North Miami Beach, Florida is located in Miami-Dade County, midway between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. The city is adjacent to the Golden Glades Interchange where I-95, Florida's Turnpike, and the Palmetto Expressway meet.  Downtown Miami, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale are all within a 20-minute drive. Both the Miami International Airport and the Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport are within a 15 minute drive.

The estimated population of North Miami Beach, FL in 2007 was 44,825 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. There were 17,026 housing units, with an average of 3.06 persons per household. The city has an ethnically diverse population. Fifty percent of the people living in the City of North Miami Beach from 2005-2007 were foreign born. Among the residents of North Miami Beach City that were at least 5 years old, 64 percent spoke a language other than English at home.

North Miami Beach , Florida , formerly known as Fulford By-The-Sea, was settled by Captain William H. Fulford in 1897, who was attracted to the area by the offer of 160 acres of free land by the federal government. In 1927, the town was incorporated as the City of Fulford. In 1931, the state legislature authorized a new charter for the city. The name of the municipality was changed from Fulford to North Miami Beach to take advantage of that city's growing fame as a vacation destination.

North Miami Beach, FL has an authentic Medieval Spanish monastery, the St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church. This stone building was built in Sacramenia, Spain in the 12th century. It was purchased by William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s, dismantled and shipped to the United States , and reassembled after Hearst's death in North Miami Beach in the 1950s. It took 19 months and almost $1.5 million dollars to put the Monastery back together.  Today, it is a popular attraction and a frequent spot for weddings.

The Miami-Dade County Public Schools System serves the City of North Miami Beach, FL. Residents have a choice of three institutions of higher learning located in North Miami Beach, along with seven others located less than 20 miles away. Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University and the Union Institute and University are all located within the city.

The North Miami Beach Leisure Services Department provides many recreational opportunities for city residents. The department maintains parks, community centers, pools, and a performing arts theater. There is a municipal golf course in North Miami Beach, the Greynolds Park Golf Course, and a public golf course, the Presidential Course at the Presidential Country Club.

North Miami Beach, Florida is part of the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which serves Miami-Dade County. The 11th Judicial Circuit is the largest in the state and the fourth largest trial court in the nation with 123 Circuit and County Court judges. Florida currently operates under a two-tier trial court system of circuit and county courts, established in 1972. In the circuit and county trial courts, disputes are resolved by jury trials or by non-jury trials.  County Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction where misdemeanor and civil cases are heard. In the Circuit Courts, which are the highest state trial courts in Florida,  felony, civil, family, juvenile and probate matters are heard.

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit has four main courthouses which house circuit and county court judges.  The Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, located at 1351 N.W. 12th Street, Miami, Florida 33125, is where circuit and county criminal cases are heard. The Dade County Courthouse, located at 73 West Flagler, Miami, Florida 33130, is where circuit and county civil and probate cases are heard.  The Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, located at 175 N.W. 1st Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128 , is where family and domestic violence cases are heard.  The Juvenile Justice Center, located at 3300 N.W. 27th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33142, is where juvenile delinquency and dependency cases are heard.

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