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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
