My experience in Miami by the beach is it's filled with Europeans and American Jews. Thought it was a lot of fun talking with the Europeans in my hotel. Three couples stood out from Italy, Belgium and Switzerland. They were warm and friendly.
I learned to stay away from the tourist trap places. Rip offs all over the place. Went into an expensive boutique that looked fantastic inside. The prices were outrageous. One tee shirt caught my eye because I own it. It's a red tee shirt with a satin feel to it. They were selling the tee shirt for close to $100. I bought the same exact tee shirt in Walmart for $8 bucks. We were sitting in a bar filled with Europeans. When I looked at the bill they charged us for a bottle of champagne we didn't have. When they realized in my NY/NJ accent I wasn't a foreign tourist they took it off the bill. Another scam in Miami around the south beach area is adding the tip to the bill in restaurants. It wasn't a big party seating tip. It was just the two of us. I paid the bill and added 20% for the tip. Thought the bill was high. Second time there I caught on to what they were doing and told the waiter. He said the Europeans don't tip but the scam is they don't tell Americans who tip double not knowing the tip is included in the bill. If you don't read the fine print on the bill you will miss the added 18% gratuity. Another restaurant showed a picture of lobster in their seafood paella. Turns out they were crayfish. The town is build on rips offs to tourist. The trick is to find a local food place where the residents go to stock your hotel. Even liquor stores are off the shelf high in tourist areas.
Yes Miami is full of Cubans like the NJ city I grew up in. I am of Cuban heritage. Many don't speak English. Talked with a few cops there and they had heavy Cuban accents. NY and NJ old Jews flock there. A few hotels seem to be filled with them. Not a dig of any kind. If a hotel was filled with Americans of Irish heritage I would say the same. They got homeless on the board walk but it's not over whelming. Thought it was great a few of them sell coconuts that they pack on ice in coolers. I would buy them every day to cool off from the heat. They would take out manchettes to chop them open.
Also know the ocean there can be unpredictable. Sometimes it's unswimable due to massive amounts of disgusting seaweed. They have free buses to take you north and south that's a really a nice perk.
