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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI
The
recorded history of South Miami began at the turn of the century when the
rich farmlands of South Dade lured pioneers down through Little Hunting Ground
to Big Hunting Ground.
In 1897, W.A. Larkins, an early pioneer and founder of South Miami, brought his family into the wilderness at the southernmost end of the wagon trail that is now the Ingraham Highway. He started a small dairy and a year later established a post office.
Upon the completion of the Miami to Homestead extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad in 1906, Larkins bought the property west of what is now Red Road and south of Sunset Drive and established the first grocery and general supply store located in the area, and the surrounding community was named Larkins in honor of the Postmaster.
By 1917, the population of Larkins had swelled
to 350. As with much of Florida, the real estate boom of the Roaring '20's
had a large impact on Larkins. Land values reached an all-time high when a
ten-acre tract sold for $100,000. The epicenter of the boom was near the original
Riviera Theater, which is more commonly referred to today as the Shops at
Sunset Place.
Beginning in the mid-1920's, many citizens of Larkins expressed a desire to
incorporate their burgeoning community. In March of 1926, a group of qualified
voters met and voted affirmatively to annex an area of approximately 6 square
miles, bounded on the East by Red Road, on the South by SW 104 Street and
Kendall Drive, on the West by Ludlam and the Palmetto and on the North by
Bird Road.
The citizens of the newly incorporated area named the new municipality the Town of South Miami and elected Judge WA Foster as Mayor and JL Paxson, JW Barrs, John Myers, WG Stang, RL Martin, JB Janes and Harold Dorn as Aldermen.
The Town Council immediately went to work. Within weeks, it established a Town Seal; formulated a town code; rented a building to be the Town Hall; purchased a fire truck; and appointed a health officer, engineer and an attorney.
Many citizens became dissatisfied with the municipality's status as a town, feeling that the "town" was being ignored by the State and Federal Governments, and began calling for a change to a "city". Therefore, the Town of South Miami prepared a new charter and presented it to the Florida Legislature during its 1927 Session. The Florida Legislature approved the charter, and on June 24, 1927, the Town of South Miami ceased to exist and the City of South Miami was born.
During
World War II, South Miami's development temporarily slowed, but the post-war
period brought exponential growth. The tremendous impacts of growth soon caused
the City to realize that its original charter was inadequate. Consequently,
a committee was appointed to study the existing charter's shortcomings and
recommend improvements. The committee recommended an entirely new charter
providing for a city manager-commission form of government. The new charter
and form of government were instituted on July 31, 1953, upon the approval
of a citizen referendum.
Since the 1950's the City and its charter have experienced several changes, but have largely remained true to the pioneers' vision. Today, much like the post-war period, the City of South Miami is experiencing tremendous growth and redevelopment, as people have recognized the unique "small-town" atmosphere of the "City of Pleasant Living". The City stands poised to lead by example in the next millennium.