1825 – 2025: The 200th Anniversary Campaign

Cape Florida Lighthouse, a Landmark, a Symbol of Guidance and Beacon of Change.

Key Biscayne, FL (December 2024)

The Cape Florida Lighthouse is a unique historical landmark perched on the southern tip of Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The oldest standing historic structure in the county celebrates its 200th birthday in 2025.  The Friends of Cape Florida are preparing a bicentennial commemoration of its First Lighting on December 17, 2025he Friends of Cape Florida are preparing a bicentennial commemoration of its First Lighting on December 17, 2025.

The Story: The iconic lighthouse was first constructed in 1825 to aid navigation around the Florida Reef, extending from Key Biscayne to the Florida Keys. Marking two centuries of maritime history, the Cape Florida Light, as it was called, and ‘Cape Florida’, the land surrounding it, feature importantly in the complex and layered histories of South Florida and Key Biscayne. These complex histories include: thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship, the U.S. military reservation at Cape Florida and the era of the Lighthouse in service to maritime traffic, the violence the Seminoles suffered by the hands of U.S. military leading to an attack on the Lighthouse in 1836, and Cape Florida’s role as the launching point for formerly enslaved peoples to flee from encroaching violence via the Saltwater Underground Railroad to the islands. Cape Florida Light is the focal point of many of these stories that traverse centuries of south Florida history. 

Bicentennial 2025: Throughout 2025 and leading up to the 200th anniversary culmination on December 17, 2025, an extensive agenda of events and activities will commemorate and illuminate the rich history of the Cape Florida Lighthouse.  The Lighthouse draws our attention to South Florida’s ecology and history from different perspectives. We invite you to be dazzled and inspired by bicentennial events involving storytelling, music, natural sciences, poetry, conservation, art, archeology and so much more. Events will be held at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and throughout the county in collaboration with local advocates, artists, and institutions, including the local educational, cultural, and creative communities.

The Vision: The Friends of Cape Florida’s long-term goals include a sustainability fund, aligning with synergistic Community and Corporate Partners, and growing a robust membership base motivated and enriched by unique programming and curricula. We invite the entire community to partner, collaborate, and enjoy the bicentennial celebrations. Together, we'll illuminate the past, present, and future of this historic structure and its Cape Florida home, and the vivid histories surrounding it.