Front Page (Page 1) - South Dade News Leader

Transcription

Hurricane Season Tax Holiday
Starts Saturday - 4A
A Look at Biscayne’s
Beautiful Trees - 5A
Spring Football Recap - 1B
Friday, May 30, 2014 102 years of service to the South Dade community Visit www.southdadenewsleader.com
Vol. 102 No. 14
50¢
Honoring Florida City’s Pioneers
First Centennial Celebration Event To Be Held Saturday
By Larry Diehl
to soup kitchens
and churches to
help feed his
neighbors.
Middlebrooks is
a father of eight
children; his
sons carry on his
proud tradition.
Also to be honored are Mazie
Mizell, Deacon
and Sister Willie
and Willa
Crigler, Eva
Byrd, Deacon
John Mitchell
and Pearlie Mae
Mazie Mizell
Curry.
“This event is important for a number of reasons,” said Mayor Otis Wallace. “I think the
combination of seniors being honored and the
young people who know nothing about
Florida City is a great opportunity. It’s important for the young to learn and for the old to
See CENTENNIAL 2A
By Bob Jensen
Florida City officially turns 100 years old on
December 28 of this year, but the city is
beginning the celebration this weekend.
The city will host a program at the Florida
Eva Byrd
Florida City began its life as Detroit, Florida – a town conceived and designed by the Miami
Land and Development Company and its chief salesman Edward Stiling.
The Tatum brothers purchased about 25,000 acres of land south of Homestead for their
Miami Land and Development Company, which was to set out and develop a town called
Detroit.
Whereas sister city to the north, Homestead, was a railroad town settled by merchants and
former Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway employees, Detroit was settled by mostly highly
educated retirees from the north.
In November of 1910, a group of hardy souls arrived from Detroit, Michigan to test their
mettle in a sometimes inhospitable South Florida. Dressed in heavy dark clothing they looked
not much like pioneers in the traditional sense. They had to live in tents and lean-tos while
waiting to build their homes if they could not find lodging in Homestead.
The Miami Land and Development Co. spent a lot of money in trying to make Detroit attractive to new buyers. The marketing concept was to attract retirees to the town with inexpensive
small parcels of land on which to “gentleman farm.” With this purchase came a lot in town on
which to build a home. Edward Stiling was instrumental in laying out the town’s wide streets
as well as selling the land.
Much effort was made by the company to create commercial and recreational opportunities.
A canal was dug from Biscayne Bay to about the corner of Krome Avenue and Palm Drive.
There an industrial basin was dug to accommodate boats which could load vegetable crops
from the basin packing house. The FEC Railway tracks also ran alongside the industrial basin.
See JENSEN 2A
City Youth Center on Saturday, May 31st at 2
p.m. to honor residents 80 and older. The idea
has been so successful
that the invitation-only
neers have done for
event is at capacity.
this community is
“We are honoring those
immeasurable.”
who are 80 and older.
Commissioner
They are the ones who
Brown’s
father was
deserve it,” said
born
in
Florida
City in
Commissioner Avis
1922.
Brown. “They deserve
Saturday’s event feathe honor of saying they
tures
Ruth Barrettmade an impact on
Thompson,
a trained
Florida City. But the
nurse
and
mother
of
Pearlie
Mae
Curry
impact is not only on the
seven. Barrettcity but also on our chilThompson is noted for her volunteerism, feeddren and our families. We started as a tiny,
little city, but look at us now! What these pio- ing the needy and contributing to her church
Florida City One Step
Closer to New Casino
“The ruling is what we have been
waiting on” - Mayor Otis Wallace
Staff Reports
A jai alai fronton that has already been
approved in Florida City, got one step closer to
becoming a reality on Tuesday when an
appeals court overturned the state Department
of Business and Professional Regulation denial
of the permit application.
“The ruling is what we have been waiting
on,” said Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace.
“The deal came to commission a long time
ago and was approved so they won’t have to
come back to the commission for approval.
They will have to come to us administratively.”
The 1st District Court of Appeal sided with
See CASINO 2A
Jai Alai may soon be coming to Florida
City.
INDEX:
Calendar 6A
•
The American
Dream
Veteran Given New Home
in Keys Gate
By Dennise Sleeper
The American Dream of home ownership has
been a prayer for Combat Medic Christopher
Shuyler - one he never expected to become a
reality.
Across the country, the nonprofit HomeStrong
USA, through their HomeStrong’s Heroes
Program, in partnership with
Bank of America
and the National
Community
Stabilization
Trust (NCST)
donates homes to
needy Vets such
as Combat Medic
Shuyler.
“I am pleased to
give him a piece
of the American
Dream,”
Councilwoman
Patricia
Fairclough said
as she presented
the Shuyler family with a plaque
from the City of
Homestead and a The Shuyler Family
See HOME 2A enters their new home.
Classified 7B •
Editorial 7A
•
Deacon John Mitchell
and community.
She was born in
Homestead as one
of 15 children in
her family.
Willie Frank
Middlebrooks,
who moved to
Florida City in the
early 1950s, will
also be honored.
A respected local
farmer, he often
donated his crops
Deacon Willie & Sister Willa Crigler
Saluting a
Soldier
6-Year Old Fatally
Shoots Grandfather
Publisher’s Note: Phil Gianficaro is a columnist with our sister newspaper group in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Phil’s inimitable way, he reminds us of what Memorial
Day is truly about.
Martinez Sr. Was Well
Liked Baseball Coach
Staff Reports
A Homestead man is facing charges after a 6year old boy fatally shot his grandfather with
By Phil Gianficaro
an unattended rifle during a family barbecue,
Miami Dade Police said.
They were, beyond patriotic parades and
Juan Manuel Martinez Jr., 28, was charged
solemn ceremonies of remembrance, the most
with negligence in the death of Juan Martinez
satisfying examples of respect I witnessed durSr. Sunday at the home located at 434 NW 8th
ing Memorial Day weekend.
Avenue, according to the arrest report.
Our 12-year-old son, Nick, and I popped into
The two men, along with a friend, were
a convenience store early Saturday morning on
“drinking and snorting cocaine” when the
the way to his youth baseball game. The store
younger Martinez went to a room and grabbed
was a flurry of activity, with folks rushing to
the rifle to show it to his friend.
get their coffee fix and perhaps a breakfast
The arrest report states, Martinez Sr. handled
sandwich, doughnut or newspaper. I grabbed a
See CRIME 2A
large coffee, and Nick chose a bag of sunflower seeds, a staple in every baseball dugout,
and we took our place in the checkout line. We
discussed our team’s impressive victory in the
tournament the night before, when he smacked
a pair of singles and drew a walk. If ranking
which of us was prouder, my son would have
placed a distant second.
Nick and I stood fourth in line behind a gentleman and a young boy who appeared to be
about 7, a woman, and a tall, fresh-faced soldier wearing fatigues, boots and a cap. As the
clerk rang up the items for the first gentleman,
the patron turned to the soldier and urged him
to place the items he was holding on the count- At the victim’s home, an ominous meser. The soldier thanked him and set down a cup sage was written on the window. Staff
See PHIL 2A photo
Entertainment 4B •
Obituaries 5B
• Sports 1B

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