In 1945, it was known as the beach created for blacks only.
By 1982, it was simply known as the "Old County Park," every vestige of its past obliterated in the official deed dated April 5, 1982 when Miami Dade County conveyed the 82-acre park to the City of Miami.
The deed states:
The COUNTY grants all the real property noted in this Deed to the City as long as the City utilizes the said property for public park purposes only. The City agrees to keep the property open to the public, provide maintenance and a level of service equal to or exceeding that which was provided by the County.
....In the event the City does not use the property as a public park, or conveys or attempts to convey all or a portion of the property, then the property described herein will revert back to the County or its successors or assigns at the option of the County....”
After getting the park, the City of Miami promptly closed it. More than a decade later, the City floated the idea of developing a private resort on the land.
Thanks in part to an intrepid community activist who dug up the 1982 deed, those particular development plans began to unravel.
Thanks to the efforts of hundreds of more activists, a public park reopened on the site.
Today, it is known as the historic Virginia Key Beach and Civil Rights Park. And it definitely exceeds what the county had originally provided.
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