Reno family
Family representatives managing Janet Reno Homestead legacy
Miami Connection
The Reno family donated their historic Kendall homestead and 4 acres to Miami Dade College, creating an extension of the environmental center at the Kendall campus and safeguarding a rare natural oasis amid suburban sprawl. This act honors their lifelong love of the outdoors and environmental activism, maintaining the site's Old Florida spirit with its thick vegetation, dirt paths, and wildlife. It provides ongoing educational and community access to subtropical hammock preservation just half a mile from the campus.
About
The Reno family has deep roots in Miami, with Jane Wood Reno building their iconic Cracker-style homestead by hand in the late 1940s on a wooded 4-acre property in Kendall near the Everglades. This rustic ranch served as the family home and emotional anchor for Janet Reno, who was born in Miami in 1938, grew up there barefoot amid peacocks and alligators, and launched her legal career from its wide porch. Janet became Miami-Dade State Attorney in 1978, the first woman in that role, and later the longest-serving U.S. Attorney General in the 20th century under President Clinton from 1993 to 2001. The family, described as large, tall, intelligent, and rangy, gathered frequently at the ranch for thousands of outdoor events. Following Janet's death in 2016, her surviving family members, including her sister, advocated for donating the homestead to Miami Dade College. The property now extends the college's environmental center, preserving its natural subtropical hammock character.