Miramar closes third park playground after safety concerns expand citywide
A third park playground has been closed this week by the City of Miramar after inspections found unsafe conditions on aging equipment at another city park, according a city Facebook news release posted on Thursday, Dec. 4.
The latest closure at Vizcaya Park, at 14200 SW 55th St., comes days after Miramar shut down two playgrounds at Miramar Regional Park following media reports over Thanksgiving weekend that showed children climbing and sliding on rusted metal playground equipment.
It’s unclear what safety hazards were found at Vizcaya Park as the city apparently is examining all park playgrounds.
After the two playground closings, it was revealed that in October, the city had flagged hazards at the playgrounds, but no repairs were made and the public continued to use the equipment, according to the daily inspection reports obtained by the Miramar News.
Those reports show that in October, a staff member noted that two-level metal slides had “several areas with corroded edges.” He reported notifying the repair company and asking them “to smooth them out.” No significant repairs were made.
In November, the same employee documented corroded edges and wrote that the contractor was notified and “will be coming to make repairs.” No work was apparently completed.
The city said all the closures were made “out of an abundance of caution” while a comprehensive inspection is underway.
On Monday, Dec. 1, following the media reports, the city closed the two playgrounds.
City officials have not responded to questions about the delay, who was responsible or whether temporary safety actions could have been taken sooner.
Meanwhile unrelated maintenance — including shade structure repairs, bee spraying and a fence fix — appear to have moved forward.
The equipment, installed in 2004, will remain locked until the city decides whether to repair or replace it.
Full replacement funding is scheduled for late 2026. Officials have not said whether the plan will be accelerated or when the playgrounds will reopen.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 2:17 PM.
