Flagler, Henry Morrison
Flagler visited Florida in 1883, and, annoyed at the inadequate transportation and hotel facilities, he undertook to improve them. He bought up and consolidated several local railroads and organized the Florida East Coast Railway, which he extended S from Daytona through Palm Beach (1894) to Miami (1896) and thence 150 mi (241 km) to Key West (1912). He established steamship lines, dredged the Miami harbor, and built palatial hotels, all to encourage the development of Florida as a winter playground. He also made anonymous gifts to build schools, churches, and hospitals. Altogether Flagler invested over $40 million in the peninsula and, more than any other, was responsible for Florida's growth.
See S. W. Martin,
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