Florida Senate - 2020                            (NP)    SR 1932
       
       
        
       By Senator Braynon
       
       
       
       
       
       35-02609-20                                           20201932__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution to recognize August 1, 2020, and each
    3         August 1 thereafter, as “Historic Virginia Key Beach
    4         Park Day” in Florida.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, on August 1, 1945, Virginia Beach, as it was then
    7  known, was designated “a Dade County Park for the exclusive use
    8  of Negroes,” becoming a cherished getaway and a social gathering
    9  place for African Americans, with its shaded picnic areas with
   10  barbecue pits and its cottages and amusement rides, and
   11         WHEREAS, even after the park was closed by the City of
   12  Miami in 1982 due to the high cost of maintenance and
   13  operations, the civic, social, and environmental characteristics
   14  of the park continued to hold national, state, regional, and
   15  local significance in the history of civil rights and to
   16  highlight the achievements of local African-American
   17  communities, and
   18         WHEREAS, in August 2002, the park was added to the National
   19  Register of Historic Places; in 2006, it was added to the State
   20  of Florida Heritage Trail; and in February 2008, it reopened to
   21  the public as the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, and
   22         WHEREAS, in 2010, the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park was
   23  included as a major stakeholder in the Virginia Key Master Plan,
   24  which had been approved by the City of Miami City Commission in
   25  2006, a turning point in the life of the park, and
   26         WHEREAS, the Virginia Key Master Plan envisioned the
   27  restoration of the park and the creation of a museum that will
   28  present the history and contributions of those who, in the
   29  1940s, pressed for designation of the park; who sought to
   30  restore the natural environment of the park; and support for
   31  creation of a Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation,
   32  and
   33         WHEREAS, this project will enhance the cultural offerings
   34  of the City of Miami; bring international attention to this
   35  state and to the park’s noteworthy civil rights history; serve
   36  as a positive example of civic engagement, as represented by the
   37  history of the park’s origin and the advocacy of a citizen-based
   38  Board of Trustees; and create social engagement opportunities
   39  through the incorporation of the public shoreline, a greenspace,
   40  and various amenities, and
   41         WHEREAS, in 2013, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park was
   42  added to the City of Miami’s Historic and Environmental
   43  Preservation List, and
   44         WHEREAS, August 1, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the
   45  establishment of the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, NOW,
   46  THEREFORE,
   47  
   48  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   49  
   50         That August 1, 2020, and each August 1 thereafter, is
   51  recognized as “Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Day” in Florida.