Move over, 305. Your next phone number in Miami and the Keys may have a new area code
How do you know there are too many people in Miami?
Rising rent. Eternal traffic jams. Long lines at the DMV.
Oh, and phone numbers that are running out.
That’s why our 305 and 786 area codes just got a new sibling. Meet 645, the new area code that will soon be used in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys.
Don’t panic. You’re not losing your 305 swagger. If you already have a 305 or 786 area code, you can keep it.
The 645 area code will be given to people who want or need a new phone number for their phone, tablet, smartwatch and whatever other phone call capable device Silicon Valley develops next. In some cases, you might need to get a 645 if you move your service, according to the Florida Public Service Commission. Of course, you might still be able to get a 305 or 786 area code, depending on availability.
The commission says the new area code will be activated when numbers run out, possibly in 2024.
If you have questions about the new area code, see an online summary of the changes at www.floridapsc.com, contact your local telephone carrier or call the commission’s customer assistance line at 800-342-3552.
“Since the origination of the 305 area code in 1947, this is only the second time Florida has added a third area code to a specified region. The increasing customer demand is a testament to South Florida’s growing economy,” said Florida Public Service Commission Chairman Andrew Giles Fay in a statement. “As Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys continue to attract new residents from all across our country and around the world, the new 645 area code will ensure that the demand for new lines is met.”
The new area code was approved on Feb. 1 by the Florida Public Service Commission and won’t affect how people use 10-digit dialing — the area code plus the seven digit phone number — to make local calls. The change comes after the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, which oversees phone numbers in the U.S., forecast that numbers in Miami-Dade and the Keys would run out soon.
It’s not the first time this has happened.
The 305 area code was originally used by all of Florida, from the Keys to Tallahassee. But then, as Florida’s population boomed — with the number of new residential phones, business phones, and later, cellphones, faxes and beepers — 305 numbers began to run out.
So the North American Numbering Plan Administrator began to assign new area codes.
Through the years, new area codes were given to other parts of the state. Even Broward used to rep the 305 until it was told in 1995 that it would be known as the 954. (Broward wasn’t happy).
In the late 1990s, the Miami area was also given 786 to meet growing demand.
Now the big question: Will there be a Mr. 645?
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 2:09 PM.
