Development of Cutler Bay

After the land dispute between settlers and the Perrine heirs, the majority of the Perrine Grant lands were conveyed to Henry Flagler, who would sell the land and fulfill the original grant requirements.  Sizeable tracts were given to the Railway, with the remaining interests being controlled by Flagler’s Model Land Company.  Flagler, who owned thousands of acres from central Florida to Homestead, established several such companies, tasked with selling the land to investors and settlers.  The Model Land Company dealt with the former Perrine Grant, as well as with Flagler’s other land holdings south of Miami. 

Flagler placed agents in charge of each of hi land companies.  It was the job of each agent to attract buyers to his territory and entice them to purchase land.  The agent Flagler placed at the head of the Model Land Company was James E. Ingraham.  In the area of the Perrine Grant, most prospective buyers were seeking fertile farmland and a long growing season. Ingraham would arrange tours through the Grant lands for prospective buyers, highlighting the surprisingly rich soil and diversity of crops that could be planted.  During one such tour, a Mr. Wietzer was first shown “the grove at Kendall,” and then “Homestead so that he can see how fruit trees grow in the rock”. 

The Perrine Grant was likely a tough sell as Mr. Wietzer’s guide points out, “the main thing against it to a new comer is the rocky land, which our settlers here get used to.” Ingraham’s most enduring mark was, perhaps, the construction of a road that extended the Cutler road even further south to the intersection with the railroad tracks.  This road became and still is known as Ingraham Highway. 

During this period, development in and around what would later become Cutler Bay was primarily agricultural development.  Several landowners, like Thomas J. Peters, decided to capitalize on the success of farming in the region and planned around the small farming communities.  One, the Town of Tenalla, was planned in the area of Franjo.  In 1924, the Tenalla Ocean Farms Corporation created the Tenalla Ocean Farms Subdivision, which stretched from Ingraham Highway almost to Biscayne Bay.  At its western end, the Town of Tenalla was situated at the intersection of Ingraham Highway and Franjo Road.  The map of the Town of Tenalla shows a number of residential plots and a park deeded to Dade County.  This park, known as Franjo Park today, was the first planned park in what is now Cutler Bay. 

World War II brought much change to the region.  In 1942, a small, back country airstrip was transformed into the Homestead Army Air Field.  With the war raging far overseas, Homestead was initially used as a maintenance stopping point for aircraft flying long distances.  During later years of the war, the base was used for significant training operations.  Military use of the base ended in 1945, but the influx of returning troops to the area spurred new developments.  The Lincoln City subdivisions were among them.  The Airport Gardens Homebuilding Company created Lincoln City Section A in 1948. 

Located just south of Goulds, it was followed by a series of Lincoln City sections.  Lincoln City Section G, also created in 1948, included a small triangular park near the intersection of Hainlin Mill Drive and Ingraham Highway that exists today as Lincoln City Park.  One postwar development came to define the region:  Cutler Ridge.  David Blumberg, a local developer, purchased 1,400 acres of land in what is now Cutler Bay.  In 1954, Blumberg and his Miracle Development Corporation laid out the first subdivision of this land:  Cutler Ridge Section One.   Located at what is, today, the intersection of Cutler Ridge Drive and Coral Sea Road, the development was named after Cutler and also for the limestone ridge upon which it sat. 

This prominent ridge can clearly be seen on plans for the development, and can also be seen on the site, today.  In the wake of the Korean War, the government decided to again use the Homestead airfield for military operations.  Once the base reopened in 1955, activity and development in the area increased dramatically, and residential property in the Cutler Ridge area was in high demand.  It was also in 1955 that Cutler Ridge Section Three was planned by Blumberg. 

This was followed rapidly by Section Four and Section Five in 1956, Section Six in 1957 and Section Seven in 1958.  Blumberg and his company also owned and developed a shopping center in the area, which became Cutler Ridge Mall in 1977.   

While Cutler Ridge was the first, large-scale planned development in the area, others were rushing in to meet the rise in demand.  Developments like Holiday House (located between the Cutler Ridge developments and Franjo Road) and Whispering Pines were created in 1956 and 1957.  In the area near where the Peters tomato farm had once stood, the first section of the Bel Aire subdivision was created in 1957.  Demand was so strong that from 1957 to 1978, the Sterling Realty Corporation and Bel Aire, Inc. added 23 more sections to the development.  Most, but not all, of these subdivisions are now within Cutler Bay’s town limits.  In 1972 a portion of Tenalla Ocean Farms was re-platted to form the Saga Bay development.  In 1983, Lennar Homes developed Section One of the Lakes by the Bay; new subdivisions are still under development.  Lennar Homes dedicated 96 acres of open space to offset park impact fees.  The park was originally used by Lennar as a clean construction dump.  Most of the lakes were dug for fill for the construction of the Lakes by the Bay Community.   

In January of 2005, the residents voted to incorporate, and in November of that year the Town Charter was approved, making the 9.7 square mile Town of Cutler Bay the youngest incorporated municipality in the State of Florida. 

The American Community Survey of 2005-2007, the first official census data collected for the Ton, revealed that the demographic makeup was very similar to Miami-Dade, a result of the Town’s incorporation of neighborhoods and communities and varied incomes.  Today, more than 40,000 residents call Cutler Bay home.   

In January 2005, the residents of what is now known as Cutler Bay voted to incorporate. After months of work, the Town Charter was approved on November 8, 2005, and was effective the next day, making the Town of Cutler Bay the youngest incorporated municipality in the State of Florida.

The Town's first Mayor, John F. Cosgrove, a former Florida State Legislator for over 25 years, was elected in January, 2006, and on February 2nd, the Mayor and Town Council Members were sworn into office. 

On April 19, 2006, Mayor John Cosgrove passed away while vacationing with his daughter. Due to the untimely passing of our first Mayor, pursuant to the Town Charter, Vice Mayor Paul Vrooman became the new Mayor of our Town.

Currently, our Town is home to over 40,000 residents. Cutler Bay is governed by a five-member Town Council and operates under a Council-Manager form of government.