami due to the presence of Miami University. Coral Gables is very much a college town.

* **Coconut Grove:** A mostly residential area. In recent months, a peculiar story has begun circulating among the children of Coconut Grove; specifically among students at St. Stephen’s School, a private school for children up to sixth grade. The story goes that if a child is left unattended on school grounds and admonished to behave (specifically, to not engage in a specific behavior or activity) while the adults are away, a terrible fiend called the Great Tall Tailor-Man will appear, stalk the child and eventually mutilate the offending child. Often, the punishment is said to relate to the mandate the child broke: a child who peeps in a filing cabinet after being told not to has their eyes sewn shut, while a child who sucks her thumb against a teacher’s wishes has the digit removed and so on. Sometimes, they say, the Tailor carries the naughty child away to some unknown and grim fate.
* **Kendall:** Primarily residential.
* **Tropical Grove:** Home to a growing food truck scene, from Cubano Burgers, to Asian-inspired wings and others.

### Miami Beach

Located on a barrier island east of Miami and Biscayne Bay, it is home to a large number of beach resorts and is one of the most popular spring break party destinations in the world.

## Landmarks

* Bayfront Park
* Coral Castle
* Dolphin Mall
* Freedom Tower
* Jungle Island
* Lincoln Road
* Matheson Hammock Park
* Miami Beach Botanical Garden
* Miami Children's Museum
* Miami Seaquarium
* Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
* Venetian Pool
* Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

## Points of Interest

* **Alligator Storage:** A warehouse and storage lockers, where members of the **Santo Shango gang** meet. All kinds of smuggling material are handled. Almost labyrinthine.
* **Behind the Cover:** A cool, "underground" book store.
* **The Bite Club:** Alleged nightclub owned by vampires.
* **Cross Technological Enterprises Facility:** Main headquarters of Cross Technological Enterprises, a competitor to **Graydon Technologies Unlimited**.
* **Cutie's Beauty Parlor:** Located right on Lincoln Street, this spa pampers well-to-do woman with massages and whatever else they want. Allegedly a front for a Runway's criminal operation.
* **Tantra Restaurant and Lounge:** Owned by a paragon with some kind of power related to cooking. A club for the rich and beautiful.
* **Sammy's Gym:** A small gym specializing in boxing. It's located in Opa-Locka. Most of the people who train here are from the area. Very rundown. They run an underground Paragon Fight Club.
* **Shanahan's:** An infamous run-down dive on Miami's waterfront.
* **Sunny Places:** A large hippie commune technically located outside of city borders, owned by a paragon with the power to flood people with "good vibes". A peaceful community and discuss love, peace and freedom. A lot of green areas here and a couple marijuana fields.
* **Valhalla Villas:** A superhuman retirement community located in Miami.
* **Vanguard Securities:** The company is owned and run by a paragon. The company specializes in security and personal protection. The entire staff aren't paragons, but a good 10% of their employees are.
* **Waystation:** A boat rental, but you also get other things. It sees some use renting out watercraft to vigilantes (and sometimes villains), but they're not a big player.
* **The Whispers:** A stylish bar allegedly owned by a information broker. In front of the door is always a discreet gentleman.

## Paragons

Paragons in Miami are surprisingly common, due to the high volume of immigrants and paragons from South and Central America who fled to America to escape their home countries. This population has been bolstered even more due to the presence of Valhalla Villas, the only superhuman retirement community in the United States.

### Superheroes

* **The Condor:** A hero with flight, superhuman senses and an enhanced physicality, though not on the level of **Astraea** or something. Well-known in the area, though he hasn't achieved much of a presence outside of that. A relative rookie in the Miami area.
* **The Dolphin:** The premier hero of Miami, the Dolphin can swim at supersonic speeds who gains immense strength and durability when submerged in the water. He can also emit a supersonic frequency from his mouth.
* **Gateway:** The "Hero of Little Haiti", he can create portals and fights using a staff.
* **The Steamstress:** A spunky, 15 year-old girlwith the power of invention. Most of her inventions are steampunky.
* **The Panther:** A fiercevigilante who dressed in all black, with claws sewn in to his gloves. A skilled boxer who occasionally uses a billy club. Has the power of Clairvoyance; he can see the outcome of actions, processing dozens of scenarios in seconds to find the optimum choices. Known for being more rough than necessary.
* **Tugboat:** Not a "superhero", per se, he still does what he can to help heroes and civilians alike whenever he can. Owns a boat that he can talk to. Heavyset, bearded guy and Maimi native.

### Supervillains

* **Black** **Gator:** A well-known, brutal killer. He's not a literal alligator, but he can breathe underwater, fights with metal-claw gauntlets and has a hyper-dense musculature. Appears to age slowly. One of the most feared criminals in Miami. Head of the Santo Shango gang.
* **Celsius:** A thief with the ability to drastically raise or lower the temperature. Recently started working as an enforcer with the Iron Spear, as it pays really good.
* **Gorgon:** A femme-fatale spy and thief with the power to turn stuff into stone.
* **Knife-Man:** He might not have the best name, but this psychotic asshole makes the best of it. He fights using a variety of knives and he's an expert at throwing them as well. He's more or less just a killer, though he's attracted a small cult of personality.
* **One-Eye:** Relatively young, he's only been around maybe a year. Has one, cyclops-style eye that he was born with. Able to see the entire visible spectrum, as well as through walls, into the future (!) and fire laser blasts from them. He's young and stupid, working with the Iron Spear.
* **Rotlord:** Lives in the Everglades and moves through the sewer when he's "in the city". Rats follow him. Has "garbage powers", whatever that means.
* **Runway:** An extremely beautiful new crime lord, she has the power of Suggestion.
* **Skull-Lord:** A world-class hitman whose main base of operations is in Miami. Dresses in body armor with a skull painted on the face-plate of his helmet. Has an armor of super high-tech weapons. Not a paragon.
* **Tallyman:** An information broker and owner of The Whispers. A known charmer and low-level technopath.
* **Tarantula:** A "silent" villain who has the power to stick to walls, has enhanced speed and superhuman leaping and fights using artificial webbing.
* **Toxin:** An infamous, if low-tier, villain whose man shtick is "poisoning the water supply".

### Teams

#### The Vicebusters

Led by the Dolphin, the Vicebusters are a Miami superteam consisting of the Condor, Gateway, Tugboat and the Steamstress, their newest member. They're pretty high profile, for a local superteam.

#### The Iron Spear

A criminal organization that has a chokehold on the majority of Miami. They are known to be ruthless and efficient, operating with near-military precision at times. They have deep roots and friends in high places. They use very high-grade weapons and tech on their side. Nobody knows who their leader is but they are weathering the best efforts of the Vicebusters.