Poinciana, Monroe County, Florida
 | This article, Poinciana, Monroe County, Florida, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
| This article, Poinciana, Monroe County, Florida, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Poinciana, Florida | |
|---|---|
Planned Community | |
  Poinciana, Florida | |
| Coordinates: 25°36′41″N 81°08′00″W / 25.61139°N 81.13333°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Monroe County |
| Founded by | Tropical Development Corporation |
Poinciana (also known as Poinciana Mainland) was a planned community that was to be located along the Lostmans River in Monroe County, Florida.
The city was planned by the Tropical Development Company of Miami in the early 1920s, advertising the community as a future "Miami of the Gulf Coast". The city was to have been built on the north side of the mouth of the river, on 3 land sections totaling over 100 square miles. The project headquarters were located at Onion Key, a former Calusa settlement, where several portable houses were erected, along with docks and a small electrical station.[1] Onion Key was chosen as it was covered by a trash heap made of shells, lifting it 5 feet above the water.
The developers of the property used creative advertisements to promote the new city. These advertisements often featured exaggerated or false claims, such as the site having banana, orange, lime, and coconut plants leftover from a Spanish settlement.[2] Because of these campaigns, the company was able to sell almost 10,000 lots at Poinciana, many to owners who did not live in Florida. Many of these lots were located in mangrove forests, some over a mile from the river itself.
The city was going to be linked to the Tamiami Trail via the Poinciana Trail, a planned road that would have went from the city to what is now Loop Road (County Road 94).[3] Poinciana was staffed by salesmen and the company brought potential customers on a road and boat trip to the city, however it is believed most customers never did actually visit the property.[4] However, the hurricane of 1926 destroyed all structures at Poinciana, and despite attempts to rebuild and continued newspaper advertising, the project was subsequently abandoned.[5]
During the land acquisition process for the Everglades National Park in the 1950s, the NPS was hindered by the many real estate title issues at the property; in 1958, the Miami Herald reported that 1,350 people were still paying taxes to the "phantom town".[6] The site is today part of the park.
References
- ^ John C. Paige (1986). Historic Resource Study for Everglades National Park (Report). National Park Service.
- ^ Levin, Ted (2004). Liquid Land: A Journey Through the Florida Everglades. Athens: The University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0-8203-2512-0.
- ^ "Maps and documents relating to property in the proposed town of Poinciana - Florida International University (FIU) Library Digital Collection Repository System (dPanther)". Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "1920s Hurricanes". Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "Eveglades Settlements". Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Blythe, Robert (2017). Wilderness on the Edge: A History of Everglades National Park (PDF). Chicago: None (web publication).