Miami Beach, Florida
In 1870, Henry and Charles Lum purchased land on Miami Beach for 75 cents an acre. This uninhabited oceanfront became the site of the Biscayne House of Refuge in 1876. President Ulysses S. Grant issued an executive order to build this structure at approximately 72nd Street. Its purpose was to provide food, water, and a return to civilization for shipwrecked people. The structure fell into disuse by the time the Life-Saving Service became the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. It was destroyed in the 1926 Miami Hurricane and never rebuilt.
New Jersey entrepreneurs Ezra Osborn and Elnathan T. Field initiated a coconut plantation along the shore in the 1880s. That venture failed quickly. John S. Collins achieved success by buying out other partners and planting avocados instead. Pine trees on today's Pinetree Drive served as an erosion buffer for his plantations. By 1912, Collins and Pancoast worked together to clear the land and set up the Miami Beach Improvement Company.
Carl G. Fisher intervened when funds ran dry on a 2½-mile-long wooden bridge project. He provided financing needed to complete the Collins Bridge the following year. The bridge cost over $150,000 and opened on the 12th of June 1913. That transaction kicked off the island's first real estate boom. Once a 1600-acre jungle-matted sand bar three miles out in the Atlantic, it grew to 2,800 acres after dredging operations were completed.
By the 1970s, jet travel enabled vacationers from northern US states to travel to the Caribbean and other warm-weather climates. Miami Beach's economy suffered significantly during this period. Elderly retirees with little money dominated the population of South Beach. City planners sought to bulldoze many of the aging art deco buildings that were built in the 1930s. One count showed the city had over 800 art deco buildings within its borders.
Barbara Baer Capitman formed the Miami Design Preservation League in 1976. She was a former interior designer who led a group of fellow activists to halt destruction of historic buildings. After battling local developers and Washington DC bureaucrats, MDPL prevailed in its quest to have the Miami Beach Art Deco District named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The movement saved hundreds of hotels, apartments and structures erected between 1923 and 1943.
MDPL members protested by holding marches and candlelight vigils when wrecking crews threatened buildings. In one case, protestors stood in front of a hotel blocking bulldozers as they approached. The Miami Beach city commission created the first two historic preservation districts in 1986. These districts covered Espanola Way and most of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue in South Beach. A street in the District now bears her name.
Post, World War II economic expansion brought a wave of immigrants from the Northern United States. This significantly increased the population in Miami Beach within a few decades. After Fidel Castro's rise to power in 1959, a wave of Cuban refugees entered South Florida. They dramatically changed the demographic make-up of the area. One estimate states that 20,000 elderly Jews were part of the population of the beach in the late 1970s.
In 1980, 62 percent of the population of Miami Beach was still Jewish. During the 1980s many Jewish citizens left and moved to Delray Beach, Lake Worth and Boca Raton. By 1999, there were only 10,000 Jewish people living in Miami Beach. A demographer from the University of Miami estimated that there might have been as many as 70,000 Jews in Miami Beach at one point. The decline was motivated partly by increasing prices during the art deco movement and an increase in crime.
The 2020 census recorded a population of 82,890 for the city. Out of the total Hispanic or Latino ancestry accounted for 53.0% of Miami Beach's population. Of that group, 20.0% were Cuban, 4.9% Colombian, and 4.6% Argentine. In 2017, zip code 33109 had the fourth most expensive home sales and the highest average annual income of $2.5 million.
Miami Beach encounters tidal flooding of certain roads during the annual king tides. Parts of the western side of South Beach are at virtually zero feet above normal high tide. The entire city averages only two feet above mean sea level. A recent study by the University of Miami showed that tidal flooding became much more common from the mid-2000s. Traditional sea level rise measures including sea walls may not work due to the porous nature of the ground.
A five-year, US$500 million project installed 60 to 80 pumps across the city. Engineers built taller sea walls and planted red mangrove trees along them. They also physically raised road tarmac levels about six inches over previous levels. The four initial pumps installed in 2014 are capable of pumping 4,000 US gallons per minute. Some streets and sidewalks were raised to accommodate these changes.
Pump failures such as during construction or power outages can cause great unexpected flooding. A Tropical Storm Emily-related rain flood occurred on the 1st of August 2017. Combined with higher roads and sidewalks, this leaves unchanged properties relatively lower and prone to inundation. Some residents worry that efforts will not be sufficient to successfully adapt to rising sea levels.
Before the TV show Miami Vice helped make the area popular, SoBe was under urban blight. It featured vacant buildings and a high crime rate. Today it is considered one of the richest commercial areas on the beach. In fiscal year 2016/2017, Miami Beach had over 26,600 hotel rooms. Average occupancy in fiscal year 2015/2016 was 76.4% and 78.5% in fiscal year 2016/2017.
Investors like Tony Goldman and Ian Schrager bought art deco hotels and transformed them into world famous hot spots in the '80s and '90s. Among the celebrities that frequented Miami Beach were Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Oprah Winfrey and Gianni Versace. The first Art Basel Miami Beach was held in 2002. In 2016, about 77,000 people attended the fair.
Resort taxes account for over 10% of the city's operating budget, providing $83 million in the fiscal year 2016, 2017. On average, the city's resort tax revenue grows by three to five percent annually. Mayor Harold Rosen is credited with beginning the revitalization when he abolished rent control in 1976. That move was highly controversial at the time.
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Common questions
When did Henry and Charles Lum purchase land on Miami Beach?
Henry and Charles Lum purchased land on Miami Beach in 1870 for 75 cents an acre. This uninhabited oceanfront later became the site of the Biscayne House of Refuge.
Who founded the Miami Design Preservation League to save art deco buildings?
Barbara Baer Capitman formed the Miami Design Preservation League in 1976. She led a group of activists to halt the destruction of historic buildings and successfully had the district named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
What percentage of Miami Beach residents were Jewish in 1980?
In 1980, 62 percent of the population of Miami Beach was still Jewish. A demographer from the University of Miami estimated that there might have been as many as 70,000 Jews in Miami Beach at one point before the decline began.
How much does the average annual income reach in zip code 33109?
Zip code 33109 has the highest average annual income of $2.5 million. In 2017, this area also recorded the fourth most expensive home sales within the city limits.
When did the Collins Bridge open after Carl G. Fisher provided financing?
The Collins Bridge opened on the 12th of June 1913 after Carl G. Fisher intervened with necessary funds. This transaction kicked off the island's first real estate boom and cost over $150,000.