The short answer: South Miami-Dade has 63 licensed assisted living facilities in our directory, and 54 of them are small homes with six beds or fewer. Homestead alone has 43, the most of any city in the county after Miami and Hialeah. Most families here are choosing between small residential homes, so the questions that matter are who is awake at night, how the home handles heat and hurricanes, and how far it is from Baptist Health Homestead Hospital or Jackson South. This guide covers all three, plus local help and getting around.
How many assisted living facilities are in South Miami-Dade?
AssistedLivingFacility.com lists these licensed, active facilities:
| City | Facilities | Licensed beds | 6 beds or fewer | 50 beds or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead | 43 | 668 | 38 | 2 |
| Cutler Bay | 14 | 125 | 13 | 0 |
| Florida City | 2 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Cutler Ridge | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| Princeton | 1 | 120 | 0 | 1 |
| Palmetto Bay | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| South Miami-Dade | 63 | 963 | 54 | 3 |
Only three facilities in the area have 50 beds or more, and two of them are in Homestead. If your parent wants a larger community with a full activities calendar, the choice is narrow, and you may need to look north toward Kendall and Miami as well. If a small, homelike setting suits them, South Dade has plenty. Our comparison of large and small facilities explains the trade-offs.
Browse listings on our Homestead, Cutler Bay and Florida City pages, or the whole of Miami-Dade County.
Who lives in South Miami-Dade?
Homestead had 86,242 residents in July 2025, Cutler Bay 44,750 and Florida City 13,576 (Census Bureau population estimates). Homestead is young: Census survey data for 2020–2024 puts its median age at 32.5 and the share of residents aged 65 or older at 8.5%. Cutler Bay is older, with a median age of 41.8 and 16.9% aged 65 or older, the same share as Miami-Dade as a whole (ACS 2020–2024).
Language matters too. In Homestead, 61.2% of residents speak Spanish at home, and in Cutler Bay 58.3% (ACS 2020–2024). Florida doesn't require assisted living staff to speak a resident's language (rule 59A-36.006), so ask each home how many caregivers on each shift, including nights, speak the language your parent is most comfortable in. The state's FloridaHealthFinder profile lists languages spoken for each facility.
What should we know about small homes?
Florida's rules change with size, and in South Dade that affects almost every choice:
- Night staff. Only facilities with 17 or more residents must have "at least one staff member awake at all hours of the day and night." Every facility must have a staff member who can reach records on site whenever residents are there (rule 59A-36.010).
- Minimum staff hours. A home with up to 5 residents must provide at least 168 staff hours a week, which is one person on duty around the clock. A home with 6 to 15 residents needs 212 hours.
- Shared management. One administrator may oversee up to three facilities, with a manager appointed for each. Three small homes within 15 miles of each other can share two managers, so ask who is actually in charge day to day.
- Building rules. Facilities with 16 or fewer beds follow separate standards that "must be appropriate for a noninstitutional residential environment," and anyone who can't get out unassisted in an emergency must live on the first floor (s. 429.41).
A six-bed home can be warm and attentive, with the same faces every day. If your parent wanders or gets up at night, ask every small home: Who is awake at 3 a.m.? Check each license and inspection record first with our 10-minute license check, and ask how the home prices care as needs grow. Our guide to levels of care explains what to ask.
Which hospitals serve Homestead and Cutler Bay?
- Baptist Health Homestead Hospital, 975 Baptist Way, Homestead, open 24 hours (Baptist Health).
- Jackson South Medical Center, 9333 SW 152nd Street, which describes itself as "one of the leading hospitals serving residents in south Miami-Dade County" (Jackson Health).
- UHealth Jackson Urgent Care in Cutler Bay, 18910 South Dixie Highway, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, for problems that aren't emergencies (Jackson Health).
- Further north: Baptist Health South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital.
For veterans, the Homestead VA Clinic at 950 N. Krome Avenue offers "primary care and specialty health services, including mental health care" on weekdays (VA). Hospital care is at the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in Miami (VA). If your parent is a veteran, ask whether the facility helps residents get to VA appointments, and read our VA Aid and Attendance guide.
What about hurricanes?
South Dade remembers Hurricane Andrew. In 1992, about 49,000 homes were destroyed in southern Dade County, and in Homestead "more than 99% (1167 of 1176) of all mobile homes were completely destroyed" (National Weather Service Miami).
Miami-Dade divides the county into five storm surge planning zones, A through E. "Zone A is at greatest risk for storm surge for Category 1 and higher storms," and areas "along canals, rivers and further inland" can be at risk too (Miami-Dade County). County maps show parts of Cutler Bay, which sits close to Biscayne Bay, in Zones A through D, and Homestead and Florida City in Zones B through D. Check each facility's exact address on the county's Know Your Zone map.
Assisted living residents can't use the county's evacuation assistance program. Miami-Dade says residents of "assisted living facilities or group homes are not eligible for this program as these facilities are required by law to develop an emergency plan" (Miami-Dade County). So ask each facility where residents go in an evacuation and how they get there.
Every facility, including small homes, must be able to keep temperatures "at or below 81 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of ninety-six (96) hours" during a power cut. Facilities with 16 or fewer beds must store 48 hours of fuel on site, and larger ones 72 hours (rule 59A-36.025). Ask to see the generator. Our hurricane questions guide has the full list.
Why does heat matter here?
Miami-Dade says "heat is the number one weather-related killer," with an estimated 600 excess deaths a year during extreme heat in the county. Days above 90°F have risen from 84 a year to 133 since 1970, and the county runs a heat season protocol from May 1 to October 31 (Miami-Dade County). The county lists older adults among those most at risk and warns that "medications and health conditions can make you more sensitive to heat" (heat safety tips).
On a summer tour, notice whether the home is comfortably cool, ask how residents get water through the day, and ask what happens on outings.
Who can help locally?
- Alliance for Aging, the Area Agency on Aging for Miami-Dade and Monroe: Elder Helpline 305-670-4357, or 1-800-963-5337, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Alliance for Aging). It screens for Florida Medicaid's long-term care program. Miami-Dade is in Medicaid Region I (s. 409.966), so ask whether a facility works with a Region I plan if your parent may need Medicaid. Our Medicaid guide explains the program.
- Florida City/Homestead Community Resource Center, 1600 NW 6th Court, Florida City, 305-247-2068 (Miami-Dade County).
- Meals: homebound seniors 60 and older can get free meals at home through Meals on Wheels (eligibility line 786-469-4707). South Dade meal sites include Deedco Gardens in Homestead and the Naranja center (Miami-Dade County).
Getting around and visiting
- Metro Express, the county's all-electric bus rapid transit, launched in October 2025 along the South Dade TransitWay. It has 14 air-conditioned stations from the SW 344th Street Park-and-Ride in Florida City to Dadeland South Metrorail, and "fares remain the same" as regular buses (Miami-Dade County).
- Special Transportation Service (STS) offers paratransit for residents whose disability prevents them from using public transit on their own, at $3.50 a trip, 24 hours a day. A Florida-licensed physician must sign the application (Miami-Dade County).
- The Homestead Trolley is free, with three routes, weekdays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (City of Homestead).
How do we shortlist?
- Decide on size first. Almost everything in Homestead and Cutler Bay is a small home. If you want a larger community, add Kendall and Miami to the search.
- Check the license and inspection record of every home on your list.
- Ask about nights, heat and hurricanes: who is awake, how the home stays cool, and where residents evacuate to.
- Get the full price in writing, including care fees, and ask whether the home accepts Medicaid.
- Tour at mealtime with our tour checklist.
Comparing the rest of the county? See our Miami family guide and our guide to narrowing down Miami's 576 facilities.
