History History

The first trace of human activity in South Florida, in the Miami area, where the Tequesta Amerindian people settled around the Miami River. The name "Miami" is derived from the Amerindian "Mayaimi" which means "fresh water".

The existence of Miami is officially attested only in the sixteenth century, when Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521), the former governor of Puerto Rico, who was part of the second voyage of Christopher Columbus, first visited Florida. In 1513, he arrived in Biscayne Bay. In his logbook, the explorer indicates that he reached Chequescha: this is the first recorded name of Miami. The territory had between 100,000 and 350,000 inhabitants from different tribes. The arrival of these first foreigners on Floridian soil led to the disappearance of the Indians who died of diseases new to them, including smallpox. The Tequesta became totally extinct in less than 300 years. The disputes between the Spanish, French and English concerned South Florida, and the Miami region remained untouched by the wars and revenge that they waged among themselves.

The Spaniards launched a Christianization mission in Biscayne Bay, led by Father Joseph Xavier de Alaña. They built a fort and a church: the settlement was named Pueblo de Santa María de Loreto. Settlers built farms and houses near the Miami River. However, this new attempt at colonization on the outskirts of Miami was a failure and the settlements were soon abandoned.

In 1766, Samuel Touchett received from the British government parcels of land in the Miami area. The objective: to develop a colony. The project failed for lack of financial means. In 1800, a new European colony was established in Miami, this time by the Spanish Pedro Fornells. The latter was himself a former member of a previous colony located in New Smyrna Beach. Pedro Fornells' colony was the first to survive.

Signing of the Treaty of Adams-Onís: the Spaniards cede eastern Florida to the United States, which agrees in return to give up Texas. This treaty comes into force in 1821.

The United States merged East Florida (formerly Spanish Florida) with part of West Florida to officially create the Territory of Florida. The first governor of this new American territory was William Pope Duval. For the government, the presence of the Seminole population was seen as an obstacle. They were later driven out.

The Second Seminole War pitted the American Indians, who resisted deportation, against the United States. Seminole chief Oscaola, a leading figure in the fight, was eventually captured by U.S. troops, signaling a slowdown in the conflicts. This war was the most costly of the Indian Wars and one of the longest fought by the United States. At the end of the war, almost all of the Native Americans left Florida or were deported to present-day Oklahoma. Those who remained were allowed to remain on a new reservation in South Florida until the Third Seminole War (1855-1858).

The village of Miami, founded by William English, became the county seat of Miami-Dade County and had 90 inhabitants. Until then, the county seat was Indian Key, in the Keys.

Florida is proclaimed the ^27th state of the United States. In 1838, the people of Florida before voted by referendum in favor of statehood. Congress finally validated this decision in 1845. Its first governor was William Dunn Moseley, elected in the first state elections in May 1845. On July 4, a ^27th star was added to the American flag.

At the same time, Julia Tuttle, a wealthy entrepreneur, moved to the area and bought a lemon plantation. She believed in the potential of the city and from then on, she invested herself entirely in its development. For many, she is considered the "Mother of Miami". Assisted in his enterprise by another pioneer of the region, William Brickell, whose name a neighborhood still bears, they intervene in the project to connect Miami to the rest of the United States by train, bringing the railroad here. This was done in 1896 thanks to the work of Henry Morrison Flagler. The Florida East Coast Railway was created.

Businessman William Brickell moved from Ohio to Florida and settled with his family south of the Miami River. He opened a post office and bought land. He is considered the co-founder of Miami, with his neighbor and friend Julia Tuttle.

Miami officially becomes a municipality by the vote of its 300 inhabitants. John Reilly was elected as the first mayor of Miami

Convinced by Julia Tuttle, Henry Flagler, founder of the Florida East Coast Railway, extended his Jacksonville-Fort Lauderdale line to Miami. The arrival of this mode of transportation transformed the city and opened it to tourism. Henry Flagler then quickly built the first hotel of the new municipality of Miami, the Royal Palm Hotel, which opened its doors on January 16, 1897. Very modern for the time, it was equipped with a pool and electric lighting (a first for the city).

John S. Collins saw the potential of Miami Beach, which was then only a strip of sand facing the sea. He decided to grow avocados there. After a few setbacks, notably related to the effect of salt on the plants, the result became promising, and Collins was able to ship carloads of these fruits. In 1912, the ingenious businessman decided to transform part of his estate into a residential area

In the early 1920s, the population of Miami Beach was only 644. It was Carl Fisher, Collins' partner in the construction of the bridge that connects Miami to Miami Beach, who used advertising to bring people to Miami Beach. We also owe him the invention of the one-piece swimsuit for promotional photos. In 1925, the population was already 2,342 and property values had increased tenfold. Miami and Florida continue to prosper thanks to the gambling that is allowed and Prohibition is not respected, which results in the continued population explosion.

The expansion of Miami is brutally stopped by a tropical cyclone nicknamed "Great Miami". It devastates the region and makes hundreds of victims. Thousands of South Florida residents were left homeless and $100 million worth of damage was done. Miami was partially destroyed.

After the hurricane, Miami Beach had to rebuild quickly. At that time, art deco, an artistic movement from France, was in vogue: a vast reconstruction program began that would last until the eve of World War II. More than 800 buildings were built on Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue.

Even today, Miami Beach can boast the largest concentration of art-deco buildings in the world. Unusual: most of these art-deco buildings were originally... white! Their characteristic pastel colors appeared in the 1970s when they were renovated. The designer Leonard Horowitz wanted to evoke the sky, the sun, the beach and the sea. This architectural style is called Tropical Art Deco.

Miami is still licking its wounds as the Great Depression begins in the United States. The privileged real estate boom in which Florida had been progressing for three years was stopped short. It will take 10 years for South Florida to regain its economic dynamism.

With the end of the Depression, a small return to prosperity is observed. Americans want to indulge themselves and spending is devoted to vacations. This resulted in the largest number of building permits in the history of Miami Beach between 1936 and 1939.

With the entry of the United States into the war, Florida became an essential link in the American military effort and Miami Beach was transformed into a vast military base. Hotels were requisitioned and used as dormitories and training facilities. Many Americans who had experienced the benefits of the climate and the sea emigrated to the island at the end of the war.

Fun fact: the first American sunscreen product was popularized in Miami by Florida pharmacist and aviator Benjamin Green. Red Vet Pet sunscreen was designed to protect American soldiers in the Pacific from the sun. This protection was later improved and marketed under the brand name Coppertone

150 kilometers from Miami, Cuba, Fidel Castro overthrew President Fulgencio Batista and took power. The radicalization, nationalizations and expropriations push thousands of Cubans to exile in South Florida. Within a decade, 500,000 Cubans settled in Miami.

This operation aimed to land in Cuba about 1400 Cuban exiles trained by the CIA to overthrow Castro's government. The attack was supported by the United States because Fidel Castro was conducting an economic policy unfavorable to American interests and was moving closer to the USSR.

The operation was a failure: the landed forces were captured and Kennedy withdrew his support at the last moment. Castro gained in popularity with the Cubans, and tensions increased.

The Cuban government opens the port of Camarioca to all those who wish to leave the country. Faced with the dangerous conditions of the exodus, the United States and Cuba reach an agreement allowing Cubans to travel to Florida with charters chartered by the U.S. government. These were the "Freedom Flights". About 300,000 Cubans found refuge in the United States between 1965 and 1973. The majority of them settled in the Riverside neighborhood, later named Little Havana

The popularity of Miami Beach is declining, the art-deco district and the emblematic hotels of South Beach are threatened with destruction. This is where Barbara Capitman comes in: this fervent defender of heritage succeeds in having South Beach classified as a historic preservation zone. With the designer Leonard Horowitz (1945-1989), she founded the Miami Design Preservation League . Leonard Horowitzh created a pastel color palette that was used in the renovation of South Beach hotels

Exodus from Mariel: Castro expels nearly 125,000 Cubans considered counter-revolutionaries. The refugees landed in Florida, and the majority of them settled in Miami. The United States offered them political asylum

Broadcast of the first season of the series Miami Vice (Two Cops in Miami in French). This television show transforms the city. All the inhabitants affirm it: there was a before and after Sonny Crokett. When the team arrived, they found only buildings that had been preserved from destruction, but in poor condition. The creators of the series then decided to contribute financially to the renovation of about thirty art-deco buildings. The facades were tinted in pastels and decorated with neon lights: tourists flocked to these famous hotels

The Metrorail, Florida's only subway system, is now in service. Its two lines (orange and green) connect the neighborhoods of Brickell, Downtown Miami to the Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. The Metrorail also serves the Miami airport

It is also connected to the Metromover, the free automatic shuttle system that runs through Dowtown Miami and Brickell

In order to simplify traffic in the neighborhoods of Dowtown Miami, Brickell, the Metromover was created. This automatic aerial shuttle consists today of three lines serving 21 stations, on a total of 7 kilometers. Entirely free, the Metromover is appreciated by locals and visitors alike who can enjoy a unique view of the buildings

Military coup in Haiti. Thousands of Haitians take refuge in Florida. Most of them are stopped in their tracks by the coast guard and sent back to Cuba.

Hurricane Andrews hit the United States. It hit Florida on 24 August 1992 with a diameter of about 800 km. It caused more than 20 billion dollars of damage in the south of Miami-Dade County: 90% of the houses lost their roofs

A wave of crime affects Miami, gangs fight for control of the drug market. The city has become dangerous for tourists and the state is tightening security drastically

At the beginning of the ^21st century, real estate developer and arts patron Tony Goldman bought a few buildings and warehouses in the Wynwood district of Downtown. Sensing a potential, he invites artists from around the world to paint on its walls. Wynwood metamorphoses until it now hosts the largest concentration of street art in the USA.

On August 25, after a late warning, Hurricane Katrina, a category 1 hurricane, hit South Florida and Miami with peak speeds of up to 190 km/h. It caused the death of 14 people and more than 2 million people were left without electricity. The hurricane continued its path, gaining momentum and hit the coast of New Orleans. The city was 80% flooded.

The Republican Tomás Regalado is the new mayor of the city. Born in Cuba, he lived there until he was 14 years old before being brought to Miami in 1932 with his younger brother during the "Peter Pan" operation, which consisted in bringing to Miami Cuban children whose parents were opposed to Castro's regime. He will remain in office until 2017 when he will give way to his son, the Republican Francis X. Suarez.

Joe Biden is elected President of the United States, succeeding Donald Trump. He will take a series of new measures, including the easing of restrictions on Cuba. Immigration and money transfer procedures are simplified, air links are strengthened and airlines can once again land in airports other than Havana. The embargo, which depends on the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court, is still in place

As an unexpected consequence of Covid-19, South Florida, and more specifically Miami, has welcomed many workers from California and New York who have come to take advantage of the relatively flexible management of Covid-19, advantageous taxes and a non-existent income tax, all coupled with a very pleasant living environment

Opening of a high-speed rail link between the Miami and Orlando stations with Brightline, via the South Florida Express line. Travel time: 3 hours. The goal is to develop transportation linking South and Central Florida. New stations are also planned in Aventura (north of Miami), Boca Raton, near Walt Disney World and in Tampa.

The First Seminole War opposed the United States to the Seminole American Indian people. It should be known that the number of Amerindians drastically decreased following the arrival of the Europeans. In the ^18th century, a large part of them were murdered or reduced to slavery. This conflict broke out under the pretext of taking back the black slaves who had taken refuge with the Amerindians. Two other Seminole wars took place afterwards.