Florida Senate - 2018 (NP) SR 1906
By Senator Hukill
14-02203A-18 20181906__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution celebrating the 150th anniversary of the
3 Cape Canaveral Lighthouse on May 11, 2018.
4
5 WHEREAS, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse has been of vital
6 importance to the safe navigation of seafarers to Cape Canaveral
7 and, today, serves as a beacon of light, shining brightly from
8 Cape Canaveral across the Atlantic Ocean, and
9 WHEREAS, in 1848, the first completed lighthouse, which was
10 built of brick and stood just 65 feet high, was built near the
11 tip of Cape Canaveral and was visible for only 10 miles at sea,
12 and
13 WHEREAS, construction of the current lighthouse, with its
14 brick lining inside a cast iron exterior, was approved in 1858
15 and completed on May 11, 1868, after history intervened, halting
16 progress as the Civil War raged, and
17 WHEREAS, a first-order Fresnel lens, developed by French
18 physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel in 1822, was installed and first
19 lit on May 11, 1868, and the light, fueled by whale oil, could
20 be seen for 22 miles at sea, and
21 WHEREAS, in 1873, the new lighthouse was painted with its
22 “daymark” black and white horizontal bands to make it easier to
23 identify as a navigation point during daytime hours, and
24 WHEREAS, in 1893, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and its
25 keepers’ cottages were dismantled as part of an 18-month
26 relocation project and hauled by mule to their present-day
27 location along specially constructed tracks to avoid corrosion
28 from the encroaching sea, and
29 WHEREAS, in 1939, ownership of the Cape Canaveral
30 Lighthouse and approximately 900 acres of land were granted to
31 the United States Coast Guard, and
32 WHEREAS, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is universally
33 recognized as the historical basis for the location of the
34 United States Air Force’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and
35 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kennedy
36 Space Center, and
37 WHEREAS, the advancement of automation in the 1960s
38 eliminated the need for a lighthouse keeper, and, thereafter,
39 the keepers’ cottages were vacated and later demolished in the
40 1970s, and
41 WHEREAS, in 1967, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse’s first
42 order Fresnel lens was automated and, in 1993, was replaced with
43 a high-power search light, which is operated by the United
44 States Coast Guard, and
45 WHEREAS, in 2000, ownership and maintenance of the Cape
46 Canaveral Lighthouse was transferred to the United States Air
47 Force’s 45th Space Wing, making it the only operational
48 lighthouse ever owned and maintained by the United States Air
49 Force, and
50 WHEREAS, in 2002, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation
51 was established to support the United States Air Force’s 45th
52 Space Wing in its efforts to preserve, restore, interpret, and
53 exhibit the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, and to inform and educate
54 the public on its historical significance, and
55 WHEREAS, the efforts of both the 45th Space Wing and the
56 Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation ensure that this landmark
57 remains a guiding beacon or “living light” amongst mighty metal
58 giants supporting rockets that explore the vastness of space,
59 and
60 WHEREAS, as rockets soar from the Cape and astronauts head
61 for the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the evening skies are
62 illuminated by a strong beacon of light still shining brightly
63 from the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse across the Atlantic Ocean,
64 and
65 WHEREAS, the State of Florida recognizes the tremendous
66 efforts of individuals past and present to preserve and maintain
67 the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and the importance of educating
68 the public on its historical significance to the Florida Space
69 Coast, this state, and this nation, and that these efforts have
70 helped protect what is known today as the oldest standing
71 structure on the Cape, visited and admired by many, and
72 WHEREAS, on May 11, 2018, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
73 will celebrate its 150th anniversary as a navigational aid,
74 charting its shining course through the history of sea and
75 space, NOW, THEREFORE,
76
77 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
78
79 That the 150th anniversary of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
80 is celebrated.
81 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
82 the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the Cape
83 Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation as a tangible token of the
84 sentiments of the Florida Senate.