Chamber
of Commerce
An Historical Review
The Homestead / Florida City Chamber of Commerce was organized in early July
of 1915 with 24 charter members, just two years after Homestead had been incorporated as a
town. Then as now, the Chamber worked as part of a team with the Cities of Homestead and
Florida City to make South Dade a better place to do business and raise a family.The Chamber was reorganized in 1917 and was renamed the South Dade Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber took on a regional look with the election of officers and directors from Silver Palm, Modello, and Redland as well as Homestead.
Maintaining momentum was an early problem, with reorganizations taking place in 1918 and 1920. The first Chamber promotional booklet was published in 1921 thanks to Henry Flagler's land holding company, The Model Land Company.
Another reorganization took place in 1923 and with it came a change of name to the Redland District Chamber of Commerce. An even greater regional look came about with the directors elected from the following areas: Homestead, Florida City, Redland, Silver Palm, Modello, Naranja, Princeton, and Goulds. The Chamber named the north and south roads in the Redlands District for Dade County and won 1st prize at the Florida State Fair for community exhibits.
The Chamber built its first building, adjoining Old City Hall to the south in early 1924 and organized the first Redland District Fruit Festival the same year: Until this time the Chamber had met in Old City Hall.
The attraction of a second railroad to Homestead, the Seaboard Coast Line, was a major Chamber success in the late 1920's. The Chamber was responsible for convincing land owners to donate land for the right of way. Other projects of the 1930's were to attract a circus to winter over in Homestead, tourist camps, Homestead's Bayfront Park, and the purchase of land and construction of a festival pavillion for the fruit festival near Municipal Park on N.E. First Avenue. The festival building also housed the Chamber's offices.
Another Chamber location was a small building constructed by Henry Brooker of Brooker Lumber for the fruit festival. He donated it to the Chamber and it was moved to the southwest corner of Flagler Avenue and Mowry "just opposite the Hotel Redland." It was used exclusively as a "tourist guide building" until 1947, when all Chamber operations were moved there from the festival building.
Early post-war efforts were directed at attempting to make the former Homestead Army Air Fields a viable commercial venture. The Chamber took on a new look in late 1949 when the composition of the elected board of directors was changed to five members at large and the presidents of 15 civic and veterans groups from the area of Perrine to Florida City.
Sometime before January of 1962 the name was expanded to Homestead-Redland District Chamber of Commerce and then later the Redland District was dropped. Other Chamber locations include a model home at the junction of U.S. 1 and Old Dixie (now an upholstery and auto glass shop) and in a Chamber owned building on city property just south of the library on U.S. 1.
At the request of the mayor of Florida City, the name was changed from the Homestead Chamber of Commerce to the Greater Homestead / Florida City Chamber of Commerce in 1981. In 1990, the Chamber owned building that was located south of the library on U.S. 1 was torn down after the city made a decision to sell the property. During the next three years Chamber had virtually moved a minimum of five or six times to various locations within Homestead.
On August 24th, 1994 (the two year anniversary of Hurricane Andrew), the Chamber officially reopened its doors with a celebration of rebirth, re-growth, and rebuilding. After 70 years the Chamber moved back to one of its original locations, Historic Old Town Hall. The Chamber is now housed on the second floor, maintaining and preserving its original mission for the benefit of the businesses and its members of the South Dade area. The Greater Homestead / Florida City Chamber of Commerce is proud to be the second oldest chamber in Dade County.