Coral Springs, once green beans and cattle but no springs

 

Coral Springs in 1977, State of Florida Archives

By Jane Feehan

Broward County pioneer Henry L. Lyons arrived in Florida during the early 1900s with plans to farm and assess other opportunities. About 100 settlers lived in  northern Broward County then.

Lyons (1893-1952) a Valdosta, Georgia native, looked west, toward the Everglades, as many new settlers did, for an income source. The rich, dark mucky soil of that area held promise for growing vegetables.

Lyons accumulated about 20,000 acres over the years. He built canals and installed pumps to accommodate his growing green bean farm. According to The Palm Beach Post (Aug. 27, 2020), Lyons dedicated 4,000 acres to growing green beans and was thought to own the largest bean farm in the United States at one time.

But Mother Nature altered farming plans of some and launched plans of future developers.

Two September hurricanes in 1947 flooded crops throughout South Florida. What became the South Florida Water Management District drained areas that later included Coral Springs. Lyons shifted gears to cattle ranching. He dominated that Florida industry for a few years, and became a member of the Broward County and the National Cattlemen's Association.

South Florida and Broward County grew at leaps and bounds during the 1950s and 1960s attracting developers, builders and real estate entrepreneurs. A few years after Lyons died (1952), his family wanted to sell off their land holdings.

Coral Ridge Properties (CRP), founded by James S. Hunt (d. 1972) and Joseph P. Taravella (d. 1978), saw gold in western Broward County. A high-profile, successful real estate development company, Coral Ridge Properties had scored a few notable land deals in the eastern part of the county, including the purchase of Galt Mile and also what became known as Coral Ridge.

CRP bought 3,859 acres from Lyons family in 1961 for a reported $1 million. CRP purchased additional property from family through the 1960s amassing future acreage of the city of Coral Springs. 

Hunt and Taravella used auctions to sell lots or tracts as investment packages to attract builders.  A group settled on the name Coral Springs though the city cannot boast of any springs. To advance development plans, Coral Springs was created by legislative act June 6, 1963 (along with North Lauderdale and Parkland). Harry W. Wilson of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was tapped as first mayor/commissioner of Coral Springs. See the “Birth of  a City,” ran the ads and other promotions for Coral Springs.

In 1963 Hunt and Taravella planned a city for an expected 50,000 residents. They envisioned a large retirement village for about 3,500 apartments, medical facilities and 24-hour nursing services. Total monthly payments would include the cost of prescriptions and other medicines. CRP built roads and 50 miles of canals for about $3.2 million. Focus on a retirement village expanded into condos, co-ops, a golf course and all the amenities of a new city. They knew their market.

Enthusiasm for Coral Springs proved boundless. An auction held in July 1964 highlights how hot the market was for Coral Springs. Held at Galt Ocean Mile Hotel, the auction sold off 568 lots or 160 acres valued at $1.6 million in a reported seven minutes. Tracts of 1.25 acres to two acres sold for $19,000-$50,000 with 20 percent down, 80 percent payable over five years at a 5.5 percent interest rate.

Coral Springs land sales also attracted the famous. Jack Drury, a well-known and respected public relations figure in Fort Lauderdale, persuaded friend and entertainer Johnny Carson to buy a few lots in Coral Springs. Carson was on hand for one of the city’s early land auctions and a groundbreaking event when he purchased 60 acres in 1964. He held on to the property for eight years and later told Drury it turned out to be one of the best financial decisions of his life.

Westinghouse purchased Coral Springs land in 1966 and left Coral Ridge Properties as developers. The city, totally built out by 2003, set restrictions on commercial signage, house colors and vehicle storage, elements of a planned community that differentiated them from others at the time. A covered bridge, built in 1964 at one of the city entrances to attract interest, remains standing.

Today Coral Springs is home to about 135,000 residents, three high schools, a middle school two, several elementary schools and a shopping mall. Occupying 24 square miles, the center of Coral Springs sits at West Sample Road and University Drive. (University Drive was built to “link the major educational plants of Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties" in 1965.)

Some may say that enthusiasm about Coral Springs, once farmland, amounted to much more than a hill of beans … green beans.

Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, July 11, 1931

Fort Lauderdale News, July 16, 1952

Fort Lauderdale News, March 27, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, June 6, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, July 15, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, July 21, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, July 22, 1964

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb.27, 1965

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 29, 1965

Fort Lauderdale News, March 1,1979

The Palm Beach Post, Aug. 27, 2020

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 25, 2021

Drury, Jack. Playground of the Stars. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2008

The City of Coral Springs

Tags: Coral Ridge Properties, Coral Springs, Henry L. Lyons, Broward County in the 1960s, Johnny Carson, Jack Drury

Palm Beach County's Hypoluxo - surrounded by water, no way out

 

Hypoluxo peninsula,
State Archives of  Florida

By Jane Feehan

Those driving by I-95 exit signs for Hypoluxo may be more curious about that name than its history.

More on that name to come, but first its story. It's similar to those of other South Florida settlements of the 1800s. A few paragraphs, if not chapters, set it apart.

One differentiator is its location on a small peninsula off the Lake Worth Lagoon and on a small section of the adjoining mainland. The beauty of the area  beckoned Captain W. H. Moore of Chicago during his mail steamer routes to this new frontier. On a return trip to Chicago, he convinced his brother-in-law, Hannibal Dillingham Pierce (1834-1898), to travel with him to Florida with Pierce’s wife, Margretta and their child, Charles.

Pierce settled in Jupiter where he worked as assistant to the lighthouse keeper from October 1872 to October 1873. The family moved to Hypoluxo Island in 1873 where Pierce grew tomatoes and eggplants. He acquired 50 acres with a federal Homestead Grant in 1883. He also served with the government overseeing several houses of refuge along the coast and serving as postmaster.

Genesis of the name, Hypoluxo, is not clear. One story indicates Pierce asked a Seminole how to pronounce the name they called the area. From that, he fashioned its spelling. Local Indians reportedly said it meant “surrounded by water, can’t get out.” Other accounts say the word meant “round hill or mound.” The name Hypoluxo first appeared on War Department maps in 1841.

Hypoluxo sign 1986
State Archives of Florida

Of note—and amusement— is the story of the first election held in what became Palm Beach County. A Dade County election was conducted in 1874 in Hypoluxo (the Palm Beach area was part of Dade County then). According to news accounts, the voting precinct was the home of Hannibal Pierce; his old palmetto hat served as the ballot box. One man voted as well as four members of the election board. Only three other residents lived on the island. According to news of that day, they probably didn’t vote in that election because they didn’t know about it.

Another interesting story is the Barefoot Mailmen connection. Three men in their early 20s from Kentucky ventured to Hypoluxo in 1885: Andrew Garnett, James Porter and James Edward Hamilton. Together, they purchased 16 acres. Garnett and Hamilton also signed up with the United States government to work the recently re-opened Star Route 6451 deactivated in 1867.

Andrew Garnett was tapped as postmaster. Ed Hamilton signed up as courier in 1887. His route ran south past Jupiter (southern terminus of route 6451) to Miami. 

A few months after joining the postal service he disappeared at Hillsboro Inlet where it is thought he tried to swim across the inlet to retrieve a lost boat. His clothes were found along the shore, but he was not. He may have drowned or was attacked by alligators that frequented the area.

Hypoluxo, 14 miles south of Palm Beach and just west of Lantana, grew slowly after Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad was extended south. The picturesque area caught the attention of developers—as much of the area did—after Palm Beach gained popularity.

Advertisements for Hypoluxo in The Palm Beach Post touted its beauty, location and prospects in 1920:  He who gives his family a home on Hypoluxo Island gives them the best. There will only be 196 men in this world who can give as much. 

The 196 probably referred to available lots.

One of the fortunate residents was Charles Myers, a winter resident of Hypoluxo who spent summers in Illinois. In 1920 he notified The Palm Beach Post to change newspaper delivery from Wheatfield, Il. back to Hypoluxo.

It’s too hot up here and I want some fine air off the ocean. My vacation slogan is: See tropical Florida: if you don’t like it you can go back.

Mr. Myers might say that today or he could be one of those to go back. The town is home to about 2,800 residents.

Hypoluxo was incorporated as a town in 1955. 

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

The Palm Beach Post, July 13, 1918

The Palm Beach Post, July 1, 1916

The Palm Beach Post, Aug. 18, 1920

The Palm Beach Post, Jan. 9, 1923

The Palm Beach Post, Jan. 18, 1923

The Palm Beach Post, Nov. 17, 1940

The Palm Beach Post, April 26, 1953

The Palm Beach Post, May 19, 1954

The Palm Beach Post, July 3, 1955

Jupiter Lighthouse

WestPalmBeach.com

Tags: 

Hypoluxo, Palm Beach County history, Lake Worth Lagoon

The Landmark Building leads downtown Fort Lauderdale development in 1972

 Looking north from 3rd Avenue Bridge
Landmark sits center of photo 1991
(White strip to roof))
State Archives of Florida/Riddle

Landmark Building 1996, State of Florida Archives 1996,
Florida Dept. of Commerce, Motion Picture and Television Bureau

One Financial Plaza, 100 SE 3^rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, 33301

https://www.onefinancialplazaftl.com/

By Jane Feehan

In 1972 Fort Lauderdale was abuzz about the newly opened Landmark Building, the tallest in Broward County. The 28-story structure was expected to “trigger” commercial interest in the sleepy downtown area.

First National Bank bought the future Landmark site that once served as home to Fort Lauderdale High School. The bank purchased the property for $1.3 million from the Broward County School District in 1968. 

The old high school was demolished in August 1970. Pile drivers began pounding into 48 feet of sand in December 1970. Construction included 900-1,000 piles, 1,670 cubic yards of cement and 380 tons of reinforcing steel.

Transamerica Investment Group, Inc. was named developer of the new building and later named as owner in local newspapers. Fred Millsaps, president of First National Bank, told the Fort Lauderdale News that the building was expected to run $10-11 million to complete. 

When the Landmark Building opened early November 1972, advertisements indicated First National in Fort Lauderdale was a Landmark Bank. An open house November 4 and 5^th promised visitors balloons, orchids, “NFL roster packets” and free tours.

Early tenants of what became known as One Financial Plaza included Causeway Lumber (office), Eastern Airlines, Fort Lauderdale Telephone Co., Gerber Enterprises, Attorney Alcee Hastings, L.C. Judd Realty, Merrill Lynch Fenner & Smith as well as a few accountants, other attorneys, doctors, and insurance companies. A private club occupied the top floor.

Over the decades, tenants and owners changed. It is currently owned, as indicated by the Broward County Property Appraiser, by Alliance HP who purchased the 375-foot building for $82 million from Crocker Partners in 2019. 

One Financial Plaza, as it is referred to today, was recently renovated for millions and now offers charging stations for electric vehicles. The Tower Club, with different operators since 1972, remains a posh gathering place for the city’s influential.

Downtown 2024 - looking north from near 3rd Avenue

No longer the tallest structure in Broward County (I couldn't find it driving downtown; it's surrounded by buildings), One Financial Plaza heralded a revitalization of downtown Fort Lauderdale back in the early 1970s.

A second development push occurred about 25 years ago with residential high rises defining the city’s ever-growing skyline. Today (2024) the tallest building—100 Las Olas—rises 46 stories or 499 feet. For comparison, the Panorama Tower in Miami reaches 85 stories or 868 feet; it is, today, the tallest residential high rise south of New York City.

Fort Lauderdale may not be far behind with a claim of tallest building. Additional projects continue coming out the pipeline. There’s not much vacant property available at this point, but old structures are falling across the city, clearing the way for big—and not often wanted—projects.

The Landmark Building, trigger or not, headed the downtown parade of high rises.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, May 1, 1970

Fort Lauderdale News, May 6, 1970

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 23, 1971

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 27, 1971

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 2, 1972

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 6, 1978

 https://www.onefinancialplazaftl.com/

https://1financialplaza.com/

Tags: Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s, Landmark Building, One Financial Plaza, Fort Lauderdale development, Fort Lauderdale tallest building

Sun Tower, one of the oldest remaining hotels on Fort Lauderdale sands

 

 

Sun Tower Hotel & Suites

2030 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL

954-565-5700

By Jane Feehan

The Sun Tower remains one of the few hotels in Fort Lauderdale that can claim the beach lies literally out the back door. With a deck and restaurant only feet off the sand, it draws locals and repeat visitors from afar.

It’s been around since about 1959 when original owner George A. Zarekas filed a fictitious name or intent to do business as “Sun Tower Apartments.” Architect of the 22-unit building was Gamble, Pownell and Gilroy Company. According to The Miami Herald that year, a $235,000 contract was “let to W. Edward Seese” to build; D.E. Britt served as engineer.

Zarekas came to Florida from Carbondale, Pennsylvania in 1955 where he and wife Marjorie owned and operated the Waymart Hotel and Restaurant. In Fort Lauderdale they also owned the Carib and North Shore motels. The seven-floor Sun Tower was known by several different names over the years. Some referred to it as the Sun Tower Motel or Hotel. It was not pretentious. In fact, the Zarekas would advertise for a couple to run the place while they were away for the summer.

Today it operates as Sun Tower Hotel and Suites. Zarekas, a World War II veteran who fought at Normandy, died in 2021 at age 98. His wife died in 2022. Current owners are listed as Sun Tower Investments with a mailing address in New York City.

The small hotel was upgraded during the COVID pandemic. Not enough can be said about its very casual restaurant, Sand Bar and Grill (or Sand Bar Grill), which serves a tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner on the deck or in a small adjacent room. It’s all about the beach … 

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources

The Miami Herald, Sept. 20, 1059

Fort Lauderdale News Oct. 23, 1959

Fort Lauderdale News, May 6, 1965

Fort Lauderdale News, April 9, 1973

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Nov. 19, 2021

Legacy.com

 

 Tags: Fort Lauderdale hotel history, Fort Lauderdale beach hotels, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s, George A. Zarekas, Sun Tower Hotel & Suites

Fort Lauderdale and Broward County fallout shelter craze in the 1960s

 

By Jane Feehan

Fallout shelters dominated controversial topics in South Florida and the nation in the late 1950s and early 1960s. People feared a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union when its leader, Nikita Khrushchev, sought to expand his sphere of influence by testing atomic bombs in 1958 and then shipping nuclear missiles to Cuba in 1962.  

Fears launched a few fallout shelter businesses in Miami and in Broward County (search this blog for Fallout Shelters a Miami Growth Biz in the 1960s). Homeowners served as the target audience for the defense product, but governments considered them essential to civil defense. In 1962, the Broward County Courthouse had already been recognized as first fallout shelter in Fort Lauderdale.

In 1963, both private and public entities were recognized for their civic duty by the Broward County Civil Defense Council. Commendations were awarded to people representing Broward County hotels, a variety of businesses and a few hospitals for their participation. 

The list below may reflect savvy public relations rather than civic inclinations for some:

Yankee Clipper Hotel; Pier 66 (planned but not yet built); Governors’ Club Hotel; Marlin Beach Hotel; Jolly Roger Hotel; Holiday Hotel; Boca Key Hotel; Sun Tower (motel-hotel); Esquire Hotel;  Sears Roebuck and Company (Searstown built in 1955); First National Bank; Homeowners Life Insurance Co.; New Blount Building; Las Olas Plaza; Burdines Department Store; Dania Jai Alai Palace; Gulfstream Racing Association; Illini Cooperative Apartments; Southern Bell Telephone Company; North Broward Hospital District; South Broward Hospital District; Holy Cross Hospital; City of Fort Lauderdale.

Supplies for shelters were ordered by the defense council and included food, water, sanitary supplies and radiation equipment (compare that to a list we'd have today). It was estimated that the supplied shelters could accommodate about 43,000 people for 15 days.

However, interest in building fallout shelters was waning even before the Cuba crisis. A nationwide study revealed that many thought the best protection would be a simple hole in the ground. City dwellers took a fatalistic stance since they would likely be the first target of a nuclear attack; others thought businesses were cashing in on fear more than anything else.

Complacency slowed nuclear defense preparations by the mid-to late 1960s—especially with the 1964 movie, Dr. Strangelove. A satire that poked fun at nuclear "paranoia," the film may have helped take out the air of the fallout shelter movement.  

However, it didn’t stop a Fort Lauderdale News reporter in 1964 from suggesting a fallout shelter as an ideal Christmas gift for the family member who has everything. Some of those shelters may serve as hurricane shelters today ...

 Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 3, 1962

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 19, 1962

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 30, 1963  

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 19,1964

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 12, 1965

Tags: Fort Lauderdale in the 1960s; Broward County in the 1960s, fallout shelters

Fort Lauderdale's first department store - Pioneer Department Store

By Jane Feehan 

Frank Stranahan’s New River trading post, opened in Fort Lauderdale in 1895, served as antecedent to the Pioneer Department Store.  Reporters established this lineage through Pioneer’s purchase of stock (or goods) of Oliver Brothers Company, a store started by Stranahan.

Pioneer,  “not merely a name but a description” was organized in 1922 or 1923 with $50,000 in capital (some reports indicate $100,000). It first operated on Brickell Avenue not far from the original trading post.

In 1925, another pioneer, Tom W. Bryan, sold a corner lot at Las Olas Boulevard and Osceola Avenue (later 1^st Avenue) to Pioneer for a reported $70,000. In August that year, Pioneer announced plans for a three-story structure on the lot with a construction price tag estimated to run nearly $112,000 (later claimed to cost $150,000). The architect listed was A. Ten Eyck of Atlanta and Miami; the builder was the Florida Building Company. Executives mentioned were Dr. J.A. Stanford, president; J.S. Hinton, vice president, and Lamar Thistlewaite, secretary/treasurer and store manager.

It was reported that thousands showed up for the opening May 13, 1926 “at the magnificent three-story, modern building.” Reporters and store executives claimed “a new epoch begins in the commercial history of Fort Lauderdale…”

The new and expanded Pioneer Department Store featured two Otis elevators, glass counter tops, mahogany fittings, five large display windows and a “Lampson Cash Tube to reach all floors.” 

About 50 employees served customers who shopped a variety of sections including men’s and boy’s wear, women’s dresses and underwear, a beauty salon (the Permanent Wave Shop), luggage, kitchenware and more.

Indeed, a new paradigm in shopping began in Fort Lauderdale—a mere 30 years after trading post days. Boom times in land sales and population growth of the 1920s drove innovation and demand right through the Great Hurricane of September 1926, months after the department store opened.

“Pioneer Department Store still stands,” their newspaper advertisements claimed less than two weeks after the storm. It was “a monument to faith built on public confidence.” By November 1926 the store was ready for Christmas sales of toys and gifts.

Pioneer weathered the hurricane but not the ensuing decline in the economy.

The store closed in 1939. By this decade there were new owners, Field and Company, with evolving plans. 

There was also new competition. Sears opened blocks away on Andrews Avenue in 1937. 

The Great Depression yet lingered. Pioneer’s claim of being “exclusive but not expensive” was not enough to keep the sales engines running.

 

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale Evening Sentinel, April 17, 1925

Fort Lauderdale Evening Sentinel, May 7, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 8, 1925

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Aug. 6, 1925

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 4, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 22, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, May 12, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, May 13, 1926

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Sept. 26, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 24, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 25, 1939

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 26, 1939

Fort Lauderdale News, July 15, 1939

Tags: Fort Lauderdale retail history, Pioneer Department Store, Fort Lauderdale in the 1920s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1930s, Frank Stranahan

SeaEscape cruises into Florida sunset with no return as onshore gambling evolves

 

By Jane Feehan

As Florida voters rejected gambling casinos, one-day cruises for betting grew in popularity during the 1980s and 90s.

One of these ocean-going casinos was SeaEscape. Over several decades, operators of the line changed, ships changed and so did home ports. This post is not a business history of the SeaEscape; it’s somewhat convoluted.  The focus will be on growth of the industry, its challenges and the role legalized gambling played with SeaEscape’s fortunes.

They advertised as “Florida’s original one-day cruise.” SeaEscape launched in 1982 from the Port of Palm Beach. Some news sources report that the “Rahn family” was behind the new business; other news sources report Scandinavian Sun or Scandinavian World Cruises was behind the initiative. The ship’s maiden voyage hosted 732 passengers. 

The line, which promised “everything for $89,” included a stop in Freeport, Bahamas, a meal, and lots of gambling. In subsequent years, their ships mostly sailed without a port stop but to international waters (or three miles offshore) where there were no restrictions on betting. SeaEscape ships also departed from Miami and Fort Lauderdale; soon after these one-day trips sailed from Tampa and Port Canaveral.  

By 1992 ocean-going casinos hosted 920,000 passengers yearly (averaging 1,400 guests per trip)—"one third of SOFLA’s cruise trade,” reported the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Passengers on these trips were not big-time gamblers. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, most spent an average of $9-$13 a day and slots were the main attraction—80 percent played the “one-arm bandits.”  Remaining passengers played table games. Betting limits ranged from $200-$2,000, not attractive to high rollers who preferred Las Vegas.

However, the concept was so popular and seemed to hold so much promise that the report of 920,000 passengers caught the attention of Steve Wynn, then-owner of the Mirage Hotel and Golden Nugget Casinos in Las Vegas. The gambling mogul mulled over the idea of building a casino ship and "fancy" hotel in Port Everglades. He probably foresaw the eventual approval of casino gambling so did not move forward with his concept.

Competition was stiff by 1992. At one time, 47 floating casinos operated from Florida. Meanwhile, troubles mounted for SeaEscape. The company, no longer held by the original owners, filed for bankruptcy in 1991. They had been dealing with competition, late or unpaid fines, port fees, taxes and insurance problems.  Several small fires at sea called into question the validity of their insurance. At that time, Fort Lauderdale and Miami were claimed as home ports.

In 1997, the “New SeaEscape” emerged, announcing new ships, sea “adventures” for $29.95 and party cruises for about $25. But new problems arose the following year when Florida’s Attorney General Bob Butterworth spearheaded efforts to curtail questionable one-day cruise practices. Undercover agents boarded ships to confirm gambling did not begin until at least three miles from the coast. Hidden GPS devices proved otherwise; the New SeaEscape was hit with a $190,000 fine for opening slots and tables before the three miles. Other problems followed with indictments in 2003 of the then-owners for matters unrelated to New SeaEscape.

The company struggled. They advertised their remaining ship as a wedding venue, for overnight New Year’s Eve festivities for $179 and other parties for as little as $25. Gambling glories were slipping away.

SeaEscape’s last cruise was in August 2008 after workers complained about not being paid. The company was unable to find financing or a new owner. Their sole ship was auctioned off by Broward County in October 2008. The highest bidder was investor Glenn Staub.

Gambling—blackjack—was approved in 2008. Casino gambling has been approved in bits and pieces since 1988 until today, when most of it resides on Seminole holdings such as Hard Rock Cafes in Hollywood and Tampa and at the Miccosukee Reservation. The next frontier seems to be online gambling.

But it wasn’t just onshore gambling that dealt the one-day cruises a blow. The rise of inexpensive vacation cruises with casinos as one form of onboard entertainment also played a role in the demise of day trips.  Entertainment venues and peoples’ tastes evolve.

As of this post, a one-day gambling trip is offered out of Port Canaveral:  Victory Casino Cruises.

 Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 21, 1982

Fort Lauderdale News, March 17, 1982

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Sept 15, 1982

South Florida Sun-SentinelS, Jun. 2, 1991

The Miami Herald, Oct. 21, 1991

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 17, 1992

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 15, 1993

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Mar. 23, 1997

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Dec. 19, 1997

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Dec. 20, 1997

South Florida Sun-Sentinel. June 5, 2003

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Aug. 12, 2008

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Oct. 7, 2008

Tags: SeaEscape, New SeaEscape, one-day gambling cruises, gambling history, Port Everglades, floating casinos