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Bay
Harbor At A Glance:
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| Founded: 1947 |
| Population: 5,146 |
Housing Units: 3,103
- Single Family: 401
- Multi-Family: 2,702 |
| Total Area: .61 sq. mi. |
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Bay Harbor Islands Florida
The origin of Bay Harbor Islands began in 1945 when Shepard
Broad acquired two undeveloped mangrove swamp islands between North
Miami’s
mainland, and Miami Beach’s barrier island. Broad, an immigrant
from Russia and graduate of New York Law School had moved to South
Florida in 1940 with his wife Ruth. Having previously vacationed
here, he envisioned it would be the perfect place to live and work.
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Using down payments from the sale of real estate lots on the islands
supplanted with his own funds, the Islands were dredged and filled
and Bay Harbor
became a reality. To complete the project, he later entered into
a joint venture with prominent local businessman Benjamin Kane. Today,
Bay Harbor Islands main thoroughfare, ‘Kane Concourse’ bears
his name.
Bay Harbor Islands was incorporated in
1947 and Shepard Broad was elected its first Mayor. He served in
that position for the next 26 consecutive years until 1973. The
first building permit was issued on June 15, 1947, and by 1951
the population had grown to 550 residents living in 46 homes. Today
the Islands’ population has grown to slightly more than 5,100
with more than 3,100 residences. The original zoning ideology of
Shepard Broad has been maintained. The 103-acre West Island remains
strictly single-family homes, while the 150-acre East Island contains
condominiums, multi-family residences and a small business district
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In 1951, construction of Broad Causeway was completed and it opened
to vehicular traffic. Constructed over the Intracoastal Waterway,
the toll road offers a quick and convenient route between mainland
North Miami, Bay Harbor Islands, and the neighboring beach communities.
Construction of the causeway was funded through the sale of revenue
bonds and new revenue bonds were issued in 1989 to finance the construction
of badly needed roadway improvements. Toll revenues are pledged to
repay the bonds, and are also used for maintaining the causeway,
drawbridge and other bridges throughout the Town.
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