Miami's Government Cut

Miami's Government Cut is a shipping channel located between Fisher Island and Miami Beach. The channel is manmade and allows access to the Port of Miami. Prior to the establishment of the cut, there was a single peninsula of land stretching from Miami Beach to the island. Boats had to pass around Cape Florida south of Biscayne Bay in order to reach the port. The cut was created and opened in 1905. It was a project authorized by the federal government to provide a direct route from the Atlantic Ocean to the seaport on Biscayne Bay without the southern detour. It was the cut that actually created Fisher Island, which is officially a part of unincorporated Miami-Dade County. The island is privately owned and fill from the dredging of the cut was used to add to the island. The cut is operated by three government agencies. The United States Coast Guard is responsible for the safety and security of the area, the Port of Miami is responsible for navigation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to keep the area dredged and in good repair. The cut experienced tragedy in 2005 when a seaplane crashed just offshort, closing the channel to all traffic including cruise ships and freighters.