Tagged: history

Did you know that if you dig deep enough into the property records of any piece of real estate in the state of Florida you will find that all the land originally belonged to the Spanish Crown?

But ever since the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1821, land ownership has been like a hot potato, changing hands incessantly.  Indeed, taking a deep look into any one piece of property (likely where you live, included) will reveal a surreal story for the ages.

One of the most contentious aspects of the plan to redevelop the Miami Beach Convention Center has been settled: The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater will stay.

The theater had been slated for demolition by Portman-CMC, one of the two teams still in the running for the massive overhaul project. But with music and history lovers lined up in support of saving the theater, the team said that its plan has changed.

“We listened to the community,” said Jack Portman, vice chairman of Portman Holdings and John Portman & Associates.

"Little Haiti" has lost perhaps the man who could be called its father and the man who is credited for the name.

Viter Juste has died at the age of 87.

He was born in La Gonaive, Haiti in 1924 and after first going to New York, he and his family made their way to Miami in 1973.

He started with a house in Buena Vista and a record store in downtown Miami, "Les Cousins."

That led to creating the first Haitian newspaper for the growing community,  Haitian Florida,  and the Haitian American Community Association of Dade.