Before Wolfie's, popular Al's Sandwich Shop of Miami Beach and his overstuffed creations

 

Sandwich prep (not Al's or Wolfie's)
Florida State Archives

By Jane Feehan

Wolfie’s Restaurants in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale built its reputation on overstuffed corned beef or pastrami sandwiches and a huge menu of delicious deli fare. Fans returned repeatedly for that great food, which included bowls of coleslaw and pickles and tiny pastries atop each table, ready for munching before ordering.

Overstuffed sandwiches and bowls of munchies were around before Wilfred “Wolfie” bought Al’s Sandwich Shop around 1940. Some say Al Nemets conceived the big-sandwich and bowls-of-slaw-and-pickles idea.

About Al Nemets

 Russian-born Alvin J. Nemets (1907-1989) left his country during the 1917 Revolution. He joined his parents, residents of Philadelphia, in 1921, after traveling in Europe. Nemets worked as a glass cutter with his father for a time but moved to Miami Beach during the early 1930s where some say he learned about the restaurant biz at Bernstein’s.

By 1936 he opened his own place, a deli and restaurant, on Fifth and Washington in Miami Beach. Newspapers published the shop’s address on 23^rd Street. According to historian Seth Bramson, Nemets—and his shop—were well known in the 1930s. His idea of overstuffed sandwiches and the shop’s popularity appealed to Wolfie Cohen when he purchased the shop. According to a Nemets’ relatives, buckets of pickles and coleslaw on tables were also Nemet’s idea.

Miami Beach 1937, Florida State Archives

What Wolfie Cohen did in his early days with Al’s was to advertise when the shop was open (all night at one point), Thanksgiving dinner for $2.95 and more.

 Cohen grew the shop's reputation among visitors and residents and through coverage by food writers. How about a corned beef cheeseburger for “taste thrills” wrote foodie Helen Burns of the Miami Daily News (May 6, 1950). It was not long before the reputation for tasty food, not ads, brought customers through the door. Cohen’s sandwiches drew celebrities from across the street at the Roney Plaza Hotel, elevating the restaurant's profile. Wolfie Cohen who died in 1986, opened Wolfie’s, Pumpernik’s and the Rascal House in his remarkable career.

Nemets’ career was also stellar. After selling his place to Cohen, Nemets joined the U.S. Navy in 1940; he served as warrant officer first class. After the war he remained in the restaurant business. He opened the Rendezvous Restaurant on Miami Beach at Collins and 20^th. He also managed Pumpernik’s Restaurant, Wolfie’s, and the Bonfire. According to his obituary, Nemets opened the Newport and Roney Pub restaurants in the early 1970s and was active there until the early 1980s.

Alvin J. Nemets died in 1989 at 82 years of age. His legacy, which includes those overstuffed sandwiches, is one of many stories of living the American Dream with an idea and hard work.

For a postcard of Al’s Sandwich Shop (and other old restaurants), visit: https://wolfsonianfiulibrary.wordpress.com/2024/07/30/menus-memorabilia-for-miami-beach-eateries/

For an excellent collection of Miami Beach photos, see Bramson’s book below.

Bramson, Seth H. Miami Beach. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, Portsmouth, NH, San Francisco, CA

The Miami News, Nov. 12, 1940

The Miami Herald, Sept. 13, 1946

The Miami Herald, Nov. 30, 1946

The Daily News, Oct. 8, 1986

The Miami Herald, Oct. 24, 1989

Opa-Locka, of planes, trains and minarets

Opa-Locka City Hall circa 1960
Florida State Archives

 

By Jane Feehan

With a stellar career behind him, aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss helped form the Opa-locka Company in 1926. Real estate was his next frontier.

Curtiss (1878 -1930) and company opened an office in downtown Miami off Flagler from which to advertise and sell homes in a new city. Opa-Locka, 12 miles north of downtown, was formally established May 14, 1926. The name is a shortened version of a Seminole phrase meaning “wooded hammock.”

The site was at or near his flying school, Florida Aviation Camp in northern Dade County. The Opa-Locka Company claimed the new development served as a transportation hub.  The Seaboard Airline Railway (later Seaboard Coast Line) established a stop there on a route that traveled north and south.

Curtiss brought a unique thematic concept to Florida real estate development. He was inspired by the collection of Middle East folk tales, One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The aviator hired New York architect, Bernhardt E. Mueller (1878-1964) to transform his vision into reality. For a photo collection of Opa-Locka’s singular architecture and more on Mueller, see https://www.discoveropalocka.org.

Ads in Miami newspapers described the new city as a planned community with an Arabian theme implemented in public buildings and neighborhood houses. Its administration building, showing off a Moorish Revival theme, featured impressive minarets pointing to the sky. The layout of the new project was designed by New Yorker Clinton McKenzie and included street names such as Ali Baba Avenue, Shahrazad Boulevard and Sultan Avenue. Those names remain.

According to area newspapers, the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 did not affect Opa-Locka as it had other towns of Dade and Broward counties, but it slowed sales. By 1930, Opa-Locka counted 339 residents. In July of that year, Glenn Curtiss died leaving an aviation legacy and a unique city with many elements of its Moorish Revival architecture visible to this day. There’s more, however, that defines Opa-Locka’s history.

The airport in Opa-locka welcomed blimp flights, including the famed Graf Zeppelin in 1933. Miami officials, excited by the prospects of such travel, had set aside hundreds of acres and spent $40,000 for a dirigible docking port at the Opa-Locka Naval Reserve Base, dedicating it Jan. 13, 1930. News accounts claimed it was the only port in the world municipally owned.

Opa-Locka airship news may have attracted aviator Amelia Earhart's attention. She, with navigator Fred Noonan, began the first international leg of their ill-fated round-the-world-trip on June 1, 1937 from Opa-Locka.

Today, Opa-Locka holds a yearly Fantasy event, with participants dressing in Arabian costumes. The city, 4.2 square miles, has three parks, two lakes and a Tri-Rail station. It’s home to more than 16,500 residents (2024).

Sources:

Miami News, Jan. 24, 1926

The Miami Herald, Feb. 23, 1926

The Miami Tribune, April 13, 1926

The Miami Herald, Dec. 15, 1926

The Miami Herald, Dec. 19, 1926

Miami News, July 24, 1930

The Miami Herald, July 24, 1930

City of Opa-Locka

https://www.discoveropalocka.org

 

Tags: Miami-Dade cities, Opa-Locka, Amelia Earhart, Glenn H. Curtiss

Fort Lauderdale Beach busy in 1945

 

Yoga Rise today

During the 1940s it was easier to capture and publicize the number of Fort Lauderdale beach goers than it might be today. A report published by the Fort Lauderdale Daily News (June 5, 1945) from Porter Reynolds, supervisor of Parks and Recreation for the city, indicated the following for the month of May, 1945:

26,723 persons used the beach with a daily average of 863

9,177 swimmers, including military personnel, used the Las Olas Casino Pool

6,131 people used the lockers at the Casino pool

408 people used the municipal tennis courts

2,168 used the city’s shuffleboard courts

   

Lots of people visiting our beaches, even in 1945.

Tags: Fort Lauderdale in the 1940s

Fort Lauderdale in 1976, a U.S. Bicentenial year of news, numbers and places

 

Fort Lauderdale 1976 - looking north from A-1-A
Florida State Archives

 By Jane Feehan

Like most cities across the U.S. during 1976, Fort Lauderdale celebrated the U.S. Bicentenial. Many will also remember what defined the city that year: the places we went, the prices we paid, the movies we watched and what made the headlines.

A boat parade of 200 vessels from nearby towns converged at Bahia Mar where 600 red, white, and blue balloons were released. An air show, as well as power boat races drew crowds to Fort Lauderdale’s sands. At night, a street party with fireworks entertained hundreds at Las Olas beach. 

And, the British aircraft carrier HMS Royal Ark with more than 1,000 sailors docked at Port Everglades with 1776 emblazoned atop its deck. Its arrival honored the U.S. milestone. A few sailors teased, in good humor of course, about not losing that war, just "coming in second."

The Bicentenial here was recognized throughout the year by businesses. Retail stores ran ads with variations of 1776 as prices. Barstools were advertised on sale for $17.76 at Woolco. Scotty’s Appliances sold dishwashing machines for $177.60.  Realtors for Sea Ranch Lakes North condominium advertised “Bicentenial values,” i.e., special units for sale in the low $60s.

Fort Lauderdale in the news 1976

New Year’s Eve in Fort Lauderdale kicked off its third consecutive year of riots at the beach. Though slightly down from the prior year, arrests were made of “party” goers who threw rocks, brought down traffic lights and dared to run naked in the streets. Police arrested 60 of the partiers.

Fort Lauderdale High and Pine Crest School swimming coach Jack Nelson was named National High School Coach of the Year in 1976. The same year, he was tapped as Women’s Swimming Coach for the U.S. Summer Olympics.

Public restrooms at Las Olas beach and South Beach (Bahia Mar) were beset with problems such as drug abuse, vandalism and lewd activities.

The city’s winter tourist season was ranked as the “best ever,” but the state of the economy was top of mind for many. Fort Lauderdale saw a steep economic decline during 1974 and 1975 due to overbuilding. The unemployment rate in 1976, however, notched below the 8.9% reported the prior year.

Fort Lauderdale by the numbers in 1976

139,000: Population between census years of 1970 and 1980. Broward County was estimated at 935,000. In 1980 Fort Lauderdale residents numbered 153,279.

$13,420: Area median income estimated by the U.S. Census. Northern US income was reported  higher at $14,960.

$349: Price of sofa beds at Carl’s Furniture

$19.99: Price of bedspreads at Jordan Marsh; pillows sold for $5.99

$4.50: cost of Easter brunch at the Galt Ocean Mile Hotel

79 cents: Price of a dozen eggs at Publix by year’s end. Two loaves of rye bread sold for 89 cents.

Fort Lauderdale nightlife in 1976 

Mai-Kai Restaurant

Le Club International
Yesterday’s
Bachelors III
Broadway Dinner Theatre
Mr. Pip’s

Movies Fort Lauderdale watched in 1976 at local theaters 

Lipstick

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Silver Streak

Theater in 1976

Parker Playhouse with Zev Bufman productions such as Same Time Next Year

What some read in 1976
Trinity by Leon Uris
The Deep by Peter Benchley

The way we were in 1976 was notable. What will Fort Lauderdale be at the close of 2026, the 250th Anniversary of the U.S.?

Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 1, 1976

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 29. 1976

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 4, 1976

Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, April 11, 1976 

Fort Lauderdale News, July 1, 1976

Fort Lauderdale News, July 18, 1976

Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, Dec. 26, 1976

U.S. Census

Tags: Fort Lauderdale in 1976, Fort Lauderdale in the Bicentenial Year

Caribe - high rise building frenzy visits Lauderdale by the Sea in the 1960s

 

Caribe near former site of hotel

Caribe, 4050 N. Ocean Drive

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea 33308

By Jane Feehan

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea did not escape the high-rise building frenzy of the 1950s-1960s in Broward County.

Though the small town had codified a five-story height limit, a variance* was granted in 1961 for a 15-story residential building in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Land for the project, the Caribe, extended east from A1A to the beach at the southern end of El Mar Drive, not far from the Galt Mile. The property was reportedly owned by Lauderdale Surf and Yacht Estates.

When the project, designed by noted architect Charles F. McKirahan (Mai-Kai, etc.) was announced by local news in July 1962, the developer and builder, Investment Corporation of Florida, claimed they had already sold 60 percent of the 149 or 150 co-op units. One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments were sold, which included land for the building, for $12,500-$22,500. Monthly “assessments” were expected to run about $39 (!!). The company listed several projects in its portfolio at the time: Breakwater Towers, Breakwater Surf Club Homes, Lago Mar Place and Sea Club.

Construction on the Caribe started late July 1962.

Construction costs, reported during the early days were estimated at about $1.5 million. When completed, the project topped $2 million. One news headline months later claimed construction reached the top floor in only 69 working days, thus the customary tree was placed atop (is that still a thing?). The same Fort Lauderdale News story also included builder comments about concrete pilings used for the foundation amounting to 22 times taller than the Washington Monument.

The Caribe opened February 1963. Advertisements for the beachside co-op listed features such as a laundry room and storage on each floor, two elevators and a private beach. It took “only $5,233 “ to move into the Caribe, “the ultimate in oceanfront living.”  By 1964, all units had been sold.

 At this post date, units range in price from the $200,000s to the high $400,000s.  HOA fees and Co-op fees together are currently estimated at $1,000 (see real estate listings, these amounts are fluid and estimated as always).  

Having lived in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea once upon a time, I’ll always remember the giant cross of lights from top and width of the Caribe celebrating every Christmas and Easter. It was visible for miles. Never \more, I guess some would say.

 *Note: The 17-story Fountainhead condominium, with its Lauderdale-by-the-Sea address just south of the Caribe, was granted a zoning variance by the town about 1964-65. High rise buildings sit in the annexed beach area north of the original boundary of the town. Annexation occurred in 2001.

 

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, July 21, 1962

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov.17, 1962

Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, March 4, 1962

Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, March 16, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, March 30, 1964

Richard, Candice. Seventy-Three Years By The Sea: A History of Lauderdale By-The-Sea,  The Community Church of Lauderdale- By-The-Sea (1997).

 

USS Fort Lauderdale highlights bond between city and U.S. Navy

 

USS Fort Lauderdale 8.14.2025. Photo by Petty Officer
 2nd Class Joseph Miller (PHIBRON)

USS Fort Lauderdale leaving Norfolk, VA 8.14.2025

Photo by Seaman Andrew Eggert, 

By Jane Feehan

The city of Fort Lauderdale and the U.S. Navy have shared a strong connection since World War II. That link served as catalyst for naming a ship the USS Fort Lauderdale.    

The Navy Air Operational Training Command (Naval Air Station) in Fort Lauderdale  trained more than 1,700 pilots and crew members for that war, including young Ensign and later President George H. W. Bush. 

Fort Lauderdale was also departure site of U.S. Navy Flight 19 with its five aircraft and  search plane before mysteriously disappearing Dec. 5, 1945. Today the NAS operates as a museum and salute to Flight 19. It Iwas added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Decades later, a relationship with the U.S. Navy continues with Fleet Week in Fort Lauderdale when the city celebrates the Navy, Marines and the U.S. Coast Guard. Ships offer tours and displays of military equipment, drawing visitors from all of South Florida.

Mayor Jack Seiler (2009-2018) and Charles “Chuck” Black (d. 2016), U.S. Navy (retired), were instrumental in leading efforts for naming a ship for the city. Seiler brought a delegation from Fort Lauderdale to Washington, D.C. in 2011 that paved the way to a green light in March 2016 from the U.S. Department of the Navy.

It was announced then that a ship would bear the name Fort Lauderdale, specifically a San-Antonio class ship, an amphibious transportation dock vessel. (It was reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that city officials mistakenly thought the name would be assigned to a coastal combat ship.)

San Antonio-class vessels support a landing force with supplies and personnel. They are named for cities such as New Orleans and New York. Three ships also bear names as tribute to each of the three cities attacked on September 11, 2001.

The USS Fort Lauderdale LDP 28, the U.S. Navy’s 12th such vessel at the time, was built in Pascagoula, MS by Huntington Ingalls Industries. In 2025, 14 sail out of a planned 26 similar amphibious ships. The vessel features advanced weapons, helicopter platforms that can also facilitate vertical takeoff and landings of other aircraft, and holds about 700 sailors and marines.

Launched on March 28, 2020, and christened Aug. 21, 2021, the USS Fort Lauderdale was delivered to the U.S. Navy Nov. 30, 2021. Its port is Naval Station Norfolk. 

The ship made national news when it was deployed to the Caribbean Sea in support of operations near Venezuela in September 2025.

No doubt locals will line up to see the first ship named for Fort Lauderdale during a future Fleet Week.

Characteristics:

684 feet long

105-foot beam

Draft 23 feet

Speed -22 knots

Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources

South Florida Sun Sentinel, March 11, 2016

South Florida Sun Sentinel, July 12, 2016

Dvidshub.net or the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service  

U.S. Navy - James L. McQuiniff CDR USN LPD28

Tags: USS Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale in the 2000s 

Palm Beach Gardens - year-round and winter residents, the rich, the famous and PGA golfers

Palm Beach Gardens
shopping center

By Jane Feehan 

Palm Beach Gardens wasn’t developed as a resort community. A project of insurance magnate John D. MacArthur, the town started out with his vision of 55,000 homes for year-round residents.

MacArthur (1897-1978) moved to Florida in 1958 from Chicago. He had already made millions in Florida real estate and owned 100,000 acres, according to The Miami Herald. The newspaper also wrote that he had put up money for the development of Carol City in Dade County.

His Palm Beach County purchase of 4,000 acres sat west of North Palm Beach and three miles from the Florida Turnpike. MacArthur wanted it to be named Palm Beach City.  Palm Beach County passed a resolution in March 1959 to prohibit use of that name because it could convey that the hub of Palm Beach County was a suburb.

The name Palm Beach Gardens seemed less of a threat; the city was incorporated June 20, 1959. MacArthur hired architect Tony Sherman (who also designed the Yankee Clipper and the Jolly Roger hotels in Fort Lauderdale) to put his talents to work for the new community.

MacArthur reportedly said, “property isn’t worth much until you bring people into the area.” In August 1960, after work began on Palm Beach Gardens, he struck up an agreement with Radio Corporation of America—RCA—to open a facility in the new city with their purchase from MacArthur of 104 acres and their plans for more than 1,000 jobs. RCA opened on land not far from SR-A1A in 1961 and operated there until 1986. A street, RCA Boulevard, remains off PGA Boulevard near the "Downtown" shopping center.

Like much of South Florida, Palm Beach Gardens grew over the decades, attracting both winter and year-round residents including some high-profile sports icons such as tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams and several entertainment figures. 

Palm Beach Gardens has garnered national attention for the PGA National Resort with its golf courses and tournaments. Recreation also includes its 1.6-mile beach, which sits in the beautiful John D. MacArthur State Park. It’s a protected hammock and mangrove strip off the barrier island with kayaking, picnicking and more.  

Juno, Jupiter, Jupiter Island, and Tequesta lie close to and north of Palm Beach Gardens. Abacoa borders Jupiter. It's all nearby.

This city attracts residents from communities as far away as Vero Beach who shop at Downtown Palm Beach Gardens, a center opened in 1988. It now includes Whole Foods, Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s and a roster of high-end stores not found in other parts of county. 

Shopping in other PBG locations includes a line up of specialty food and clothing stores. A few top-notch restaurants also draw locals and those from nearby towns for a night out.

Palm Beach Gardens stats (refer to sources below article for data sources; stats are very fluid)

Population (2024): 63,284

Population growth: 2020-2024 estimated 7%

Winter residents - 11% + (probably more)

Median age: 50.1 years; about 31% of the population is over 65.

Composition: female – 52.6%, 77 % white with 23% combined Asian, Black, and Hispanic minorities.

Median household income  $110,563 (Data USA)

Industries of employment: healthcare, professional scientific, and technical services

Real estate, very fluid numbers (August 2025)

Zillow lists 841 homes for sale

Realtor.com lists 1,031 homes for sale

Median listing: $799,000

More on John D. MacArthur

John D. MacArthur owned Bankers Life and Casualty, once the largest health and life insurance company in the United States. Forbes noted in the late 1950s that he was one of the 10 wealthiest men in the United States.

He owned and lived modestly in the Colonnades Beach Hotel on Singer Island where he also conducted much of his business. Upon MacArthur’s death, his net worth was estimated at $700 million.

Since his death, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded more than $6.8 billion to “nearly 10,000 organizations and individuals in 116 countries and 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands” (https://www.macfound.org)

Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan

Sources:

The Palm Beach Post, March 20, 1959

The Palm Beach Post, March 29, 1959

The Palm Beach Post, Aug. 14, 1960

The Miami Herald, Dec. 11, 1960

The Palm Beach Post, Jan. 5, 1978

New York Daily News, Jan. 7, 1978

Palm Beach Gardens- pbgfl.gov

Data USA

Data Commons

US Census

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/john-d-macarthur-beach-state-park

Tags; Palm Beach Gardens, PGA, John D. MacArthur, Palm Beach County history, Downtown Palm Beach Gardens