Submitted into the public record for item(s) -LC1)~J -_~ on 9gt II ILa City Clerk

Virginia Ket Egteach FarkTf1Jst

Memo To Daniel Alfonso City Manager

From Guy Forchion Executive Director

Mr Gene Tinnie Chair

Virginia Key Beach Park Trust

Date January 15 2016

Re 2015 Annual Report

Pursuant to City Ccxle Sec 2-890 (Annual report of city boards and committees) I have attached the following document

tobD lQ- JUOmdt-t1- b(Dt Tnnlt- ~(~1IV yeneq betACX fbtt TU5 r J1nnvt11 ~ep()lf-

Submitted into the public record for tem(s) tiL I on 3 I I~ City Clerk

Virginia KeY 5each Fark Trust

2015 Annual Report to the City of Miami

2

Submitted into the public record Tr ltem(s) D1= on 511 J lp City C1erf K R hF rk T

V JrgJnJa eJ LJeac a rust

MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to carry forward the vision for the development and use of Virginia Key Beach Park promoting and maintaining absolute public ownership and access fostering its perpetuation as a passive open greenshyspace that includes nature trails recreational facilities and museum structures appropriate and compatible with the nature of Virginia Key preserving it as a valuable resource to be enjoyed for posterity and to honor the rich historicaJlegacy of the social and civil rights history of South Florida

Virginia KeJ 5each Fark Trust

Annual Report to the City of Miami

1) Whether the Board is serving the purpose for which it was created

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trust has continued to maintain and increase its offerings of diverse cultural educational and environmental tours volunteer opportunities special events and recreational activities and programs at the Historic Beach Park property Restoration of the natural areas and restorative maintenance of the buildings continue and amusements rides and special features continue to attract increasing numbers of visitors each year

November 20 2013 marked the date Historic Virginia Key Beach Park 4020 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 was approved by the City of Miamis Historic and Environmental Preservation Board for the final designation as an Individual Historic Site This was an important step in the preservation and protection of the Historic Beach Park property and the island of Virginia Key for future generations

2) Whether the Board is serving current community needs

The Trust has continued to strive for the highest level of quality in recreational picnic and public facilities in South Florida Success has been seen in the increasing number of families and community-based organizations that have partnered with and use the Historic Beach Park facilities on a regular basis Weekend holiday and special event visitorship has surpassed 110000 in fiscal year 2014-2015

The Trust has continued to embrace diverse public use of the Historic Beach Park for recreation education and enjoyment Historical environmental and cultural education is a central theme in the interpretation of the Historic Beach Parks future development and programming the communitys desire to see the unique natural environment and culture value of the Historic Beach Park preserved is paramount to our purpose The recent addition of public bike and walking trails and additional recreational features (new volleyball nets

3

Submitted into the public record for tem(s) tiL I on 3 I I~ City Clerk

Virginia KeY 5each Fark Trust

2015 Annual Report to the City of Miami

2

Submitted into the public record Tr ltem(s) D1= on 511 J lp City C1erf K R hF rk T

V JrgJnJa eJ LJeac a rust

MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to carry forward the vision for the development and use of Virginia Key Beach Park promoting and maintaining absolute public ownership and access fostering its perpetuation as a passive open greenshyspace that includes nature trails recreational facilities and museum structures appropriate and compatible with the nature of Virginia Key preserving it as a valuable resource to be enjoyed for posterity and to honor the rich historicaJlegacy of the social and civil rights history of South Florida

Virginia KeJ 5each Fark Trust

Annual Report to the City of Miami

1) Whether the Board is serving the purpose for which it was created

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trust has continued to maintain and increase its offerings of diverse cultural educational and environmental tours volunteer opportunities special events and recreational activities and programs at the Historic Beach Park property Restoration of the natural areas and restorative maintenance of the buildings continue and amusements rides and special features continue to attract increasing numbers of visitors each year

November 20 2013 marked the date Historic Virginia Key Beach Park 4020 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 was approved by the City of Miamis Historic and Environmental Preservation Board for the final designation as an Individual Historic Site This was an important step in the preservation and protection of the Historic Beach Park property and the island of Virginia Key for future generations

2) Whether the Board is serving current community needs

The Trust has continued to strive for the highest level of quality in recreational picnic and public facilities in South Florida Success has been seen in the increasing number of families and community-based organizations that have partnered with and use the Historic Beach Park facilities on a regular basis Weekend holiday and special event visitorship has surpassed 110000 in fiscal year 2014-2015

The Trust has continued to embrace diverse public use of the Historic Beach Park for recreation education and enjoyment Historical environmental and cultural education is a central theme in the interpretation of the Historic Beach Parks future development and programming the communitys desire to see the unique natural environment and culture value of the Historic Beach Park preserved is paramount to our purpose The recent addition of public bike and walking trails and additional recreational features (new volleyball nets

3

Submitted into the public record Tr ltem(s) D1= on 511 J lp City C1erf K R hF rk T

V JrgJnJa eJ LJeac a rust

MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to carry forward the vision for the development and use of Virginia Key Beach Park promoting and maintaining absolute public ownership and access fostering its perpetuation as a passive open greenshyspace that includes nature trails recreational facilities and museum structures appropriate and compatible with the nature of Virginia Key preserving it as a valuable resource to be enjoyed for posterity and to honor the rich historicaJlegacy of the social and civil rights history of South Florida

Virginia KeJ 5each Fark Trust

Annual Report to the City of Miami

1) Whether the Board is serving the purpose for which it was created

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trust has continued to maintain and increase its offerings of diverse cultural educational and environmental tours volunteer opportunities special events and recreational activities and programs at the Historic Beach Park property Restoration of the natural areas and restorative maintenance of the buildings continue and amusements rides and special features continue to attract increasing numbers of visitors each year

November 20 2013 marked the date Historic Virginia Key Beach Park 4020 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 was approved by the City of Miamis Historic and Environmental Preservation Board for the final designation as an Individual Historic Site This was an important step in the preservation and protection of the Historic Beach Park property and the island of Virginia Key for future generations

2) Whether the Board is serving current community needs

The Trust has continued to strive for the highest level of quality in recreational picnic and public facilities in South Florida Success has been seen in the increasing number of families and community-based organizations that have partnered with and use the Historic Beach Park facilities on a regular basis Weekend holiday and special event visitorship has surpassed 110000 in fiscal year 2014-2015

The Trust has continued to embrace diverse public use of the Historic Beach Park for recreation education and enjoyment Historical environmental and cultural education is a central theme in the interpretation of the Historic Beach Parks future development and programming the communitys desire to see the unique natural environment and culture value of the Historic Beach Park preserved is paramount to our purpose The recent addition of public bike and walking trails and additional recreational features (new volleyball nets

3

soccer goals Tiki Village added to the very popular 9-hole disc golf) facility upgrades has continued to keep each visit to the property exciting and fresh

3) A list of the Boards major accomplishments

Major accomplishments during FY 2014-2015

1 Historic Virginia Key Beach Park was named South Floridas 2015 BEST BEACH by the Miami New Times

2 The July 2014 completion of the Anny Corps of Engineers Ecosystem Restoration Project on Virginia Key represented the culmination of more than 10 years of multi-organizational partnerships multi-agency coordination and thousands of volunteer hours The project installed more than 20000 new native plants and removed several acres of invasive exotic vegetation throughout Virginia Key and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park

3 The addition of new agency and event partners Zen Village Battle Frog Multirace Triathlon Wanderlust 108 Love Bum and Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-in

4 Completion of the 9th Annual YMCA Junior Marine Biology Summer Camp

5 Completion of the 3rd Annual Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Holiday Fair - Community Fundraising Event

6 The third year of collaboration and partnership with Nature Links for Life Long Leaming an education and life skills program for developmentally delayed adults aged 22-30 including the construction of a spice garden and addition of a food truck

7 Sea Grass Adventures environmental education programming partnership with Biscayne Nature Center and Dade County Public Schools

8 Partnerships with TREEmendous Miami the Frost Museum the Nature Conservancy Friends of Miami Marine Stadium and BAYNANZA for Historic Site restoration on Virginia Key

9 Cultural and Historical education programming tours partnership with HistoryMiami Museum the Frost Museum and Dade County Public Schools

10 Addition of the Tiki Village picnic area with the assistance of a Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) Grant

4Submitted into the public record for item(s) ---)--[c- ---~~ on 3 II II I City Clerk

11 Construction of additional bike and walking nature trail on the Historic Beach Park

12 Continued near shore and upland ecosystem restoration and environmental maintenance

13 Addition of recreational programing involving soccer camps and bicycle rental with Island Bike

14 Growing volunteer support from local organizations schools universities and other partners has been a valuable resource helping the Trust maintain the 82 acre Historic Beach Park while continuing to build a strong board-based community network of concerned and passionate supporters

4) Whether there is any other Board either public or private which would better serve the function of the Board

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trust has continued to gather support and praise from community members and local leadership [Mention of Best Beach deSignation by Miami New Times] The Trust draws on the extensive knowledge and expertise of board members representing pioneer families and a range of professional fields which have been major assets to its continuing progress and success Partnerships with neighbors on Virginia Key and surrounding communities are a testament to the Trusts ability to provide leadership and its appropriateness as the only entity that should lead this project

5) Whether the ordinance creating the Board should be amended to better enable the Board to serve the purpose for which it was created

The criteria set forth by the ordinance that created the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust have served the Trust we However following the unique financial difficulties that struck the nation during the global economic meltdown also known as the Great Recession resulting in the City of Miamis withdrawal of a direct operational funding to the Trust The withdrawal of funding to the Trust caused many aspects of operating the Historic Beach Park property in a sustainable manner to be compromised even with the essential in-kind services being provided by other City Departments the City of Miamis annual funding contribution to the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust should be restored

6) Whether the Boards membership requirements should be modified

The existing membership eligibility requirements for Trustees should explore the inclusion of at-large Trustees who may not reside work or own property in the City of Miami but reside in Miami Dade County and have a strong bond with the Historic Beach Park Otherwise the criteria set forth by the ordinance that created the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust have served the Trust we

5 Submitted into the public record for item(s) _f)u~-k~~___ on --3 I I ~ City Clerk

7) The cost both direct and indirect of maintaining the Board

The Trusts purpose powers and duties comprise a great responsibility to the community which the Trust continues to fulfill with great dedication but also with extreme difficulty due to the aforementioned financial crisis which resulted in the City of Miamis withdrawal of all direct operational appropriations to the Trust The Trust requires an annual City of Miami contribution for community outreach security special educational programming promotional materials cultural and historical collections management and volunteer coordination to effectively provide service to the community

HISTORIC

6

Submitted into the public reCOrd(Or(emltS) DT middot1 on 2gt I) 10 City Clerk

--

----------------------

--------------

Submitted into the public recordJfor item(s) -ll2-J=-- --___ on 3 _II I ((

bull REMEMBERING OUR~

Jtu~~~s~ Founding Member of the Trustee Board

(February 7 1921 - March 25 2015)

Prominent Miami pioneer business family member and legendary educator Mrs Bernice Sawyer was appointed to the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust by the late Miami City Commissioner Arthur E Teele Jr who led the effort by his fellow Commissioners to save the historic site from exclusive private development in response to broad community demand

Mrs Sawyer served diligently until her physical disabilities and health concerns forced her to step down from her seat

She will always be fondly remembered for her sage insights and depth of knowledge of Miamis and the Historic Beach Parks history

At right is a Resolution passed by the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust for presentation to her family

City Clerk

FOUNDING

CSOlution hec ftlr jlrrnirt iCnlJriD~1 edllJ~ wos nalw-bo AIm

t nd membe ofolle of Mm cOnk pon fmle wh deep ltltl 1 nd ~ knowledge of bltJIh h Rhm ltlJld he hoe Ovaow commum) nd

-- Whec~ lthe exhbd pon fo 1e 8 nd eon mUlkJlru kirrn hT~ YOUlh CJ fJJing h(1 a R oll1C $llt)r Award fo r jOUfllJliuo sk ills vhich she would

C]TTY illlo h(1 proJltsonaJ CJr((r as ltI n t (mpIJry leachlt vllo WJ5 keenly J 1fC Ollh value nd nccn)01edUlionn aClIO ha eOmmunh) nd ~ Where he Mdong CO ll ce Ih cOlOmun ily uplfi d ellhnwee Was Iltl nltlbly mn(clt n her nd he hw bnd Ihc laic l-iUm R Rrr $aWya commlm01l10 m kin he lamly-ond Mar) fJ-llbcrh Hod he fineS eSlabr hmenl of klllowdcomng laquokbrilks nd 10c l CS denl Ike andWhcrc~ Mrs SW)ws ldelll dlcOIl IO Ihc wdlbelIg olOvertown WII 1 Ihe face ofh dulllmg chllens c a he dCltlFuClion oughl by laquopreswy COII Clio ll ened ha nu mes nOJb lcafld well- deserved J wardsa nd RCOStijolls ltu K

Vhere hcr dCde of commlellllcd 0 her blIg ed b) Ihe Ie (i ll of Mm Com~oner Anhu F Tede 10 evlt on Ihe 111 Ke y ReachCvil Righrs lk Force d ubquellliy all Advory Road nd ullmdy u ndin g memba of Ihe Ygill Klty Reeh Park T (VKRPT) chlIed wlh Ih Iooll nd rpenllig of AInll onetml mUCh-beloved olil y middot Co loed Reach a

lllO h IOric lId eonme ll lldmJr- 011 whnh he wved filhfu ll y dcspllt lhe phylt1 ch IIcIlllt~h( (aced J hu 1POlllt in her Ij tC frOln 200 1 to 005 ] Ild

W hee-$ (re htlng oblgared 10 eltgll from Ihe VKRPT ROald by h llh isu IvI RcrnkltSltWye~ ulInimouly cd by her colleaguelt 10 be 1 Me be On Augu 1 2005 Ihe llldmJrk 60Ih n)y o(lh 11isIOIk Pk opelling ill 45 lid walt peltcnred wilh Rcs luoli of Ihl ( lir ofiI J-nu by Chell-Mayor fallud A hi7 Jlld

Vhlrea on Ihe o ion ofhc PIg 011 (rom II enhly Iii Oil March 25 201 5 he eplar y Ik I~ mOre t h ~1Jl deSltrvin g ofpublic recognjton rnblH( and gralHude

1Jje Re-Olvcd by Ihe ROJld oflhe ViSlIi Kc) Reach Prk 1UltI Ih Mrlt ReTluce ( m vrlghl 50)lt nmc hi ellltonced 11 Ihe Allnl oflhe TuII III pcrpIIU) FOUlldlli Membltr

glf0 1ember whom Ihe (il) o( Mimi tit 011 nd Ihnvorld ha ben f)vlIciy blmed bull lidve high I) (a vorce 10 h COllored moIg Ou IIumDIO be ccogud by poICTIY di-Igulhd(xemplQr of dedicated Qnd gcncrous citJcnshjp

G vell by Ihl ROJld ofhulw oflhe VSill Key Roeh Park Tru I golr public Ro 1d IvIlaquoOngof his 6th dJy of Aprjl 20 15

MOTHERS

----------------- shytc1lt l ll lllilmiddot cAli r

Mrt lmiddot r-Sn r-t~ ry

M~---lI d NtmiddotwbvIJ middotJIIbullb l

Rd~IIJ TIbullbull i itI middotrrll(lLlt

-------_-Dr tuJ C Imklxy i ~ (t t~lyen

N ffrkk lU l)- b tj Tnbullbull Nlrc-r

0t~ ImiddotV G ckly fr1Ulll

( IlY I)fct-~ ~-kCUli middot DnTIlr--------shy

11 Construction of additional bike and walking nature trail on the Historic Beach Park

12 Continued near shore and upland ecosystem restoration and environmental maintenance

13 Addition of recreational programing involving soccer camps and bicycle rental with Island Bike

14 Growing volunteer support from local organizations schools universities and other partners has been a valuable resource helping the Trust maintain the 82 acre Historic Beach Park while continuing to build a strong board-based community network of concerned and passionate supporters

4) Whether there is any other Board either public or private which would better serve the function of the Board

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trust has continued to gather support and praise from community members and local leadership [Mention of Best Beach deSignation by Miami New Times] The Trust draws on the extensive knowledge and expertise of board members representing pioneer families and a range of professional fields which have been major assets to its continuing progress and success Partnerships with neighbors on Virginia Key and surrounding communities are a testament to the Trusts ability to provide leadership and its appropriateness as the only entity that should lead this project

5) Whether the ordinance creating the Board should be amended to better enable the Board to serve the purpose for which it was created

The criteria set forth by the ordinance that created the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust have served the Trust we However following the unique financial difficulties that struck the nation during the global economic meltdown also known as the Great Recession resulting in the City of Miamis withdrawal of a direct operational funding to the Trust The withdrawal of funding to the Trust caused many aspects of operating the Historic Beach Park property in a sustainable manner to be compromised even with the essential in-kind services being provided by other City Departments the City of Miamis annual funding contribution to the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust should be restored

6) Whether the Boards membership requirements should be modified

The existing membership eligibility requirements for Trustees should explore the inclusion of at-large Trustees who may not reside work or own property in the City of Miami but reside in Miami Dade County and have a strong bond with the Historic Beach Park Otherwise the criteria set forth by the ordinance that created the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust have served the Trust we

5 Submitted into the public record for item(s) _f)u~-k~~___ on --3 I I ~ City Clerk

7) The cost both direct and indirect of maintaining the Board

The Trusts purpose powers and duties comprise a great responsibility to the community which the Trust continues to fulfill with great dedication but also with extreme difficulty due to the aforementioned financial crisis which resulted in the City of Miamis withdrawal of all direct operational appropriations to the Trust The Trust requires an annual City of Miami contribution for community outreach security special educational programming promotional materials cultural and historical collections management and volunteer coordination to effectively provide service to the community

HISTORIC

6

Submitted into the public reCOrd(Or(emltS) DT middot1 on 2gt I) 10 City Clerk

--

----------------------

--------------

Submitted into the public recordJfor item(s) -ll2-J=-- --___ on 3 _II I ((

bull REMEMBERING OUR~

Jtu~~~s~ Founding Member of the Trustee Board

(February 7 1921 - March 25 2015)

Prominent Miami pioneer business family member and legendary educator Mrs Bernice Sawyer was appointed to the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust by the late Miami City Commissioner Arthur E Teele Jr who led the effort by his fellow Commissioners to save the historic site from exclusive private development in response to broad community demand

Mrs Sawyer served diligently until her physical disabilities and health concerns forced her to step down from her seat

She will always be fondly remembered for her sage insights and depth of knowledge of Miamis and the Historic Beach Parks history

At right is a Resolution passed by the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust for presentation to her family

City Clerk

FOUNDING

CSOlution hec ftlr jlrrnirt iCnlJriD~1 edllJ~ wos nalw-bo AIm

t nd membe ofolle of Mm cOnk pon fmle wh deep ltltl 1 nd ~ knowledge of bltJIh h Rhm ltlJld he hoe Ovaow commum) nd

-- Whec~ lthe exhbd pon fo 1e 8 nd eon mUlkJlru kirrn hT~ YOUlh CJ fJJing h(1 a R oll1C $llt)r Award fo r jOUfllJliuo sk ills vhich she would

C]TTY illlo h(1 proJltsonaJ CJr((r as ltI n t (mpIJry leachlt vllo WJ5 keenly J 1fC Ollh value nd nccn)01edUlionn aClIO ha eOmmunh) nd ~ Where he Mdong CO ll ce Ih cOlOmun ily uplfi d ellhnwee Was Iltl nltlbly mn(clt n her nd he hw bnd Ihc laic l-iUm R Rrr $aWya commlm01l10 m kin he lamly-ond Mar) fJ-llbcrh Hod he fineS eSlabr hmenl of klllowdcomng laquokbrilks nd 10c l CS denl Ike andWhcrc~ Mrs SW)ws ldelll dlcOIl IO Ihc wdlbelIg olOvertown WII 1 Ihe face ofh dulllmg chllens c a he dCltlFuClion oughl by laquopreswy COII Clio ll ened ha nu mes nOJb lcafld well- deserved J wardsa nd RCOStijolls ltu K

Vhere hcr dCde of commlellllcd 0 her blIg ed b) Ihe Ie (i ll of Mm Com~oner Anhu F Tede 10 evlt on Ihe 111 Ke y ReachCvil Righrs lk Force d ubquellliy all Advory Road nd ullmdy u ndin g memba of Ihe Ygill Klty Reeh Park T (VKRPT) chlIed wlh Ih Iooll nd rpenllig of AInll onetml mUCh-beloved olil y middot Co loed Reach a

lllO h IOric lId eonme ll lldmJr- 011 whnh he wved filhfu ll y dcspllt lhe phylt1 ch IIcIlllt~h( (aced J hu 1POlllt in her Ij tC frOln 200 1 to 005 ] Ild

W hee-$ (re htlng oblgared 10 eltgll from Ihe VKRPT ROald by h llh isu IvI RcrnkltSltWye~ ulInimouly cd by her colleaguelt 10 be 1 Me be On Augu 1 2005 Ihe llldmJrk 60Ih n)y o(lh 11isIOIk Pk opelling ill 45 lid walt peltcnred wilh Rcs luoli of Ihl ( lir ofiI J-nu by Chell-Mayor fallud A hi7 Jlld

Vhlrea on Ihe o ion ofhc PIg 011 (rom II enhly Iii Oil March 25 201 5 he eplar y Ik I~ mOre t h ~1Jl deSltrvin g ofpublic recognjton rnblH( and gralHude

1Jje Re-Olvcd by Ihe ROJld oflhe ViSlIi Kc) Reach Prk 1UltI Ih Mrlt ReTluce ( m vrlghl 50)lt nmc hi ellltonced 11 Ihe Allnl oflhe TuII III pcrpIIU) FOUlldlli Membltr

glf0 1ember whom Ihe (il) o( Mimi tit 011 nd Ihnvorld ha ben f)vlIciy blmed bull lidve high I) (a vorce 10 h COllored moIg Ou IIumDIO be ccogud by poICTIY di-Igulhd(xemplQr of dedicated Qnd gcncrous citJcnshjp

G vell by Ihl ROJld ofhulw oflhe VSill Key Roeh Park Tru I golr public Ro 1d IvIlaquoOngof his 6th dJy of Aprjl 20 15

MOTHERS

----------------- shytc1lt l ll lllilmiddot cAli r

Mrt lmiddot r-Sn r-t~ ry

M~---lI d NtmiddotwbvIJ middotJIIbullb l

Rd~IIJ TIbullbull i itI middotrrll(lLlt

-------_-Dr tuJ C Imklxy i ~ (t t~lyen

N ffrkk lU l)- b tj Tnbullbull Nlrc-r

0t~ ImiddotV G ckly fr1Ulll

( IlY I)fct-~ ~-kCUli middot DnTIlr--------shy

7) The cost both direct and indirect of maintaining the Board

The Trusts purpose powers and duties comprise a great responsibility to the community which the Trust continues to fulfill with great dedication but also with extreme difficulty due to the aforementioned financial crisis which resulted in the City of Miamis withdrawal of all direct operational appropriations to the Trust The Trust requires an annual City of Miami contribution for community outreach security special educational programming promotional materials cultural and historical collections management and volunteer coordination to effectively provide service to the community

HISTORIC

6

Submitted into the public reCOrd(Or(emltS) DT middot1 on 2gt I) 10 City Clerk

--

----------------------

--------------

Submitted into the public recordJfor item(s) -ll2-J=-- --___ on 3 _II I ((

bull REMEMBERING OUR~

Jtu~~~s~ Founding Member of the Trustee Board

(February 7 1921 - March 25 2015)

Prominent Miami pioneer business family member and legendary educator Mrs Bernice Sawyer was appointed to the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust by the late Miami City Commissioner Arthur E Teele Jr who led the effort by his fellow Commissioners to save the historic site from exclusive private development in response to broad community demand

Mrs Sawyer served diligently until her physical disabilities and health concerns forced her to step down from her seat

She will always be fondly remembered for her sage insights and depth of knowledge of Miamis and the Historic Beach Parks history

At right is a Resolution passed by the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust for presentation to her family

City Clerk

FOUNDING

CSOlution hec ftlr jlrrnirt iCnlJriD~1 edllJ~ wos nalw-bo AIm

t nd membe ofolle of Mm cOnk pon fmle wh deep ltltl 1 nd ~ knowledge of bltJIh h Rhm ltlJld he hoe Ovaow commum) nd

-- Whec~ lthe exhbd pon fo 1e 8 nd eon mUlkJlru kirrn hT~ YOUlh CJ fJJing h(1 a R oll1C $llt)r Award fo r jOUfllJliuo sk ills vhich she would

C]TTY illlo h(1 proJltsonaJ CJr((r as ltI n t (mpIJry leachlt vllo WJ5 keenly J 1fC Ollh value nd nccn)01edUlionn aClIO ha eOmmunh) nd ~ Where he Mdong CO ll ce Ih cOlOmun ily uplfi d ellhnwee Was Iltl nltlbly mn(clt n her nd he hw bnd Ihc laic l-iUm R Rrr $aWya commlm01l10 m kin he lamly-ond Mar) fJ-llbcrh Hod he fineS eSlabr hmenl of klllowdcomng laquokbrilks nd 10c l CS denl Ike andWhcrc~ Mrs SW)ws ldelll dlcOIl IO Ihc wdlbelIg olOvertown WII 1 Ihe face ofh dulllmg chllens c a he dCltlFuClion oughl by laquopreswy COII Clio ll ened ha nu mes nOJb lcafld well- deserved J wardsa nd RCOStijolls ltu K

Vhere hcr dCde of commlellllcd 0 her blIg ed b) Ihe Ie (i ll of Mm Com~oner Anhu F Tede 10 evlt on Ihe 111 Ke y ReachCvil Righrs lk Force d ubquellliy all Advory Road nd ullmdy u ndin g memba of Ihe Ygill Klty Reeh Park T (VKRPT) chlIed wlh Ih Iooll nd rpenllig of AInll onetml mUCh-beloved olil y middot Co loed Reach a

lllO h IOric lId eonme ll lldmJr- 011 whnh he wved filhfu ll y dcspllt lhe phylt1 ch IIcIlllt~h( (aced J hu 1POlllt in her Ij tC frOln 200 1 to 005 ] Ild

W hee-$ (re htlng oblgared 10 eltgll from Ihe VKRPT ROald by h llh isu IvI RcrnkltSltWye~ ulInimouly cd by her colleaguelt 10 be 1 Me be On Augu 1 2005 Ihe llldmJrk 60Ih n)y o(lh 11isIOIk Pk opelling ill 45 lid walt peltcnred wilh Rcs luoli of Ihl ( lir ofiI J-nu by Chell-Mayor fallud A hi7 Jlld

Vhlrea on Ihe o ion ofhc PIg 011 (rom II enhly Iii Oil March 25 201 5 he eplar y Ik I~ mOre t h ~1Jl deSltrvin g ofpublic recognjton rnblH( and gralHude

1Jje Re-Olvcd by Ihe ROJld oflhe ViSlIi Kc) Reach Prk 1UltI Ih Mrlt ReTluce ( m vrlghl 50)lt nmc hi ellltonced 11 Ihe Allnl oflhe TuII III pcrpIIU) FOUlldlli Membltr

glf0 1ember whom Ihe (il) o( Mimi tit 011 nd Ihnvorld ha ben f)vlIciy blmed bull lidve high I) (a vorce 10 h COllored moIg Ou IIumDIO be ccogud by poICTIY di-Igulhd(xemplQr of dedicated Qnd gcncrous citJcnshjp

G vell by Ihl ROJld ofhulw oflhe VSill Key Roeh Park Tru I golr public Ro 1d IvIlaquoOngof his 6th dJy of Aprjl 20 15

MOTHERS

----------------- shytc1lt l ll lllilmiddot cAli r

Mrt lmiddot r-Sn r-t~ ry

M~---lI d NtmiddotwbvIJ middotJIIbullb l

Rd~IIJ TIbullbull i itI middotrrll(lLlt

-------_-Dr tuJ C Imklxy i ~ (t t~lyen

N ffrkk lU l)- b tj Tnbullbull Nlrc-r

0t~ ImiddotV G ckly fr1Ulll

( IlY I)fct-~ ~-kCUli middot DnTIlr--------shy

--

----------------------

--------------

Submitted into the public recordJfor item(s) -ll2-J=-- --___ on 3 _II I ((

bull REMEMBERING OUR~

Jtu~~~s~ Founding Member of the Trustee Board

(February 7 1921 - March 25 2015)

Prominent Miami pioneer business family member and legendary educator Mrs Bernice Sawyer was appointed to the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust by the late Miami City Commissioner Arthur E Teele Jr who led the effort by his fellow Commissioners to save the historic site from exclusive private development in response to broad community demand

Mrs Sawyer served diligently until her physical disabilities and health concerns forced her to step down from her seat

She will always be fondly remembered for her sage insights and depth of knowledge of Miamis and the Historic Beach Parks history

At right is a Resolution passed by the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust for presentation to her family

City Clerk

FOUNDING

CSOlution hec ftlr jlrrnirt iCnlJriD~1 edllJ~ wos nalw-bo AIm

t nd membe ofolle of Mm cOnk pon fmle wh deep ltltl 1 nd ~ knowledge of bltJIh h Rhm ltlJld he hoe Ovaow commum) nd

-- Whec~ lthe exhbd pon fo 1e 8 nd eon mUlkJlru kirrn hT~ YOUlh CJ fJJing h(1 a R oll1C $llt)r Award fo r jOUfllJliuo sk ills vhich she would

C]TTY illlo h(1 proJltsonaJ CJr((r as ltI n t (mpIJry leachlt vllo WJ5 keenly J 1fC Ollh value nd nccn)01edUlionn aClIO ha eOmmunh) nd ~ Where he Mdong CO ll ce Ih cOlOmun ily uplfi d ellhnwee Was Iltl nltlbly mn(clt n her nd he hw bnd Ihc laic l-iUm R Rrr $aWya commlm01l10 m kin he lamly-ond Mar) fJ-llbcrh Hod he fineS eSlabr hmenl of klllowdcomng laquokbrilks nd 10c l CS denl Ike andWhcrc~ Mrs SW)ws ldelll dlcOIl IO Ihc wdlbelIg olOvertown WII 1 Ihe face ofh dulllmg chllens c a he dCltlFuClion oughl by laquopreswy COII Clio ll ened ha nu mes nOJb lcafld well- deserved J wardsa nd RCOStijolls ltu K

Vhere hcr dCde of commlellllcd 0 her blIg ed b) Ihe Ie (i ll of Mm Com~oner Anhu F Tede 10 evlt on Ihe 111 Ke y ReachCvil Righrs lk Force d ubquellliy all Advory Road nd ullmdy u ndin g memba of Ihe Ygill Klty Reeh Park T (VKRPT) chlIed wlh Ih Iooll nd rpenllig of AInll onetml mUCh-beloved olil y middot Co loed Reach a

lllO h IOric lId eonme ll lldmJr- 011 whnh he wved filhfu ll y dcspllt lhe phylt1 ch IIcIlllt~h( (aced J hu 1POlllt in her Ij tC frOln 200 1 to 005 ] Ild

W hee-$ (re htlng oblgared 10 eltgll from Ihe VKRPT ROald by h llh isu IvI RcrnkltSltWye~ ulInimouly cd by her colleaguelt 10 be 1 Me be On Augu 1 2005 Ihe llldmJrk 60Ih n)y o(lh 11isIOIk Pk opelling ill 45 lid walt peltcnred wilh Rcs luoli of Ihl ( lir ofiI J-nu by Chell-Mayor fallud A hi7 Jlld

Vhlrea on Ihe o ion ofhc PIg 011 (rom II enhly Iii Oil March 25 201 5 he eplar y Ik I~ mOre t h ~1Jl deSltrvin g ofpublic recognjton rnblH( and gralHude

1Jje Re-Olvcd by Ihe ROJld oflhe ViSlIi Kc) Reach Prk 1UltI Ih Mrlt ReTluce ( m vrlghl 50)lt nmc hi ellltonced 11 Ihe Allnl oflhe TuII III pcrpIIU) FOUlldlli Membltr

glf0 1ember whom Ihe (il) o( Mimi tit 011 nd Ihnvorld ha ben f)vlIciy blmed bull lidve high I) (a vorce 10 h COllored moIg Ou IIumDIO be ccogud by poICTIY di-Igulhd(xemplQr of dedicated Qnd gcncrous citJcnshjp

G vell by Ihl ROJld ofhulw oflhe VSill Key Roeh Park Tru I golr public Ro 1d IvIlaquoOngof his 6th dJy of Aprjl 20 15

MOTHERS

----------------- shytc1lt l ll lllilmiddot cAli r

Mrt lmiddot r-Sn r-t~ ry

M~---lI d NtmiddotwbvIJ middotJIIbullb l

Rd~IIJ TIbullbull i itI middotrrll(lLlt

-------_-Dr tuJ C Imklxy i ~ (t t~lyen

N ffrkk lU l)- b tj Tnbullbull Nlrc-r

0t~ ImiddotV G ckly fr1Ulll

( IlY I)fct-~ ~-kCUli middot DnTIlr--------shy

Submitted into the public recor for item(s) --DL-JC=--- --__

on 3 I lc City Clerk

~~~~~ REM E M B E R I N G 0 U R F 0 UNO I N G MOT HER

Sheriff in 1945 when she was prepared ~amp~~7~ not to ever see him alive again was a Founding Secretary of the Trustee Board very significant reminder of how serious the struggle to gain (February 7 1921 - March 25 2015) a Colored Beach actually was (since the demonstrators might have been confronted with KKK thugs rather than A better selection to hold a seat the Sheriff and became a turning point in the successful on the Board of the Virginia Key negotiations with the City to restore rather than develop the Beach Park Trust when it was historic site of Virginia Key Beach established by the City of Miami

Commissioners in 2001 could hardly have been made than Mrs Thomas was especially known as an avid educator and Mrs Eugenia B Thomas widow activist for the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and has of the late attorney Lawson E been honored by the naming of a Miami-Dade public school

Thomas who would become in her honor 41 one of the Souths first black r

judges since Reconstruction and Miami -Dades first black judge

It was attorney Lawson Thomas who famously led the bold community act of Civil

Disobedience in 1945 that led to the creation of the Countys only legally designated Colored Beach on Virginia Key fully a decade before such tactics as wade-ins would become a common strategy of the Civil Rights movement

Mrs Thomass moving recall of the morning of that courageous planned confrontation with the Dade County Eugenia B Thomas K-8 Center Miami FL

1100~~amp~w-1~ bull

Submitted into the public record for item(s) D1 I on 91 11 J Li City Clerk

bull REMEMBERING OUR FOUNDING MOTHERS

~ Ie ltkdte 1i~ Founding Chairperson of the VKBPT Trustee Board

(November 7 1915 - November 14 2006)

I()~ri~~

~ R~4-~~ Without any doubt the broad community effort to reclaim restore and reopen Historic Virginia Key Beach Park which had been closed and neglected for more than 25 years could never have succeeded without the leadership vision and dedication of the late iconic Miami matriarch Mrs M Athalie Range who enthusiastically took up the cause in her eighties in spite of her many other obligations and responsibilities

Her long history of selfless an courageous contributions to the betterment of Miami and South Florida and the deep respect that she had earned among elected officials and other prominent players proved vital to their embrace of the communitys vision for a brighter future of this fondly remembered locale as a nationally recognized historic and environmental landmark than the misguided attempt to turn the citizen -owned site over to private developers for construction of an exclusive resort

A small-but -significant Remembrance ceremony of her lOoth birthday also served as an opening observance of Native American Heritage Month and of the Indigenous history and heritage of the Park

Right Carib Tribal Indian Queen Mrs Catherine Hummingbird Ramirez with V KBPT Board Chair Gene Tinnie

in the Parks Chickee Village for a ceremony honoring Native American Hreritage Month

n ~ - ~

--~ ~ ~

Above Mrs Ranges portrait shown next to the Parks State Historical Marker with the historic Concession Stand in the background

I

Submitted into the public recort for tem(s) bt I on 31 11 I a middot City Clerk

THE 70TH ANN 1 V E R S A R Y 0 F THE PRO T EST

Remembering protest that led to openshying first beach for black Miamians

~NO ARRESTS Negroes Test

Beach Rights At Haulover

r group of negroes [siC) testing their right to use county owned bathing beaches trooped up to Bakers haulo

ver ea Wednesday

afternoon to splash in the surf off the proposed county park

They advised Sheriff Jimmy Sullivans office in advance of their intention White officers calkd also by neighboring residents went to the scene and questioned some of the SO or 60 bathers

but nude no attempt to arrest them

The bathers arrived in a motorcade sta)ed about an hour and

departed

Sheliffs DepUty RO Scruggs said he had been told of the negroes plans but had advised that there was no law under

which they would be subject to arrest

Judge Henderson president of the Negro Citizens Service league said the affair was ranged under the auspices of the

league strictly as a test of our rightS~ We erent arrested so as far as I know we will be going to the beach from noW on h e conmented If they arrest us we ll

appeal to the courts

Henderson said negroes have no bathing beach available to them now and plans for establishing one on Virginia Beach have

not shown any progress

He declared Wednesdays move -as not taken with the ide-a of causing trouble but only as a step to obtain some bathing beach

facilities

H Jd Ma) 10 1945 The M1Qml era

The protest nearly a decade before the 1945 national Civil-rights movement began to take hold quickly resulted in what was Above Reproduction of The Miami Herald

article reporting the Tuesday May 9 1945 then Dade County opening a beach to protest at Bakers Haulover reflecting the its black citizens for the first time And official police version of the event it touched off nearly two decades of

By Glenn Garvin Michael J Sainato and Lance Dixon ggarvinMiamiHeraldcom

They are all dead now - probably some of their names have been lost to time so theres no way to be certain - and theres no way to ask them if they knew they were making history But the seven black people who splashed into the water at all-white Haulover Beach 70 years ago this weekend set off ripples that would eventually turn into the most profound social upheaval in American history the civil rights movement

What they did was very very Significant said Miami historian and preservationist Enid Pinkney 83 then a teenager who followed the events at Haulover closely I cant say for sure it was the first act of civil disobedience for civil rights But it was certainly one of the very early ones not just in Florida but in the whole South

sit-ins and demonstrations to integrate restaurants nightclubs hotels and everything else in the county

A handful of people gathered Saturday morning at Haulover Beach to commemorate the history of the wadeshyin Among them was 86-year-old Mary Hill a local activist and founder of the New Day human services program in the 1960s who said she played a role in planning the protest when she was only a teenager

When I was young I used to go up and down and see the beaches and wonder why they were all white Hill said We have come from a mighty long way Back then we had no beach we had no place to put our feet

After sharing some thoughts reflections on the past some members of the group waded into the water like the seven people did back in 1945

Its very humbling to be in presence of those who were here during that period said architect Neil Hall Theyre the reason why Im here today

Saturdays ceremony was part of a year-long series of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of Virginia Key Beach which opened in 1945 as a blacksshyonly beach in response to the Haulover Beach wade-in (Continued)

2015

The 70th Anniveersary Remembrance at present-day Haulovber Beach site of the 1945 protest garnered front-page coverage in the Miami Herald Sunday May 9 2015

1100~~amp~w-1~ bull

Submitted into the public record for item(s) D1 I on 91 11 J Li City Clerk

bull REMEMBERING OUR FOUNDING MOTHERS

~ Ie ltkdte 1i~ Founding Chairperson of the VKBPT Trustee Board

(November 7 1915 - November 14 2006)

I()~ri~~

~ R~4-~~ Without any doubt the broad community effort to reclaim restore and reopen Historic Virginia Key Beach Park which had been closed and neglected for more than 25 years could never have succeeded without the leadership vision and dedication of the late iconic Miami matriarch Mrs M Athalie Range who enthusiastically took up the cause in her eighties in spite of her many other obligations and responsibilities

Her long history of selfless an courageous contributions to the betterment of Miami and South Florida and the deep respect that she had earned among elected officials and other prominent players proved vital to their embrace of the communitys vision for a brighter future of this fondly remembered locale as a nationally recognized historic and environmental landmark than the misguided attempt to turn the citizen -owned site over to private developers for construction of an exclusive resort

A small-but -significant Remembrance ceremony of her lOoth birthday also served as an opening observance of Native American Heritage Month and of the Indigenous history and heritage of the Park

Right Carib Tribal Indian Queen Mrs Catherine Hummingbird Ramirez with V KBPT Board Chair Gene Tinnie

in the Parks Chickee Village for a ceremony honoring Native American Hreritage Month

n ~ - ~

--~ ~ ~

Above Mrs Ranges portrait shown next to the Parks State Historical Marker with the historic Concession Stand in the background

I

Submitted into the public recort for tem(s) bt I on 31 11 I a middot City Clerk

THE 70TH ANN 1 V E R S A R Y 0 F THE PRO T EST

Remembering protest that led to openshying first beach for black Miamians

~NO ARRESTS Negroes Test

Beach Rights At Haulover

r group of negroes [siC) testing their right to use county owned bathing beaches trooped up to Bakers haulo

ver ea Wednesday

afternoon to splash in the surf off the proposed county park

They advised Sheriff Jimmy Sullivans office in advance of their intention White officers calkd also by neighboring residents went to the scene and questioned some of the SO or 60 bathers

but nude no attempt to arrest them

The bathers arrived in a motorcade sta)ed about an hour and

departed

Sheliffs DepUty RO Scruggs said he had been told of the negroes plans but had advised that there was no law under

which they would be subject to arrest

Judge Henderson president of the Negro Citizens Service league said the affair was ranged under the auspices of the

league strictly as a test of our rightS~ We erent arrested so as far as I know we will be going to the beach from noW on h e conmented If they arrest us we ll

appeal to the courts

Henderson said negroes have no bathing beach available to them now and plans for establishing one on Virginia Beach have

not shown any progress

He declared Wednesdays move -as not taken with the ide-a of causing trouble but only as a step to obtain some bathing beach

facilities

H Jd Ma) 10 1945 The M1Qml era

The protest nearly a decade before the 1945 national Civil-rights movement began to take hold quickly resulted in what was Above Reproduction of The Miami Herald

article reporting the Tuesday May 9 1945 then Dade County opening a beach to protest at Bakers Haulover reflecting the its black citizens for the first time And official police version of the event it touched off nearly two decades of

By Glenn Garvin Michael J Sainato and Lance Dixon ggarvinMiamiHeraldcom

They are all dead now - probably some of their names have been lost to time so theres no way to be certain - and theres no way to ask them if they knew they were making history But the seven black people who splashed into the water at all-white Haulover Beach 70 years ago this weekend set off ripples that would eventually turn into the most profound social upheaval in American history the civil rights movement

What they did was very very Significant said Miami historian and preservationist Enid Pinkney 83 then a teenager who followed the events at Haulover closely I cant say for sure it was the first act of civil disobedience for civil rights But it was certainly one of the very early ones not just in Florida but in the whole South

sit-ins and demonstrations to integrate restaurants nightclubs hotels and everything else in the county

A handful of people gathered Saturday morning at Haulover Beach to commemorate the history of the wadeshyin Among them was 86-year-old Mary Hill a local activist and founder of the New Day human services program in the 1960s who said she played a role in planning the protest when she was only a teenager

When I was young I used to go up and down and see the beaches and wonder why they were all white Hill said We have come from a mighty long way Back then we had no beach we had no place to put our feet

After sharing some thoughts reflections on the past some members of the group waded into the water like the seven people did back in 1945

Its very humbling to be in presence of those who were here during that period said architect Neil Hall Theyre the reason why Im here today

Saturdays ceremony was part of a year-long series of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of Virginia Key Beach which opened in 1945 as a blacksshyonly beach in response to the Haulover Beach wade-in (Continued)

2015

The 70th Anniveersary Remembrance at present-day Haulovber Beach site of the 1945 protest garnered front-page coverage in the Miami Herald Sunday May 9 2015

Submitted into the public recort for tem(s) bt I on 31 11 I a middot City Clerk

THE 70TH ANN 1 V E R S A R Y 0 F THE PRO T EST

Remembering protest that led to openshying first beach for black Miamians

~NO ARRESTS Negroes Test

Beach Rights At Haulover

r group of negroes [siC) testing their right to use county owned bathing beaches trooped up to Bakers haulo

ver ea Wednesday

afternoon to splash in the surf off the proposed county park

They advised Sheriff Jimmy Sullivans office in advance of their intention White officers calkd also by neighboring residents went to the scene and questioned some of the SO or 60 bathers

but nude no attempt to arrest them

The bathers arrived in a motorcade sta)ed about an hour and

departed

Sheliffs DepUty RO Scruggs said he had been told of the negroes plans but had advised that there was no law under

which they would be subject to arrest

Judge Henderson president of the Negro Citizens Service league said the affair was ranged under the auspices of the

league strictly as a test of our rightS~ We erent arrested so as far as I know we will be going to the beach from noW on h e conmented If they arrest us we ll

appeal to the courts

Henderson said negroes have no bathing beach available to them now and plans for establishing one on Virginia Beach have

not shown any progress

He declared Wednesdays move -as not taken with the ide-a of causing trouble but only as a step to obtain some bathing beach

facilities

H Jd Ma) 10 1945 The M1Qml era

The protest nearly a decade before the 1945 national Civil-rights movement began to take hold quickly resulted in what was Above Reproduction of The Miami Herald

article reporting the Tuesday May 9 1945 then Dade County opening a beach to protest at Bakers Haulover reflecting the its black citizens for the first time And official police version of the event it touched off nearly two decades of

By Glenn Garvin Michael J Sainato and Lance Dixon ggarvinMiamiHeraldcom

They are all dead now - probably some of their names have been lost to time so theres no way to be certain - and theres no way to ask them if they knew they were making history But the seven black people who splashed into the water at all-white Haulover Beach 70 years ago this weekend set off ripples that would eventually turn into the most profound social upheaval in American history the civil rights movement

What they did was very very Significant said Miami historian and preservationist Enid Pinkney 83 then a teenager who followed the events at Haulover closely I cant say for sure it was the first act of civil disobedience for civil rights But it was certainly one of the very early ones not just in Florida but in the whole South

sit-ins and demonstrations to integrate restaurants nightclubs hotels and everything else in the county

A handful of people gathered Saturday morning at Haulover Beach to commemorate the history of the wadeshyin Among them was 86-year-old Mary Hill a local activist and founder of the New Day human services program in the 1960s who said she played a role in planning the protest when she was only a teenager

When I was young I used to go up and down and see the beaches and wonder why they were all white Hill said We have come from a mighty long way Back then we had no beach we had no place to put our feet

After sharing some thoughts reflections on the past some members of the group waded into the water like the seven people did back in 1945

Its very humbling to be in presence of those who were here during that period said architect Neil Hall Theyre the reason why Im here today

Saturdays ceremony was part of a year-long series of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of Virginia Key Beach which opened in 1945 as a blacksshyonly beach in response to the Haulover Beach wade-in (Continued)

2015

The 70th Anniveersary Remembrance at present-day Haulovber Beach site of the 1945 protest garnered front-page coverage in the Miami Herald Sunday May 9 2015

been

an

from

beach

Remembrance (continued)

It was also the second event in two days commemorating significant places and events in South Floridas black history A gaggle of local officials and VIPs gathered Friday in Brownsville for the grand opening of the restored Hampton House for decades the only place black visitors could stay in Miami during the segregation era

The Haulover Beach wade-in by contrast was hardly noticed at all when it took place - at least in white Miami But in the black part of town it was like a thunderclap

In the early years of the 20th century when Miami and

History lesso n Gene Tinnie left talks to a small group about the 1945 protests at Haulover that led to the creation Virginia Key which initially was designated as black only Peter Andrew Basch - Miami Herald staff

Miami Beach were barely cities and most of the beaches lay well away from populated areas there were few rules about their use By the 1920s however all two dozen or so beaches were reserved for whites only

There was no place for black people to go in the water in Dade Pinkney recalled last week If you wanted to set foot in the ocean you had to go up to Broward which was quite a drive then Young black daredevils would sometimes venture onto Haulover or the long stretch of undeveloped beach north of the Fontainebleau Hotel but at their considerable peril

If they were spotted theyd at least get chased off or

Submitted into the public foytem(s) Dr Lo I IL2 - City Clerk

THE 70TH ANN I V E R 5 A R Y 0 F THE H A U L 0 V E R

sometimes put in jail for disorderly conduct said Garth Reeves 96 whose family has

publishing the Miami Times newspaper in the black community since 1923 And

arrest record in those days was serious - that could really follow you around keep you

getting jobs fhere was always something keeping us away from those beaches

Blacks had chafed under the restrictions for years

but World War II raised the temperature conSiderably First thousands of black military men

from unsegregated parts of the country trooped through town expressing surprise and anger that they couldnt use Miamis fabled beaches Then local soldiers began returning from the war wondering why they had been fighting for freedom in Europe and the Pacific that they didnt have at home

The subtext of all this is that the war is winding down and black soldiers are coming home and

a lot of them are talking about what they called the Double-V victory abroad victory at home said Gene Tinnie a former FrU humanities professor who is now chairman of the Virginia Key Beach Trust They said If theres going to be freedom and equality over there abroad then we should have it here

Nonetheless the Haulover wade-in didnt have a very radical objective The idea was not to integrate white beaches only to get one set aside for blacks They were really just trying to make the county live up to the rule of segregation which was separate but equal said Tinnie You couldnt say things were equal when white people had nearly 30 beaches and black people didnt have any

The wade-in was planned by a group ofcommunity leaders w ho belonged to the Negro Citizens Service League a forerunner of the Urban League It called for a large group assembled from the congregations of black churches to assemble at Haulover and go into the water Attorney Lawson Thomas who years later would become the countys first judge stood by on the shore with a wad of cash in his pocket to pay bail when the protesters were arrested

B E A C H PRO T EST

Some of the organizers privately believed that arrest was the very least of the things they had to worry about Thomas wife Eugenia would later confide to friends that when he left for the beach she never expected to see him alive again

Mary Hill the founder of the New Day Human services program listElls to Gene Tinnie talk to a small group of people in an informal reshyenactmEllt Saturday of the 1945 protest at Haulover That protest led to the creation of the beach an Virginia Key Beach where black people could swim Peter Andrew Bosch - Miami Herald stajJ

There was no guarantee that the sheriff would be the one to show up and greet these demonstrators said Tinnie who in the 1990s interviewed many family members of the

Submitted into the public rccord(Or irem(s) bI middot 10 on ~ II J R

Remembrance (continued)

protesters It could easily have been somebody from the Ku Klux Klan and then youre

looking at a whole different outcome

As it turned out though neither the Klan nor almost anybody else showed up on the afternoon of May 9 1945 Although the Miami Herald apparently relying on the word of police would report the next morning that 50 or 60 protesters went swimming the protesters themselves said later that only two people showed up at the scheduled time

One of the planners a black labor-union ofIi cia 1 named Judge Henderson scurried around town rounding up volunteers including two

US Navy sailors he ran into Others who went into the water included two grocers Otis

Mundy and May Dell Braynon and Annie Coleman founder of the Overtown Womens Club (Like Thomas and Henderson Mundy Braynon and Coleman all died years ago)

Now that a team of protesters had assembled just one thing was lacking Some police to arrest them SiJ1Ce nobody had

called the cops Henderson did it himself But when Dades

affable sheriff Smiling Jimmy

A group of bathers on Virginia Key Beach Black Archives

Sullivan showed up he wouldnt play his part

Come on out of the water because hes going to put you all in jail the attorney Lawson Thomas called out to demonstrators as he prepared

to pull out his bail money Interrupted the sheriff Now you know I cant do that But

theyre not supposed to be in there

Thomas turned to the protesters Go back in then he instructed them

They had this strange backshy

and-forth for quite a while said the Virginia Key Beach Trusts

Tinnie The sheriff would say Yall know youre not supposed to do that so come out And they would say Well if youre not gonna arrest us were gonna

stai

Tinnie believes that cit y officials had warned the sheriff they didnt want trouble

The war is ending Miami is opening to the world its all

about tourists and sun and fun he said You dont want to

besmirch the image Arresting a bunch of black people for swimming might have played well in the rest of the South but not to tourists from Europe The sheriff finally gave up and

went home followed soon by the protesters who thought theyd lost They were wrong - less than a month later the country announced that Virginia Key Beach would become its first colored beach It opened on Aug 11945

The beach at first was less than ideal espeCially because the Rickenbacker Causeway hadnt

been built yet and the only way to reach Virginia Key was by boat So many black beachshybathers lined up for the trip on weekends that it could take two hours to cross

But the half-mile-long beach and the 82-acre park

surrounding it were steadily upgraded with concession stands cabanas a dance floor carousel and even a mini-train to travel the grounds By 1959 its reputation was so alluring that it was featured in a story in

Look magazine

But by then separate but equal was no longer enough to satisfy Miamis black population

Miami Times publisher Garth Reeves remembers that when he returned home after serving

nearly four years in the US Army during World War II and discovered the county had a black beach it was the happiest

time of my life

When I left for the war

there wasnt any integration anYlhere around Miami Reeves said That was true segregation I went to an allshy

black high school and an allshyblack college Every damn thing was closed to us

So he loved Virginia Key Beach But it was still an artifact of

segregation and that gnawed at him The county had 28

Submitted into the public record for item(s) Dl~ IoIk-___ on gII )11 ~ City Clerk

~~s~7kd~A~A

~--- __ - ~1~ - 4

- ~-~--a -------shy -

Remembrance (continued)

municipal beaches and we were restricted to one the so-called colored beach Reeves said That didnt set right for me

[n the mid-1950s Reeves and other black community leaders filed a suit to open the rest of the beaches It didnt go anywhere even though the county attorneys office told the surprised Reeves that they werent even sure there was an actual law segregating the beaches

Finally in November 1959 Reeves and 11 other black leaders asked Dade County commissioners to meet with them at Crandon Park on Key

Biscayne then th e crown jewel of the county recreation system

We called the meeting for 10 am Reeves remembered We said Were citizens were taxpayers and we want to use public beachesWhat are you going to do about this sil uation

They didnt really have anything to say in return so we told them we would be back at 2 pm and we were going to go into the water You want to beat us up or put us in jail go ahead we said

When the group returned at 2 pm just like the Haulover Beach wade-in its membersh ip

had unaccountably shrunk to five all men wearing bathing trunks under their suits They heard noise from the Crandon bath house and - fearing they would be jumped inside shyavoided it walking directly down 10 the beach where they shed shoes and clothing and walked into the ocean

And what happened was nothing a chuckling Reeves remembered No county

commissioners came no police came So we swam around for 15 or 20 minutes and left Just as it had in 1945 the county quietly folded its hand We sent our people to six or eight other publiC beaches the next day just to be su re and nobody said anything to them either said Reeves So that was the end of segregated beaches

Ironically integrati on killed Virginia Key Beach Ine crowds thinned maintenance declined and its reputation turned dodgy [n 1982 it closed only to be resurrected in 2008 as an ecological park and historic site And says Tinnie as a symbol of what could have been for the rest of the South - a civil rights

achievement not pockmarked by bullets billy clubs bombs or the teeth of police dogs

Miami was not Birmingham with all the hate and divisiveness said Tinnie This was something better This was a place where two populations learned to respect each other

A previous version of this story listed the wrong date for the founding of the Miami Times

newspaper Tne paper began publishing in 1923

Read more here http wwwmiamiheraldcom news local community miami-dade article20608311 htmlstorylink=cpy

CIT Y 0 F M I A -MJ- V I R G-INj~~lrY--BiE A-CmiddotH~-P~ARmiddotK~middot~T R US T - _--~--t- __~ __ -- _ _ -~- -- ~ -- - -

Submitted into the public rccord(Or irem(s) bI middot 10 on ~ II J R

Remembrance (continued)

protesters It could easily have been somebody from the Ku Klux Klan and then youre

looking at a whole different outcome

As it turned out though neither the Klan nor almost anybody else showed up on the afternoon of May 9 1945 Although the Miami Herald apparently relying on the word of police would report the next morning that 50 or 60 protesters went swimming the protesters themselves said later that only two people showed up at the scheduled time

One of the planners a black labor-union ofIi cia 1 named Judge Henderson scurried around town rounding up volunteers including two

US Navy sailors he ran into Others who went into the water included two grocers Otis

Mundy and May Dell Braynon and Annie Coleman founder of the Overtown Womens Club (Like Thomas and Henderson Mundy Braynon and Coleman all died years ago)

Now that a team of protesters had assembled just one thing was lacking Some police to arrest them SiJ1Ce nobody had

called the cops Henderson did it himself But when Dades

affable sheriff Smiling Jimmy

A group of bathers on Virginia Key Beach Black Archives

Sullivan showed up he wouldnt play his part

Come on out of the water because hes going to put you all in jail the attorney Lawson Thomas called out to demonstrators as he prepared

to pull out his bail money Interrupted the sheriff Now you know I cant do that But

theyre not supposed to be in there

Thomas turned to the protesters Go back in then he instructed them

They had this strange backshy

and-forth for quite a while said the Virginia Key Beach Trusts

Tinnie The sheriff would say Yall know youre not supposed to do that so come out And they would say Well if youre not gonna arrest us were gonna

stai

Tinnie believes that cit y officials had warned the sheriff they didnt want trouble

The war is ending Miami is opening to the world its all

about tourists and sun and fun he said You dont want to

besmirch the image Arresting a bunch of black people for swimming might have played well in the rest of the South but not to tourists from Europe The sheriff finally gave up and

went home followed soon by the protesters who thought theyd lost They were wrong - less than a month later the country announced that Virginia Key Beach would become its first colored beach It opened on Aug 11945

The beach at first was less than ideal espeCially because the Rickenbacker Causeway hadnt

been built yet and the only way to reach Virginia Key was by boat So many black beachshybathers lined up for the trip on weekends that it could take two hours to cross

But the half-mile-long beach and the 82-acre park

surrounding it were steadily upgraded with concession stands cabanas a dance floor carousel and even a mini-train to travel the grounds By 1959 its reputation was so alluring that it was featured in a story in

Look magazine

But by then separate but equal was no longer enough to satisfy Miamis black population

Miami Times publisher Garth Reeves remembers that when he returned home after serving

nearly four years in the US Army during World War II and discovered the county had a black beach it was the happiest

time of my life

When I left for the war

there wasnt any integration anYlhere around Miami Reeves said That was true segregation I went to an allshy

black high school and an allshyblack college Every damn thing was closed to us

So he loved Virginia Key Beach But it was still an artifact of

segregation and that gnawed at him The county had 28

Submitted into the public record for item(s) Dl~ IoIk-___ on gII )11 ~ City Clerk

~~s~7kd~A~A

~--- __ - ~1~ - 4

- ~-~--a -------shy -

Remembrance (continued)

municipal beaches and we were restricted to one the so-called colored beach Reeves said That didnt set right for me

[n the mid-1950s Reeves and other black community leaders filed a suit to open the rest of the beaches It didnt go anywhere even though the county attorneys office told the surprised Reeves that they werent even sure there was an actual law segregating the beaches

Finally in November 1959 Reeves and 11 other black leaders asked Dade County commissioners to meet with them at Crandon Park on Key

Biscayne then th e crown jewel of the county recreation system

We called the meeting for 10 am Reeves remembered We said Were citizens were taxpayers and we want to use public beachesWhat are you going to do about this sil uation

They didnt really have anything to say in return so we told them we would be back at 2 pm and we were going to go into the water You want to beat us up or put us in jail go ahead we said

When the group returned at 2 pm just like the Haulover Beach wade-in its membersh ip

had unaccountably shrunk to five all men wearing bathing trunks under their suits They heard noise from the Crandon bath house and - fearing they would be jumped inside shyavoided it walking directly down 10 the beach where they shed shoes and clothing and walked into the ocean

And what happened was nothing a chuckling Reeves remembered No county

commissioners came no police came So we swam around for 15 or 20 minutes and left Just as it had in 1945 the county quietly folded its hand We sent our people to six or eight other publiC beaches the next day just to be su re and nobody said anything to them either said Reeves So that was the end of segregated beaches

Ironically integrati on killed Virginia Key Beach Ine crowds thinned maintenance declined and its reputation turned dodgy [n 1982 it closed only to be resurrected in 2008 as an ecological park and historic site And says Tinnie as a symbol of what could have been for the rest of the South - a civil rights

achievement not pockmarked by bullets billy clubs bombs or the teeth of police dogs

Miami was not Birmingham with all the hate and divisiveness said Tinnie This was something better This was a place where two populations learned to respect each other

A previous version of this story listed the wrong date for the founding of the Miami Times

newspaper Tne paper began publishing in 1923

Read more here http wwwmiamiheraldcom news local community miami-dade article20608311 htmlstorylink=cpy

CIT Y 0 F M I A -MJ- V I R G-INj~~lrY--BiE A-CmiddotH~-P~ARmiddotK~middot~T R US T - _--~--t- __~ __ -- _ _ -~- -- ~ -- - -

Submitted into the public record for item(s) Dl~ IoIk-___ on gII )11 ~ City Clerk

~~s~7kd~A~A

~--- __ - ~1~ - 4

- ~-~--a -------shy -

Remembrance (continued)

municipal beaches and we were restricted to one the so-called colored beach Reeves said That didnt set right for me

[n the mid-1950s Reeves and other black community leaders filed a suit to open the rest of the beaches It didnt go anywhere even though the county attorneys office told the surprised Reeves that they werent even sure there was an actual law segregating the beaches

Finally in November 1959 Reeves and 11 other black leaders asked Dade County commissioners to meet with them at Crandon Park on Key

Biscayne then th e crown jewel of the county recreation system

We called the meeting for 10 am Reeves remembered We said Were citizens were taxpayers and we want to use public beachesWhat are you going to do about this sil uation

They didnt really have anything to say in return so we told them we would be back at 2 pm and we were going to go into the water You want to beat us up or put us in jail go ahead we said

When the group returned at 2 pm just like the Haulover Beach wade-in its membersh ip

had unaccountably shrunk to five all men wearing bathing trunks under their suits They heard noise from the Crandon bath house and - fearing they would be jumped inside shyavoided it walking directly down 10 the beach where they shed shoes and clothing and walked into the ocean

And what happened was nothing a chuckling Reeves remembered No county

commissioners came no police came So we swam around for 15 or 20 minutes and left Just as it had in 1945 the county quietly folded its hand We sent our people to six or eight other publiC beaches the next day just to be su re and nobody said anything to them either said Reeves So that was the end of segregated beaches

Ironically integrati on killed Virginia Key Beach Ine crowds thinned maintenance declined and its reputation turned dodgy [n 1982 it closed only to be resurrected in 2008 as an ecological park and historic site And says Tinnie as a symbol of what could have been for the rest of the South - a civil rights

achievement not pockmarked by bullets billy clubs bombs or the teeth of police dogs

Miami was not Birmingham with all the hate and divisiveness said Tinnie This was something better This was a place where two populations learned to respect each other

A previous version of this story listed the wrong date for the founding of the Miami Times

newspaper Tne paper began publishing in 1923

Read more here http wwwmiamiheraldcom news local community miami-dade article20608311 htmlstorylink=cpy

CIT Y 0 F M I A -MJ- V I R G-INj~~lrY--BiE A-CmiddotH~-P~ARmiddotK~middot~T R US T - _--~--t- __~ __ -- _ _ -~- -- ~ -- - -