Florida Naturally.com

They sent home tales of riches being made when orange groves and swamp lands were subdivided, sold, and developed. Standing above all the other Boom-era development projects was Coral Gables. Created by George Edgar Merrick, Coral Gables began in 1921 with the Merrick family grove and a Mediterranean architectural style.

By 1926, the city covered 10,000 acres, had netted $150 million in sales with over $100 million spent on development. Among the beautiful and distinctive landmarks in Coral Gables are the Venetian Pool, Douglas Entrance, the Biltmore Hotel, and many fine residences.

Other communities were also developed during the Boom, including Miami Shores, Hialeah, Miami Springs, Boca Raton, and Opa-locka. In 1925 alone, 971 subdivisions were filed for platting and 174,530 deeds recorded.

The Florida land boom fit the spirit of the Roaring Twenties when women were bobbing their hair and raising their hemlines, bootleg liquor was enjoyed at speakeasies, and South Florida became the nation’s winter playground with its beaches, fancy hotels, horse races, and top-name entertainers.

The Boom, dependent on continuing rising prices, could not last forever. In 1925, federal income tax specialists were examining real estate records for profits, the railroad and shipping lines were putting embargoes on all cargoes except foodstuffs, and anti-Florida propaganda was appearing almost daily in northern newspapers.

Sales began slacking off and prices were not escalating as rapidly. Early in 1926, the 241 foot barkentine Prins Valdemar overturned in Miami’s harbor blocking the ship channel for several weeks.

When a major hurricane struck South Florida in September of 1926, killing over one hundred people and causing millions of dollars in damage, Miamians were forced to confront the end of the Boom. Miami did not have much time to recover from the 1926 Bust before the Depression Era of the 1930s hit the nation.

There were a few bright moments, however. One was the growth of commercial aviation, made possible by the Kelly Air Mail Act of 1925. The flight of a Fokker tri-motor F-7 from Key West to Havana on October 28, 1927 marked the birth of Pan American World Airways.

By 1935, Pan Am was connecting Miami with 32 Central and South American countries. At the same time, Eastern Airlines was flying daily between Miami, New York, Chicago and intermediate cities. During the decades that followed, aviation would continue to play a major role in Miami’s development, and today Miami International Airport is one of the busiest in the world.

The post Boom years also saw the development of a new architectural style commonly known as “Art Deco,” but including Zig Zag Moderne and Streamline Moderne. Most of the 200 hotels built on Miami Beach between 1935 and 1941, marking the return to prosperity for South Florida, are Art Deco.

The area of 6th to 23rd Streets between Ocean and Alton Roads was designated the Art Deco Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Until the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad was brought through in 1896, the area was accessible to only a hardy few.

Until Everglades drainage was begun a decade later, only the coastal ridge and scattered spots of high ground to the west were habitable. Until Port Everglades was opened in the 1920s, there was no dependable anchorage for large ships. This is not to say, however, that Broward is a totally new-made land.