Florida Senate - 2013                             (NP)    SR 854
       
       
       
       By Senator Bullard
       
       
       
       
       39-01253-13                                            2013854__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing the City of Homestead on the
    3         occasion of its centennial.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Homestead, the second oldest city in Miami-Dade
    6  County, was originally opened to homesteaders in 1898, with the
    7  only way in and out of the area being a path called the
    8  “Homesteaders Trail,” and
    9         WHEREAS, in 1904, Henry Flagler decided to extend the rail
   10  line from Miami to Key West, and farmers were, for the first
   11  time, able to transport their fruit and vegetables to Miami and
   12  other parts of the state, and
   13         WHEREAS, the name of this city originated from the period
   14  during which the Florida East Coast Railway extension was being
   15  constructed, as the rail line passed through an area that had
   16  been opened up for homesteading, and
   17         WHEREAS, the construction camp at the end of the line
   18  lacked a specific name, so the area was designated as “Homestead
   19  Country,” which was shortened to “Homestead” by the engineers
   20  who mapped the area, and
   21         WHEREAS, many of the workers who helped build the railroad
   22  stayed in the area and founded the City of Homestead in 1913,
   23  and
   24         WHEREAS, today, Homestead has gone from its original
   25  population of 121 to more than 60,000 residents and the once
   26  “little railroad town” has blossomed into a thriving city of
   27  diverse cultures and heritage, NOW, THEREFORE,
   28  
   29  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   30  
   31         That we congratulate the City of Homestead on achieving its
   32  100th year as a thriving locality that serves as an
   33  indispensable part of Florida’s economy and culture.