County Centennial Commemorated in Everglades City

A cool May morning greeted those who turned out in Everglades City Monday morning to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Collier County on the front steps of City Hall. It was on May 8, 1923, that Collier County came into existence and Everglades City was its county seat. On the county’s centennial, Barron Collier III, the grandson of Barron Gift Collier, the county’s namesake, stood in the same spot his grandfather stood in 100 years ago and addressed the crowd.

"For those of you that know me,” Barron Collier III said, "know I don't like public speaking. But thank you for having me here 100 years later. It's just hard to imagine what has transpired.”

Barron Collier III bears a strong resemblance to his famous grandfather, who purchased one million acres of land in what was then southern Lee County. His grandfather was largely responsible for getting the Tamiami Trail built in the 1920s, connecting Tampa to Miami.

“What a visionary,” Collier said of his grandfather, "I don't know how he squeezed what he did into 24 hours a day at all. Unfortunately, I never got to meet him. I was born after he had passed. But today, we get to celebrate all that was done and all the people that have worked so hard to make Collier County the wonderful place it is. It’s now a mecca for people to be able to come down to, to be able to enjoy and live and call home. And it's because of the people that were before us who created the foundation for all that was done over the last hundred years that made this such a special place.

“We have the environment and yes, we have the good weather, but it's the people that created it and carried out a vision that my grandfather had that turned the county into an incredibly beautiful place. We joke about it in the family, we say, ‘Okay, back then, what did you have? You had mosquitoes, you had hurricanes, and we had wool suits and no air conditioning.' So he had an awful lot of good, good vision to be able to see past all of those challenges. And so, as we take a look at Collier County and all the wonderful things that have been created, we're very, very grateful. We look forward to the next 100 years. And so we want to say thank you to all the people that believed in the vision, believed that this county could be something greater than any ordinary town. And it's why people want to come to Southwest Florida and live in our area and Everglades City.

"I would like to say thank you for all those who are stewards. Basically, we want to steward what we have for the next generation. The people who laid the foundation before us did an outstanding job, and we want to make sure that we continue along that same line so that we are good stewards and our children and grandchildren are good stewards for those who come after us.”

Amanda Townsend, Director of Collier County Museums, preceded Collier at the dais.

"Barron Gift Collier, our county's founder, called Florida this splendid peninsula,” Townsend said, "and we call the county that is named after him paradise. This is where we live. This is the place we call home. Ladies and gentlemen, our great fortune is no accident. We have selected a place with a natural environment like no other. Its geopolitical existence was defined by an unrivaled visionary. And we have used the past 100 years to create a world-class community. One can find a whole host of sentiments, both pithy and cheeky, that talk about how special our natural environment is. My favorite is Walt Whitman in Leaves of Grass, who extolled the greatness of all of America, symbolized by a bunch of orange buds. But there's also the cute little sign that sits on my mother's kitchen counter that says, 'You can have your snowflakes. I'll keep my seashells.' We never lack for acknowledgement that fair weather is our friend here. And it's not just fair weather. It's fair weather accompanied by unparalleled natural beauty. It's the white sand beaches. It's the green Gulf waters. It's the orange and pink and purple and red and golden sunsets. We have mysterious mangrove tunnels, lush tropical swamps and hammocks, deceptively simple piney woods, 200 species of birds, tasty and thrilling sport fish and awe-inspiring panther and black bears and manatees and dolphins and sea turtles. Today we celebrate 100 years of living in one of the most beautiful and unique natural environments on all of planet Earth. We're bound to this place and to one another by a somewhat random geopolitical border. Starting at Barefoot Beach and stair-stepping north to include Immokalee, dropping south parallel to State Road 29 east to the center line of the state south of Lake Okeechobee. South to Monroe County and west to the coast.

County Commission chairman Rick LoCastro was the final speaker. 

"I want you to think about 100 years ago,” LoCastro said. "Who stood here? Who was on this grass? Who was on these steps? What could they have imagined for not only Everglades City but for Collier County, this county, this unbelievable town of Everglades City? It's historic. It's resilient. You only have to think of the last two hurricanes and many more before. You wonder who's going to be standing here in 100 years. But this community is also extremely strong, very committed, and most of all welcoming. I don't think anybody comes to Everglades City, whether they're a snowbird or they live here, that they don't feel welcomed and they don't feel the history of Collier County.”

Marco Island’s J.Robert was the musical guest for the centennial celebration. An excellent choice given his status as a fifth-generation Floridian.

"When I was a little boy,” he said, "a hundred years was a long time - and then I turned 50. Well, I'm 76 now, so I've seen three-quarters of a hundred years and I like it. Can you imagine? A hundred years ago, Tamiami Trail was first put in. I'm so happy just to be here."