Everglades University

The earliest evidence of Native American settlement in the Miami region came from about 12,000 years ago the first inhabitants settled on the banks of the Miami River with the main villages on the northern banks. Surf Coast/Fun Coast/Halifax Area Downtown has three U.S historic districts the Downtown Miami Commercial Historic District the Downtown Miami Historic District and the Lummus Park Historic District. Key West Historic District In the 1980s Miami started to see an increase in immigrants from other nations such as Haiti As the Haitian population grew in Miami the area known today as "Little Haiti" emerged centered on Northeast Second Avenue and 54th Street in 1985 Xavier Suarez was elected as Mayor of Miami becoming the first Cuban mayor of a major city in the 1990s the presence of Haitians was acknowledged with Haitian Creole language signs in public places and ballots during voting.

A turning point came for development in the Everglades at the proposal in the late 1960s for an expanded airport after Miami International Airport outgrew its capacities the new jetport was planned to be larger than O'Hare Dulles JFK and LAX airports combined,[citation needed] and the chosen location was 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Everglades National Park the first sentence of the U.S Department of Interior study of the environmental impact of the jetport read "Development of the proposed jetport and its attendant facilities . will inexorably destroy the south Florida ecosystem and thus the Everglades National Park" When studies indicated the proposed jetport would create 4,000,000 US gallons (15,000,000 L) of raw sewage a day and 10,000 short tons (9,100 t) of jet engine pollutants a year the project met staunch opposition the New York Times called it a "blueprint for disaster" and Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson wrote to President Richard Nixon voicing his opposition: "It is a test of whether or not we are really committed in this country to protecting our environment." Governor Claude Kirk withdrew his support for the project and Marjory Stoneman Douglas was persuaded at 79 years old to go on tour to give hundreds of speeches against it Nixon instead established Big Cypress National Preserve announcing it in the Special Message to the Congress Outlining the 1972 Environmental Program. Pan Am's terminal at Dinner Key in 1944 during World War II, Aventura Flood control, There were 2.7 million Medicaid patients in Florida in 2009 the governor has proposed adding $2.6 billion to care for the expected 300,000 additional patients in 2011 the cost of caring for 2.3 million clients in 2010 was $18.8 billion This is nearly 30% of Florida's budget Medicaid paid for 60% of all births in Florida in 2009 the state has a program for those not covered by Medicaid; 6.5 Aviation department Florida Suncoast The first bridge across Biscayne Bay was the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) wooden Collins Bridge built in 1912 by John S Collins and his son-in-law Thomas Pancoast who formed the Miami Beach Improvement Corporation; financing was provided by Carl G Fisher and the Miami banker brothers John N Lummus and James E Lummus Construction began on July 22 1912 Although the cost of the project was initially $75,000 the construction project faced delays and cost overruns the budge was partially completed in 1913 the bridge was "hailed as the longest wooden vehicle bridge in the world and opened up the area as a luxury winter resort and playground." the bridge terminated at the Dixie Highway built by Carl G Fisher the bridge was a toll bridge; in 1920 the toll was reduced from 20 cents each way (for two-seat cars) to 15 cents one way (and 25 cents round-trip) the bridge was sold to the Biscayne Bay Improvement Association which developed five artificial islands that became known as the Venetian Islands: Biscayne and San Marco in Miami San Marino Di Lido and Rivo Alto in Miami Beach the bridge was torn down in 1925 and replaced with the "more substantial" Venetian Causeway the next year.