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Rail Development
The first rail development authorized in Florida was the Tallahassee-St. Marks line, chartered in 1834. The first train to operate, however, was the Lake Wimico line that connected the boomtown of St. Joseph to the Apalachicola River in 1836. -
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Slavery
“From 1845 to 1860, it was one of the fastest-growing slave states in the union,” said Larry E. Rivers, author of “Slavery in Florida” and president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia. “When things were slowing down in Virginia and still going in South Carolina and North Carolina, slavery in Florida was growing in leaps and bounds.” -
Florida becomes a state
Florida became the twenty-seventh state in the United States on March 3, 1845 -
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Population Growth
By 1850 the population had grown to 87,445, including about 39,000 African American slaves. -
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Internal Improvement Act
The growth of Florida’s transportation industry had its origins in 1855, when the state legislature passed the Internal Improvement Act. The Internal Improvement Act stimulated the initial efforts to drain the southern portion of the state in order to convert it to farmland. -
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Slavery
In 1860, enslaved African Americans numbered nearly 62,000, or forty-four percent of the 140,424 residents of the State of Florida. During the Civil War thousands of enslaved Floridians escaped from their owners and found refuge in the Union-occupied towns of Fernandina, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Key West, where they were considered “contraband of war” and were not returned to their former owners. -
Tallahassee occupied by federal troops
Tallahassee was the only southern capital east of the Mississippi River to avoid capture during the war, spared by southern victories at Olustee (1864) and Natural Bridge (1865). Ultimately, the South was defeated, and federal troops occupied Tallahassee on May 10, 1865. -
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Tourism begins
Beginning in the 1870s, residents from northern states visited Florida as tourists to enjoy the state’s natural beauty and mild climate. Steamboat tours on Florida’s winding rivers were a popular attraction for these visitors. -
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Charter for the Pensacola & Atlantic Railroad
William D. Chipley, railroad baron in the Panhandle; received a charter to construct the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad across West Florida to Apalachicola in 1874. The Panhandle was dependent upon river transportation which only flowed southward until Chipley spanned the rivers and connected the Panhandle to northbound railroads in East Florida. -
South Florida Railroad
Henry B. Plant, a railroad baron on the Gulf of Mexico; started the railroad boom when he obtained a charter for a South Florida Railroad from Sanford on the St. Johns River to Tampa Bay on October 16, 1845. Plant's railroad turned Tampa into a deep water center for freighters and steamers from Cuba and South America. The rail line opened up the region to citrus and vegetable growers for it no longer took twenty days to reach Northern markets by boat. -
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Phosphate Mining
Florida phosphate mining dates back to the first hard rock deposits found near Hawthorne in Alachua County in 1883. Early mining was with wheelbarrows, picks and shovels. Next came mule-drawn scrapers. Steam shovels and centrifugal pumps mounted on barges were also used to mine the river-pebble phosphate deposits in the Peace River. But, river-pebble mining ended in 1908. -
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Henry F. Flagler Railroad
Henry F. Flagler on the Atlantic Coast was the most ambitious of the railroad barons since his empire eventually stretched from Northeast Florida to Key West. In 1885 he purchased the small Jacksonville to St. Augustine to Halifax Railroad. In 1896, Flagler's train reached the Miami area. Unfortunately, the Hurricane of 1935 would destroy Flagler's amazing Overseas Railroad. -
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Thomas Edison
In 1885, Thomas Edison bought property in Fort Myers, Florida, and built what was later called Seminole Lodge as a winter retreat. Edison and his wife Mina spent many winters in Fort Myers. Edison’s good friend Henry Ford purchased the adjoining property in 1916 -
Florida A & M
Florida A&M, started in October of 1887, was the only black public university. The other colleges like Bethune-Cookman were private. There was Edward Waters College (1883), operated by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Florida Memorial (1879), run by the Southern Black Baptists. -
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Wave Election
GOP +130 (out of 357 total seats). The 1894 midterm election was the biggest wave election in American history. On Election Day, the unemployment rate was between 12 and 18 percent. Voters blamed the bad economy on Democratic President Grover Cleveland. -
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Early 1900s
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Wave Elections
1904: GOP +44 (out of 386 total seats). The popularity of Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, who was on the ballot, was enough to generate a Republican wave. -
Ford Model T
On August 12, 1908, the first Ford Model T rolled off the production line, opening up the automobile for mass consumption. Ford’s idea of a low-cost, easy maintenance, reliable "universal car" changed the country and made Florida more accessible to tourism. -
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Wave Elections
1910: Dems + 58 (out of 394 total seats). The unpopularity of President William Howard Taft combined with infighting in the Republican Party translated into large Democratic gains. -
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Wave Elections
1912: Dems +61. Continued conflict between the progressive and conservative wings of the Republican Party, together with the perception that Republicans were corrupt, resulted in a second consecutive Democratic wave. -
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Wave Elections
1914: GOP +62. After two disastrous elections in a row, Republicans were able to bounce back by taking credit for the booming economy. -
Panama Canal Officially Opened
August 15, 1914 the Panama Canal was officially opened by the passing of the SS Ancon. At the time, no single effort in American history had exacted such a price in dollars or in human life. Together the French and American expenditures totaled $639,000,000. It is estimated that over 80,000 persons took part in the construction and that over 30,000 lives were lost in both French and American efforts. -
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Prohibition - Rum Running
National Prohibition went into effect in 1920. Unlike other Southern states, Florida had serious Prohibition problems due to both its close proximity to the Bahamas and Cuba, and its general environment as a vacation group for Northerners and foreigners. -
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Wave Elections
1920: GOP +62. Voters, upset with the Democrats’ interventionist foreign policies, threw their support behind Republicans, who promised a return to isolationism. -
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Phosphate Mining
Draglines, the current mining tool, came into use with the dawn of electricity and diesel power in the 1920s and 1930s. The dragline significantly changed the mining operation. In 1900 it took 3-4 years to mine 15 acres with picks and shovels. In the early days of the small draglines, about 5 acres were mined in a year. As draglines grew in size, companies were able to mine 500-600 acres a year, but today's draglines are able to mine 15 acres a month. -
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Pari-mutuels
Greyhounds were bred to hunt by outrunning their prey and they can run 45mph within 30 feet. These dogs enjoy working with other dogs as well as being around other dogs. This part of a greyhound’s personality makes them perfect for racing. It is the sixth largest spectator sport in the world. In 1922, Florida became the “US Capital” of the sport of greyhound racing. -
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Wave Elections
1922: Dems +76. Despite a strong economy and a Republican president, the GOP lost a large number of seats. The loss was blamed on infighting between the GOP’s progressive and conservative wings. -
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Cattle Tick
The early 1900's brought a few more difficulties for Florida cattlemen, all of which began the mandate to put livestock on the other side of fences. The first was the Texas fever tick. The tick was already a severe pest in Florida by 1906. This added another cost to raising cows: fencing, so stock could be controlled without extensive cowhunts. In 1923 the state of Florida implemented a mandatory cattle dipping program. Cattle had to be dipped every 14 days. -
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Housing Bubble
The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble, which burst in 1925, leaving behind entire new cities and the remains of failed development projects such as Isola di Lolando in north Biscayne Bay. The preceding land boom shaped Florida's future for decades and created entire new cities out of the Everglades land that remain today. -
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Key West Tourism
In July of 1926, Key West replaced its aging electric street cars with buses. The Overseas Highway was completed and officially opened in 1928 for two-way traffic to and from Key West via three ferry boats serving about 40 miles of the trip. In May 1929 the overland bus company, Florida Motor Lines began an extensive campaign to promote Key West as the tourist Mecca of Florida. -
Great Miami Hurricane
The 1926 Miami hurricane (or Great Miami Hurricane) was a Category 4 hurricane that devastated Miami in September 1926. The storm also caused significant damage in the Florida Panhandle, the U.S. state of Alabama, and the Bahamas. The storm's enormous regional economic impact helped end the Florida land boom of the 1920s and pushed the region on an early start into the Great Depression. -
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Pan-American Begins mail service from Key West
Pan Am began mail service from Key West to Havana in October of 1927. Soon after they were offering passenger service as well. -
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Eastern Airlines begins service
In 1927 Pitcairn Aviation, a tiny carrier owned by Harold F. Pitcairn, received government contracts to carry airmail along an "eastern route" that connected New York to Florida via Atlanta. In 1929 Clement Keys changed the carrier after purchase to Eastern Air Transport. A year later, the company added passenger service along a route that connected sixteen eastern seaboard cities, including Augusta and Savannah. -
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John Ringling
John Ringling and his wife started spending winters in Sarasota in 1909. He brought art and culture with him. He did it in such grand, circus style that he set the pace for the artistic and cultural development that came after him.In 1927, John Ringling moved the winter quarters of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus to Sarasota. The area became home to many great stars of circus fame. -
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Pari-Mutuels
Betting on horse racing has been around for hundreds of years dating back to colonial times, horse owners would put up a stake on their horse at the beginning of a race. Pari-Mutuel betting, a French term which means “mutual stake” came about after an unsuccessful stint during the nineteenth century. The first year round horseracing in Florida began in the 1930’s with the inception of winter racing. In 1931, The Florida State Racing Commission was established to regulate the industry. -
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Wave Elections
1930: Dems +52. Great Depression + Republican president = large GOP losses. -
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Wave Elections
1932: Dems +97. Voters elected FDR and punished Republicans, whom they blamed for the Great Depression. Democrats also picked up 12 Senate seats, giving them a 59-36 majority. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to several provisions for general welfare, the new Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement. -
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Racing at Daytona
In 1936, the precursor to today's Daytona 500 was born on a course that went down 1.5 miles of highway, then turned and came the same distance back up the beach.William H.G. France, a mechanic and racer who'd moved south from Washington, D.C., eventually took over the job of running the beach races on the second of two courses used for those events. In 1947, he presided over a meeting at Daytona's Streamline Hotel where NASCAR was born. -
Cypress Gardens Opens
Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park,[1] Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belles. -
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Wave Elections
1938: GOP +81. Voters were angry about the economy, which deteriorated in 1937 and 1938. They blamed FDR and began to believe the New Deal wasn’t working. Voters were also upset over FDR’s court-packing scheme. Moreover, before the election, the GOP controlled just 88 seats, which meant that there were a huge number of traditionally GOP seats held by Democrats. In 1938, Republicans picked up many of those seats. -
Key West Tourism
The new Overseas Highway opening Key West to and from the nation was brought to national attention when on February 18, 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt passed through the Upper Keys in route to Key West to board the cruiser Houston to observe war games in the Caribbean. Former Florida F.E.R.A./W.P.A. director Julius Stone's 1934 exhortation to Key West of its tourist potential was now a reality. The Gibraltar of the South had a usable vehicle artery to and from the mainland. -
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Wave Elections
1942: GOP +47. With WWII going badly and the economy continuing to struggle, support for the Democratic Party began to wane. -
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Sunscreen
In the early 1930's, South Australian chemist, HA Milton Blake, experimented to produce a sunburn cream. The founder of L'Oreal, chemist Eugene Schueller, invented the first sunscreen in 1936. In 1944, Florida pharmacist, Benjamin Green invented a suntan cream in his kitchen that became Coppertone Suntan Cream. In 1980, Coppertone developed the first UVA/UVB sunscreen. -
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Wave Elections
1946: GOP +55. The unpopularity of Democratic President Harry Truman and a weak economy were enough to generate a large Republican wave, giving the GOP its first House majority since 1932. Republicans also picked up 12 Senate seats, giving them a narrow 51-46 majority in the upper chamber. -
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Air Conditioning
Mass-produced, low-cost window air conditioners become possible as a result of innovations by engineer Henry Galson, who sets up production lines for a number of manufacturers. In 1947, 43,000 window air conditioners are sold in the United States. For the first time, many homeowners can enjoy air conditioning without having to buy a new home or renovate their heating system. -
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Wave Elections
1948: Dems +75. Voters reelected President Truman, who ran against what he called the “do-nothing” Republican Congress. Democrats took back control of the House. -
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Television
By 1950, the FCC had announced the CBS color system as the national standard, and by 1951, CBS had started color broadcasts in the East Coast of the US. Not to be left behind, RCA sued CBS as their system could not be used with the millions of black and white televisions across America, most of which were RCA sets. -
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Florida Turnpike
The original 110-mile stretch of roadway from the Golden Glades in Miami to Fort Pierce, known as the Sunshine State Parkway, opens under the direction of the now-defunct Florida State Turnpike Authority. -
Seminole Constitution Established
On July 21, 1957, tribal members voted in favor of a Seminole Constitution which established the federally recognized Seminole Tribe of Florida. -
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Wave Elections
1958: Dems +49. Voters blamed Republican President Dwight Eisenhower for the Recession of 1958. Voters were also upset that the USSR seemed to be winning the Cold War, particularly after the Soviets successfully launched Sputnik, the first satellite, into orbit. -
NASA Created
On July 29, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 85-568, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA. -
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South Florida and Latin America Deposits
Following the 1959 revolution that unseated Fulgencio Batista and brought Fidel Castro to power, most Cubans who were living in Miami went back to Cuba. That soon changed, and many middle class and upper class Cubans moved to Florida in masse with few possessions. -
Daytona 500
On February 22, 1959, Daytona International Speedway hosted the first Daytona 500. The posted awards for the "500-Mile International Sweepstakes" totaled $67,760. A field of 59 cars took the green flag for the start of the 200-lap race. A crowd of 41,000 was on hand to witness the beginning of another chapter in the history of racing in Daytona. -
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Spring Break
The 1960 classic "Where the Boys Are" spread the myth throughout the nation of the epic journey of college-age men and women to the idyllic shores of Florida--Ft. Lauderdale, to be precise--to find fun, sun, and true love. With the balladic crooning of Connie Francis ringing in their ears, college students began finding their way to Florida in droves, seeking to escape the challenges of their studies in a place where romance and good times were always close at hand. -
Hurricane Donna
The storm made its first Florida landfall in the community of Marathon, centered on Key Vaca in the middle Florida Keys. At the time, Donna was a Category 4 hurricane with estimated maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (230 km/h) and gusts of up to 180 mph (290 km/h), with a minimum central pressure of 27.46 inHg (930 mbar).Donna was the first hurricane to affect Miami since October 1950. -
Spring Break
The 1960 classic "Where the Boys Are" spread the myth throughout the nation of the epic journey of college-age men and women to the idyllic shores of Florida--Ft. Lauderdale, to be precise--to find fun, sun, and true love. With the balladic crooning of Connie Francis ringing in their ears, college students began finding their way to Florida in droves, seeking to escape the challenges of their studies in a place where romance and good times were always close at hand. -
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NASA establishes John F. Kennedy Space Center
In July 1962, the agency established its Launch Operations Center on Florida's east coast, and renamed it in late 1963 to honor the president who put America on the path to the moon.NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center has helped set the stage for America's adventure in space for more than four decades -
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Television
TV surpasses newspapers as an information source for the first time; a November Roper poll indicates 36% of Americans find TV a more reliable source, compared with the 24% who favor print. -
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Florida Turnpike
The second section of the Sunshine State Parkway from Fort Pierce to Wildwood was completed. -
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Television
Color TV booms as NBC leads the way and begins to use the phrase "The Full Color Network". By year's end, 96% of NBC's nighttime schedule is broadcast in color, along with all major programs, sports events and specials. -
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Gatorade
The first iteration of Gatorade was invented in 1965 by a team of researchers at the University of Florida, including Robert Cade, Dana Shires, Harry James Free and Alejandro de Quesada. It was designed, following request from Gators football assistant coach Ray Graves, to aid athletes by acting as a hydrating replacement for body fluids lost in physical exertion in hot weather. -
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South Florida and Latin America Deposits
In 1965 alone, 100,000 Cubans packed into the twice daily "freedom flights" from Havana to Miami. Most of the exiles settled into the Riverside neighborhood, which began to take on the new name of "Little Havana." This area emerged as a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, and Spanish speakers elsewhere in the city could conduct most of their daily business in their native tongue. By the end of the 1960s, more than four hundred thousand Cuban refugees were living in Miami-Dade County. -
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South Florida and Latin America Deposits
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Attorney General's authority was used to grant parole, or special permission, to allow Cubans to enter the country. However, parole only allows an individual permission to enter the country, not to stay permanently. In the case of Cubans, the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 resolved this dilemma. -
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Wave Elections
1966: GOP +47. Despite a strong economy, voters were upset with Democratic President Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic majorities in Congress for a number of reasons: inflation; overspending; the growth of government; the race riots that had erupted in many American cities; and the growing conflict in Vietnam. -
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Taxol
Paclitaxel is a mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy. It was discovered in a U.S. National Cancer Institute program at the Research Triangle Institute in 1967 when Monroe E. Wall and Mansukh C. Wani isolated it from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia and named it taxol. When it was developed commercially by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) the generic name was changed to paclitaxel and the BMS compound is sold under the trademark TAXOL. -
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Air Conditioning
More than half of new automobiles (54 percent) are equipped with air conditioning, which is soon a necessity, not only for comfort but also for resale value. By now, most new homes are built with central air conditioning, and window air conditioners are increasingly affordable. -
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Pari-mutuels
In 1971, The Florida State Racing Commission was dismembered and taken over by the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering in the Department of Business Regulation until 1978. -
Walt Disney World Resort Opens
In 1971, Florida became home to one of the largest resorts in the world, Walt Disney World Resort. In the first year, this 28,000-acre park brought about $14 billion dollars to Orlando's economy. This theme park has continued to grow throughout the last thirty years and has encouraged other developers to build many other attractions in Florida. -
Miami Dolphins play Super Bowl VI
In 1972, the Miami Dolphins played in Super Bowl VI and lost to the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins defeated the Washington redskins on January 14, 1973 to become the Super Bowl VII champions. On January 13, 1974, the Dolphins easily defeated the Minnesota Vikings, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, and becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls. -
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Arab Oil Embargo
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC (consisting of the Arab members of OPEC, plus Egypt, Syria and Tunisia) proclaimed an oil embargo "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war; it lasted until March 1974. -
SeaWorld Orlando Opens
SeaWorld Orlando opened on December 15, 1973, and had crowds topping 5,300 on its opening day. -
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Florida Turnpike
The final section opened with the addition of the 47-mile Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike from Miami to Homestead. -
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Wave Elections
1974: Dems +49. The Watergate Scandal, a weak economy and an unpopular Republican president (Gerald Ford) all contributed to a large Democratic wave. -
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Pari-mutuels
The Florida Pari-Mutuel Commission was then established in 1978 under the Department of Business Regulation. This Commission approves racing days and dates and hears appeals related to the suspension or revocation of pari-mutuel licenses at pari-mutuel facilities. Pari-mutuel gambling also is used for greyhound racing and Jai Alai matches (a game similar to handball). -
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Energy Crisis: The Iranian Revolution
The Shah left Iran for exile in mid-January 1979, and in the resulting power vacuum two weeks later Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran to a greeting by several million Iranians. The royal regime collapsed shortly after on February 11 when guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting. Iran voted by national referendum to become an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979, and to approve a new theocratic constitution. -
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Cocaine Cowboys
In July 1979, an incident that occurred in the Dadeland Mall, Florida's largest shopping center, offered a startling glimpse of the emerging drug trade in South Florida. In broad daylight, two gunmen exited a paneled truck, entered a liquor store, gunned down two men and wounded the store clerk. The dead men were eventually identified as a Colombia-based cocaine trafficker and his bodyguard. -
Indian Casinos
The Seminole Tribe opened a high-stakes bingo hall on their reservation at Hollywood, Florida on December 14, 1979 and the state tried immediately to shut it down. This was followed by a series of court battles leading to a final decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1981. The court ruled in favor of the Seminoles affirming their right to operate their bingo hall. -
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South Beach Renaissance
In the late 1980s, a renaissance began in South Beach, with an influx of fashion industry professionals moving into the area. In 1989 Irene Marie purchased the Sun Ray Apartments (famous for the chainsaw scene in Scarface) and opened Irene Marie Models - the first international full-service modeling agency in Florida. Many of the large New York based agencies soon followed. Photographers and designers from around the world were drawn to the undiscovered Art Deco oasis. -
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Savings and Loan Crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s (commonly referred to as the S&L crisis) was the failure of 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States. As of December 31, 1995, it is estimated that the total cost for resolving the 747 failed institutions was $87.9 billion." Between 1986 and 1991, the number of new homes constructed per year dropped from 1.8 million to 1 million, which was at the time the lowest rate since World War II. -
South Florida Race Riots
When an all-white jury acquitted the six white police officers charged in Arthur McDuffie's death after a short three hour deliberation, people pouring into Miami streets, with approximately 5,000 people attending a protest at the downtown Metro Justice Building. By the time order was finally restored, 18 people had been killed - eight white and ten black. Over 800 people had been arrested. Property damage reached $100 million. In the aftermath, the City of Miami was declared a disaster area, th -
Personal Computing
On August 12, 1981, IBM released their new computer, re-named the IBM PC. The "PC" stood for "personal computer" making IBM responsible for popularizing the term "PC". The PC's use of a 16-bit microprocessor initiated the development of faster and more powerful micros, and its use of an operating system that was available to all other computer makers led to a de facto standardization of the industry. -
EPCOT Center Opens
Epcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was named EPCOT Center in 1994. In 2009, Epcot hosted approximately 11 million guests, ranking it the third most visited theme park in the United States, and sixth most visited in the world. -
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Miami Vice
The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. The show is to some degree credited with causing a wave of support for the preservation of Miami's famous Art Deco architecture in the mid 1980s-to-early 1990s; quite a few of those buildings, among them many beachfront hotels, have been renovated since filming, making that part of South Beach one of South Florida's most popular places for tourists. -
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Florida Turnpike
The Sawgrass Expressway/Toll 869 opened to traffic providing a bypass around Fort Lauderdale to Miami for those motorists traveling south from the Turnpike's mainline. -
Florida Lottery
The Florida Lottery began operation on January 12, 1988 by order of a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters by a 2-to-1 margin in the general election of November 4, 1986. The point of the Lottery is to give extra funding to Florida education, and it was mandated that a significant proportion of all revenue generated by ticket sales go to the Education Enhancement Trust Fund. The Bright Futures scholarship program is funded by the Florida Lottery. -
Indian Casinos
The United States Supreme Court ruled that federally-recognized tribes could operate casinos outside state jurisdiction because the tribes were considered sovereign entities by the United States and the gaming operation must not be directly prohibited in that state. -
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Crack Babies
In 1988, one out of every 10 babies born at Shands Hospital in Gainesville tested positive for crack cocaine. From July 1, 1988, through March of 1989, nearly 500 babies were born with crack cocaine addictions in the state Health and Rehabilitative Services department districts that include Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties. Dade and Monroe counties combined had 507 cases in the same period. -
Indian Casinos
Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to establish the rules for the operation and regulation of Indian gaming. The Act provides that a federally-recognized tribe may conduct gaming activities within the limitations of a compact negotiated between the tribe and the state and approved by the U.S. Department of Interior. -
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Eastern Airlines Bankrupt
Frank Lorenzo purchased Eastern Airlines for only $615 million, adding Eastern to his existing fleet. Lorenzo was used Eastern's core assets for his other airlines. The result was that, to survive, Eastern had to sell off aircraft and lay off workers. Lorenzo slowly began to dismantle Eastern and sell off its parts. Unions struck in March 1989, Lorenzo filed for bankruptcy. In January 1991, the airline completely ran out of money to operate. In late 1991, the airline was liquidated. -
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Florida Turnpike
The Sawgrass Expressway was acquired by Florida's Turnpike District as a result of legislative action. -
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Florida Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike opened nine new system interchanges, added many miles of widening projects and made substantial improvements to the roadway, toll and service plazas. Florida's Turnpike has also made substantial investments in electronic toll collection and intelligent transportation systems. -
Hurricane Andrew
On Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew slammed into South Florida, devastating Homestead, Florida City and parts of Miami, then continued northwest across the Gulf of Mexico to strike the Louisiana coastline. -
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Wave Election
1994: GOP +54. An unpopular Democratic president (Bill Clinton) and Democratic corruption scandals, in addition to the Democrats’ unpopular healthcare and gun-control bills, were enough to generate the largest wave since 1948 — and give Republicans their first House majority since 1954. Republicans also picked up 8 seats in the Senate, giving them a 52-48 majority there. -
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Statewide Building Code
As a result of hurricane Andrew, the Florida Building Codes Study Commission was established to evaluate the existing system and to recommend ways to improve or reform the system if they found it necessary. The 1998 Legislature adopted the concept and most of the recommendations as part of House Bill 4181. The Florida Building Code was authorized incorporating all building standards adopted by all enforcement agencies and state agencies that license different types of facilities. -
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Florida Turnpike
Created by the Florida Department of Transportation, SunPass, the innovative electronic prepaid toll program, is implemented across most of Florida's toll roads, saving drivers time, money and the hassles of digging for change. Dedicated SunPass lanes process up to 1,800 vehicles per hour - 300 percent more than a manual toll lane. SunPass transponders are now available for purchase through Florida's Turnpike service plazas, all CVS/Pharmacy Stores and Publix Super Markets in Florida. -
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Services Tax
In 2002, a legislatively-proposed Constitutional amendment that would have created a services tax was removed from the ballot by the courts because it was not clear to voters that voting yes on the amendment would create a services tax. In 2004, a similar Constitutional amendment was also removed from the ballot by the courts on similar grounds. Finally, for the 2006 ballot, two separate proposed Constitutional amendments were removed from the ballot by the courts due to ballot language. -
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Prisons
As of June 2010, the Florida Department of Corrections housed 102,232 inmates in its facilities and was responsible for an additional 183,512 offenders in some type of community supervision.As of June 2009, Florida had the third largest state prison population in the United States, behind Texas and California. -
BioFirms Recruited
The John D. McArthur campus of FAU in Jupiter, Florida opened in 2009 and comprises about 350,000 square feet of laboratory and administrative space. An additional 70 acres of land in Palm Beach Gardens was purchased by the county for $16 million and will be available for future expansion.
Developing a vibrant biotechnology industry is an important part of Florida's continuing efforts to create a diverse, knowledge-based economy, and Scripps Florida has been critical in helping to attract other -
Haiti Earthquake
Though Haiti lies some 750 miles from South Florida, repercussions from the island's January earthquake, which claimed some 250,000 lives, were strongly felt there. Hundreds of evacuees were airlifted into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, while rescue teams from South Florida flew in the opposite direction to assist in the island's relief efforts. -
End of Space Shuttle Program
The end of the shuttle program will potentially eliminate as many as 7,000 – 8,000 jobs, some of which will need to be filled once again when the Constellation program is in full swing. But during the gap, many workers are expected to vacate the area in search of jobs elsewhere. This will impact the local economy that relies on these residents, and as many as 14,000 workers in the area may be indirectly affected.
