By Jonathan Anthony Burkett
Ask people from Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, Trinidad or the Dominican Republic about Miami, and many will tell you the same thing: it feels familiar. The warm air, the accents on the street, the smell of food from back home. Miami sits on the mainland of the United States, but in many ways it is also a Caribbean city.
Geography Makes It Close
South Florida is remarkably close to the islands. The nearest Bahamian islands lie only about 50 miles off the Florida coast, and Cuba is just south of the Florida Keys. Major Caribbean capitals are a short flight away.
That closeness has shaped Miami for well over a century. People, goods, music and ideas have moved back and forth across these waters for generations, and the city has grown up with one foot on the mainland and one in the Caribbean.
The climate helps, too. Warm weather most of the year, tropical plants, ocean breezes and summer storms all echo island life. Mango and avocado trees grow in backyards, and hurricane season is a shared reality on both sides of the water.
Island Communities That Built the City
Caribbean people are part of Miami's foundation, not just its recent history. Bahamian immigrants were among the early settlers who helped build Coconut Grove in the 19th century, and their influence remains in the West Grove today.
Cuban exiles arriving after the 1959 revolution transformed the city, especially in Little Havana. Haitian immigrants built Little Haiti into a center of Haitian culture. Over the decades, Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and many others have made homes across Miami-Dade and neighboring Broward County.
The result is a region where someone from almost any island can usually find a corner that feels like home.
Caribbean neighborhoods also stretch well beyond the city limits. Areas of north Miami-Dade and nearby Broward County are known for their large Jamaican and wider West Indian communities, with churches, bakeries, barbershops and record shops that serve people from across the islands.
Food That Tastes Like Home
For many islanders, food is the fastest way back home. In Miami you can find:
- Cuban coffee, pastelitos and Cuban sandwiches from walk-up windows.
- Jamaican jerk chicken, oxtail, curry goat and beef patties.
- Haitian griot, pikliz and diri ak djon djon.
- Trinidadian doubles and roti.
- Dominican mangú and Puerto Rican mofongo.
- Bahamian conch fritters and other seafood dishes.
Many of these come from small, family-run spots, the kind of places where the menu is written for people who already know what they want.
Grocery stores and markets in many neighborhoods also stock island staples such as scotch bonnet peppers, ackee, plantains, breadfruit and Caribbean spices, so people can cook the dishes they grew up with at home.
Music, Language and Celebration
Walk through Miami and you may hear salsa, reggae, dancehall, kompa, soca and reggaeton, sometimes on the same block. Caribbean music has shaped the city's sound, and Miami has, in turn, shaped Caribbean music through its studios, radio and clubs.
Language tells the story too. Spanish is everywhere, Haitian Creole is common in parts of the city and Jamaican patois and other island dialects are easy to hear. Caribbean festivals, carnival celebrations and heritage events bring communities together throughout the year; check local listings for current dates.
Jonathan Anthony Burkett's signature song, "One Life," features reggae artist Ambelique, a pairing that reflects the Caribbean influence running through his music.
A Bridge Between Worlds
For many families, Miami is a bridge. Children are born in Miami and raised partly on an island, or raised in Miami by grandparents who carry island traditions. People travel back and forth for holidays, weddings and funerals, and they send money, goods and love in both directions.
Jonathan Anthony Burkett's own story reflects that bridge. He was born in Miami in 1987 and raised in Jamaica by his grandparents, and both places are part of who he is.
Jonathan's memories of both places are vivid. In Jamaica he loved “the food, and the long nights of music, dancing, and freedom,” climbing hills and gathering at the crossroads with the whole neighborhood to shower in the rain during hurricane season. When he landed in Miami at six, he was amazed that every man at the airport wore shoes, and by how clean and organized everything was. Then he stepped outside, saw no trees, and wondered where the food came from. He calls his early years in Jamaica some of the best times of his life, and South Florida is where he grew up, went to school and began to write.
What Islanders Bring to Miami
Caribbean communities have shaped Miami's businesses, churches, politics, art and sports. They bring strong family ties, faith, entrepreneurial energy and a sense of resilience built through migration and starting over.
That resilience is part of why the city feels so alive. People who have crossed water to build a new life tend to bring their full selves: their food, their music, their humor and their hope.
Home Is Where You Find Your People
Miami feels like home to islanders because, in many ways, islanders helped make it what it is. Whether you grew up on an island or simply love Caribbean culture, the city offers a place to connect with that heritage. Spend time in its neighborhoods, eat at its family-run restaurants and listen closely, and you will hear the islands everywhere.
To hear how Jonathan Anthony Burkett blends hip hop, soul and island influences, visit his music page or listen on Spotify.
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