Five years after discovery of the Miami Circle, overseers have decided to rebury the 2,000-year-old archeological landmark, pushing plans for public access still further into the future. "It was decided to cover up the Circle with dirt or other gravel fill to protect it from the elements," said Brenda Swann, archaeology supervisor for the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research. The move, she said, will be made to keep the Brickell Avenue landmark pristine pending a Department of the Interior study to see whether it can be included in the National Parks System as part of Biscayne National Park.
     "The parks service approach is to look for minimal damage," Ms. Swann said. "We felt the best thing to do is to protect it until its status becomes more clear." The delay won't necessarily interfere with the planning group's efforts to get public access to the site, she said.
     A year ago the group proposed a temporary thatched-roof shelter resembling a Seminole chickee over the 38-foot-wide circle and a walkway winding through the site. At that time, Michael Spring, executive director of the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs and a member of the planning group, had said athat shelter would secure the site and satisfy public desire to see it while the planning group contemplated its fate. "That's not off the table completely," Ms. Swann said. "We're taking a four-month period to look at different options for more permanent access, including tours."

Source: Miami Today (3 July 2003)