Briny Breezes, Florida

Briny Breezes is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 601 at the 2010 census. Briny Breezes (or "Briny" as it is known locally) is a small coastal community of approximately 488 mobile homes along State Road A1A. Briny is a private community consisting mostly of "Snowbirds" from the Northeast, Midwest, and Canada. It and Ocean Breeze are the only two mobile home parks in Florida that are incorporated towns.

Briny Breezes, Florida
Town
Location of Briny Breezes, Florida
Coordinates: 26°30′32″N 80°3′15″W
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Palm Beach
Area [1]
• Total	0.11 sq mi (0.27 km^2)
• Land	0.06 sq mi (0.15 km^2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km^2)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	601
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	578
• Density	10,140.35/sq mi (3,901.40/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33435
Area code(s)	561
FIPS code	12-08575[3]
GNIS feature ID	0302720[4]
Website	www.brinybreezes.us

History

In the 1920s, the land housed a strawberry farm owned by Michigan lumberman Ward Miller.[5] Around the time of the Great Depression, he allowed tourists, who brought their trailers down from the North, to camp on his land. He began advertising the land by placing flyers in Northern newspapers, such as the Chicago Tribune, that touted Briny's "$3 a week rent."[6] In 1958, Miller wanted to retire and made an offer to the campers to buy the land: $2,000 per lot and $2,500 for those near the water.[6] The campers brought their assets together and the town was incorporated on March 19, 1963, complete with its own mayor and post office.[7]

The town's first mayor was Hugh David, who held office until his death in 1997 and was never opposed in an election.[8] His successor, Robert Conkey, also died in office only months into his second term in 2000.[9] Conkey's second term was notable as he won the election by only five votes.[10] The town's current mayor is Roger Bennett.[11]

In its beginnings, the town was mainly made up of families that came to live during the winter.[6] Now, the residents are senior citizens that live there either year round or just in the winter.[7]

Briny Breezes was used as the setting for the 2005 film In Her Shoes, and many of its residents served as extras in the movie.[12]

Development

In October 2005, developer Jean Francois Roy, of Ocean Land Investments, made an offer to buy the entire town for $500 million.[11] This would equate to an average of slightly more than $1 million per residential lot.[6] In December 2005, it was announced that 73 percent of the 488 lot owners had voted to hire a lawyer to pursue the sale.[13] Later, Roy raised his offer to $510 million.[11]

Had the sale gone through, it would have meant a huge windfall for each lot owner. Many people paid between $30,000 and $40,000 when they purchased their homes.[7] In comparison, the 2000 census reported $129,000 was the median value of a home in Briny.[6]

A vote to ratify the deal was set for January 10, 2007 and 80 percent of residents approved of the sale, with 97 percent of owners voting. The residents would not receive any compensation until 2009 and the plan was yet to be approved by state and local officials, due to zoning concerns.[14]

However, on July 30, 2007, when the "earnest money" was due to the town, the deal was cancelled by the land developer over a dispute with the town board of directors over how long a period was to be allowed for due diligence.[15]

Geography

Briny Breezes is located at 26°30′32″N 80°3′15″W (26.508849, -80.054150).[16]

It is about 1.6 miles south of Ocean Ridge and 1.3 miles north of Gulf Stream and sits between the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (22.22%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1970	481		—
1980	387		−19.5%
1990	400		3.4%
2000	411		2.8%
2010	601		46.2%
Est. 2019	578	[2]	−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 411 people, 266 households, and 129 families residing in the town. The population density was 5,912.5 inhabitants per square mile (2,267.0/km²). There were 534 housing units at an average density of 7,682.0 per square mile (2,945.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.27% White, 0.49% Asian, and 0.24% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population.

There were 266 households out of which 1.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 2.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.5% were non-families. 48.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 34.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.55 and the average family size was 2.06.

In the town, the population was skewed toward mostly older persons with 1.9% under the age of 18, 1.5% from 18 to 24, 4.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 66.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 70 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $55,500. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $33,333 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,338. About 1.5% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 100% of all residents. It, along with Cloud Lake, and Golf, and Jupiter Inlet Colony were the only municipalities in Palm Beach county with all residents having the mother tongue of English.[18]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. About the Briny Breezes deal. Sun-Sentinel, December 13, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
6. DeGregory, Lane. A Price on Paradise. St. Petersburg Times, February 5, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
7. Luscombe, Richard. Backstory: Briny beach memoirs. The Christian Science Monitor, June 8, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
8. Kleinberg, Eliot. "Hugh David, Briny Breezes' Only Mayor, Dies at 75." The Palm Beach Post, February 22, 1997.
9. FL Mayor Dies Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. The Florida Times-Union, September 21, 2000. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
10. Kleinberg, Eliot. "Five votes put Conkey back in mayor's post." The Palm Beach Post, March 15, 2000.
11. Kleinberg, Eliot & Meyer, Meghan. Trailer park windfall: $510 million for Briny Breezes. The Palm Beach Post, December 13, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
12. Production Notes: In Her Shoes. CinemaReview.com. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
13. Cornwall, Rupert. Briny Breezes trailer park offered $500m to blow away Archived October 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. The Independent, December 28, 2005. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
14. Kennedy, Kelli. Mobile home owners may share millions. Associated Press, January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
15. Duggan, Ed. $510M Briny Breezes deal cancelled. South Florida Business Journal, July 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
16. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
18. "MLA Data Center Results for Briny Breezes, Florida". Modern Language Association. Retrieved 2007-12-03.

External links

• The town of Briny Breezes - The official Town Website