Have you walked the new path at the north end of the beach yet? The Town of Surfside rebuilt its dune walk from 96th Street southward. As a result, the first three blocks to reopen are also the blocks that hold this season's farmers market, the resident chair desk, the dog park and two of the town's October events. The rebuilt route and the fall calendar overlap on the same stretch of sand.
The Path Was Built From the North End Down
Work on the Dune Restoration Project started on Monday, May 11, 2026. It covers the beachfront from 87th Street to 96th Street. The Town's notice lists three main jobs: raise the existing dunes, add native dune vegetation, and maintain and improve the existing pedestrian beach walking path. The projected completion date was September 8, 2026.
The crew worked from north to south. According to the Town Manager's report of August 11, 2026, Dickerson Construction had finished the dune walking path "from the north end at 96th Street to 93rd Street." The crew was then laying Surfside mix to build the path south of 93rd, working southbound. The same report put the project at 55 percent complete. The contract is worth $2,549,630.60, and Kimley-Horn designed the dune improvements.
By October, the Town described the path as open. Commissioner David Weingot wrote in the October 2026 Surfside Gazette:
"The dune and beach walking path is underway and open. If you have not walked it yet, I encourage you to enjoy the views and sound of the waves."
"Underway and open" is not a formal close-out, and the Town has not yet published a final completion notice. The practical reading is that the north end has had the longest time to settle. That is the 96th-to-93rd section that was finished by early August.
What Changed on the Walk Itself
Three details from the August report shape how the new path feels underfoot.
- The surface is Surfside mix. The contractor laid this material over the full length of the path, finishing the north end first.
- Post-and-rope fencing runs along the edge. Installation began at 96th Street and moved south behind each finished section.
- Each beach access point gets a diverter dune. The report says these are meant "to help direct pedestrian circulation and enhance dune protection." The crossings onto the sand are being reshaped as part of the dune itself, not left as open gaps.
The path will not have concrete benches. The Town Commission had them removed from the construction contract, a change the report says simplified the scope and let construction move ahead without buying them.
The Town lists wheelchair beach access at the 88th Street and 96th Street entrances. The Community Center is another route onto the beach for residents and approved guests.
The Chair Desk Sits at the South End of the Finished Stretch
The Community Center at 9301 Collins Avenue is at the 93rd Street end of the completed section. It is also where the resident beach-chair service begins. Beach Time Max runs the service daily, in line with lifeguard-tower hours. Residents check in at the Community Center front desk, and each household can take two chairs and one umbrella per day.
The service day shrinks in fall. The Town's service-hours chart lists October hours as 9:00 to 5:00, compared with 10:00 to 6:30 in August. The October day starts an hour earlier and ends ninety minutes sooner.
Changes are budgeted. The Commission's FY2027 budget includes improvements to the Community Center beach chair service: more chairs, longer hours, and cold water service. The fiscal year runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. The Town has not announced when the new chairs, hours or water service will start. For now, the October schedule above is the one in effect.
The North End Brings the Market Back
At 96th Street, the other end of the finished stretch, the weekend farmers market came back the first weekend of October. The Town's listing places it on the Surfside side of the 96th Street Beach entrance. It runs Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a season that lasts until late May 2027. The Town lists produce, specialty foods and artisan goods, and notes that the market is sponsored by the Tourist Board.
Put the market hours next to the chair hours and a full weekend morning fits inside three blocks. Pick up chairs at 9301 Collins when the desk opens at 9:00. Walk north on the new path to 96th Street for the 9:30 market opening. Return the chairs before 5:00.
Between the Two Ends
Several other Town facilities sit inside or right next to the 93rd-to-96th stretch, or just south of it.
- Paws Up Dog Park is at 93rd Street and Byron Avenue and is open from sunrise to 8 p.m.
- The Beach Hard Path Fitness Trail has eight workout stations along the hard path from 89th to 95th Streets.
- 96th Street Park at 9572 Bay Drive is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The October Gazette reports that its athletic field has been resodded.
For a meal after a walk, Harding Avenue added a new spot this summer. Bibi's Burgers, a kosher burger counter at 9505 Harding Avenue, was open by the time The Infatuation published its listing on July 30, 2026. The 9500 block of Harding is a short walk inland from the 96th Street market.
The October Calendar Moves to the Same End of Town
The rest of Surfside's October schedule also lands at the north end. The Town calendar shows:
- October 22, 6 to 8 p.m. The Surf-Bal-Bay Community Night Out takes place at Bay Harbor Terrace between 96th and 97th Streets, with activities, music, food and police displays. It is open to residents of Surfside, Bay Harbor Islands and Bal Harbour.
- October 23, 6 p.m. The Spooky Spooktacular is at 96th Street Park.
- October 31, 6 p.m. The Surfside Police Halloween Block Party is on the calendar, though the listing gives no further details yet.
The beach was also an event space this month. The Town scheduled "Azucar!," a beach concert celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and Celia Cruz, for the evening of October 11. Under the Stars Movie Night was scheduled for October 10.
Two of the three upcoming events are at 96th Street, either at the park or on the Bay Harbor side of the 96th-to-97th block. Both start at 6 p.m., an hour after the October chair desk closes.
South of 93rd, Still Settling
The section from 93rd Street down to 87th was the last to get its surface, fencing and diverter dunes. As of the August 11 report, the crew was still building it. The October Gazette calls the full path open but still underway. Until the Town publishes a close-out, expect the southern blocks to keep changing at the edges as plantings fill in and access points take their final shape. The October issue also reports that surveys and design work have started on upgrades to the street ends on the bay side, a separate effort that has not yet reached construction.
A rebuilt path, a shorter chair schedule and a market back at 96th Street are part of how an oceanfront address works day to day. If you are considering a residence along Surfside's Collins Avenue corridor and want to understand how a particular address relates to the new dune walk and the town's beach access points, Carlo Dipasquale and his team would welcome the conversation. Schedule a private consultation.
