Article: Town Miami-Dade_County_Florida_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Golden_Beach_Highlighted.svg
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing town boundaries
Country County
Flag of Miami-Dade County, Florida.png Miami-Dade
Council-Manager
Ken Bernstein, Judy Lusskin, and Bernard Einstein
Incorporated 1.0 0.9 Eastern (EST) 0 305, 786 FIPS code GNIS feature ID
Golden Beach is a town located in the northeast corner of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2014 census, the town had a total population of 1,301.
Geography
Golden Beach is located at . It is on the barrier island that separates the Intracoastal Waterway from the ocean; the entire town is about one mile from north to south, and four blocks from east to west.
Golden Beach is known as a very upscale community, and many of its houses are worth over a million dollars. Several celebrities, including Bill Gates and Ricky Martin, maintain homes there. Eric Clapton's album 461 Ocean Boulevard was named after the Golden Beach house at that address, a photo of which is also featured on the album cover.
The town is surrounded by the cities of Aventura to the west, Sunny Isles Beach to the south, and Hallandale Beach to the north. Another interesting note is that high-rise construction and commercial development are not permitted within the Town limits.
The main road through Golden Beach is Collins Avenue, also known as State Road A1A and Beachfront Avenue; Golden Beach is one of the most notorious speed traps in the Miami area. Motorists have been pulled over not only for speeding, but for minor equipment issues at night, which may become fishing expeditions (seat belts, etc.). The town has an abnormally large police force for its size, most of which is dedicated to speed control along the main road.
In 1981, all but one of the roads into the town were closed as a means of preventing "criminals, curious tourists from nearby hotels, joggers and Haitian refugees" from entering Golden Beach.
History
In the early 1920’s, two brothers had a vision of creating a community like that of Miami Beach, without all the hustle and bustle of nightlife living. Their dream was not of a large city with hotels and businesses. Instead they pictured a small, quiet community along the coast, devoted entirely to family life close enough to large centers, yet far enough away to insure the peace and quiet of suburban life. They looked around for such a site and finally purchased a strip of beach less than a mile long at the extreme north-eastern end of Miami-Dady County.
The two brothers were R.W. and Henry G. Ralston, and they founded their dream town, now commonly referred to as Golden Beach. The Ralston brothers and their associates of the “Golden Beach Corporation” spent millions of dollars in cleaning out the mangrove swamps, pumping and hauling in fill to build up the swamps, in forming the three islands and the peninsulas between, in building bridges, laying pipe lines, water mains, underground electrical conduits, and in the building of streets.
By 1928, a few houses had been built. These were scattered along the oceanfront, on Center Island and on North Bay Drive near the Center Island Bridge. When it looked as if the Corporation as a company was no longer interested in caring for the development, the property owners themselves decided to take over.
Under the General Laws of the State of Florida, a township wishing to incorporate must have twenty-five registered voters. By stretching the imagination and inviting some individuals to live in Town for a week or so, exactly twenty-five registered voters met at the home of Mr. R.W. Ralston at 8PM on the night of May 19th 1928.
A motion to incorporate was passed unanimously. At this meeting, William A. Mentzer was elected Mayor, and Lorraine G. Smith, Thomas Galvin, Jerome Cherbino, R.W. Ralston, and Henry G. Ralston were elected Council members. Edna S. Jamieson was elected Town Clerk and W.C. Garwood, Town Marshall.
Golden Beach Properties - GB Under ConstructionOn May 21st, 1928 the Mayor appeared before the Circuit Judge and was sworn in. He then gave the oath of office to the Councilmen and Town Marshall. The southeast room of the residence of R.W. Ralston was designated as the Council Chambers of the town, and the third Tuesday of each month was named for the holding of Town Meetings.
At the Organization Meeting, a temporary Code of Laws and Rules of Procedure were adopted, and the Council was organized into the departments as it is today. The Golden Beach Corporation deeded to the new town all parks and public property, including the water distribution system and electric lines. The town operated under the General Laws for one year and four days.
The Town of Golden Beach was incorporated under its present status, by a special act of the Legislature of the State of Florida in 1929. The act was approved and Golden Beach became a legalized community on May 23rd, 1929.
This act gave the town a charter which outlines in a broad sense the legal rights of the town and its citizens; it sets up in detail the political structure under which the town can operate, and it defines its rights and privileges. It authorizes the creation of a police force and a judicial system and describes their authority.
In conjunction with this original charter, a “Code of Golden Beach” was adopted. This code amplifies the charter giving more detail to the duties and the authority of the town officers. It sets up a code of law, listing and giving allowable punishments for many misdemeanors; and in general, providing a “book of rules” by which the town is governed.
Naturally, as time went on, conditions in a growing community necessitated changes or additions. These are incorporated in a series of Ordinances, passed according to law by the Town Council. The first Town Council Meeting was held on June 20th, 1928 at 3:00PM in the southeast room of R.W. Ralston’s home to discuss the future of the Town following a devastating hurricane.
When originally developed, plots sold for $7,500 for Ocean-Front (to the east) and $2,000 for Ocean Boulevard plots (to the west). This was prior to the development of the interior of Town (Golden Beach Drive and the interior islands).
Once noted in Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” as the Town with the only jail from which you could fish by putting a pole out of the window, Golden Beach is now renowned for its upscale image. The same qualities that once drew families such as the Firestones, DuPonts, and Roosevelts have attracted current celebrities as well as ordinary people who love to live in Golden Beach. The old mangrove swamps are now replaced by stately homes.
Surrounding areas
Broward County (Hallandale Beach)
Broward County (Hallandale Beach) Atlantic Ocean
Aventura Atlantic Ocean Aventura Atlantic Ocean Sunny Isles Beach Demographics U.S. Decennial Census
Golden Beach Demographics2010 CensusGolden BeachMiami-Dade CountyFloridaTotal population9192,496,43518,801,310Population, percent change, 2000 to 20100.0%+10.8%+17.6%Population density2,737.7/sq mi1,315.5/sq mi350.6/sq miWhite or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)97.8%73.8%75.0%(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)71.8%15.4%57.9%Black or African-American1.7%18.9%16.0%Hispanic or Latino (of any race)26.2%65.0%22.5%Asian0.3%1.5%2.4%Native American or Native Alaskan0.0%0.2%0.4%Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian0.0%0.0%0.1%Two or more races (Multiracial)0.0%2.4%2.5%Some Other Race0.2%3.2%3.6%
As of 2010, there were 355 households out of which 19.2% were vacant. In 2000, 49.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non-families. 13.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 3.55.
In 2000, the town population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $136,686, and the median income for a family was $141,557. Males had a median income of $81,193 versus $58,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $73,053.
As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 55.01% of the population, while Spanish accounted for 35.09% of the populace, speakers of Hebrew made up 4.40%, French was at 3.85%, and Russian was the mother tongue for 1.65% of residents.
As of 2000, Golden Beach had the third highest percentage of Israeli residents in the US, with 4.4% of the population (tied with Oak Park, California).
Education
Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Golden Beach.
Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay Campus serves Golden Beach. Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School served Golden Beach until Mourning's opening in 2009.
References External links
Town of Golden Beach official website |
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April 24, 2024 Special Town Council Meeting – Part 1 of 2
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Home About Golden Beach
History of Golden Beach
Message From The Mayor
Message from the Town Manager
Laws and Ordinances Government Town Council
Town Council Meeting & Workshop Video Archive
Town Manager Town Clerk Finance Department Building and Zoning
New Permit and Contractor Registration Appointments
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Department
Police Department Public Works Resident Services Town Attorney Other Elected Officials Job Opportunities Residents Community Calendar Golden Beach Magazine Galleries Hurricane Guide Recreation
Reservation Guide: New Tennis System
Reserve West Tennis Court: #1
Reserve East Tennis Court: #2
Beach Pavilion Rules Doing Business Schedule Inspection Building Permitting Appointments Public Record Request Vendor Enrollment Budget Contact Us Golden Beach 74 ° haze humidity: 73% wind: 16mph E
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The ocean front Town of Golden Beach sits on 1.3 miles along the northernmost portion of State Road A1A at the Miami-Dade/ Broward County line in South Florida. This small jewel of a town is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the East, the Intracoastal Waterway to the West, and the coastal municipalities of Hallandale Beach to the North and Sunny Isles Beach to the South.
Phone Numbers Town Hall (305)932-0744 Police (305)936-2444 Building and Zoning
(305) 932-0744 ext. 222
Town Clerk (305)932-0744 ext. 238 Public Works (305)932-0744 ext. 235 Town Hall
1 Golden Beach Drive
Golden Beach , FL 33160
Phone: (305)932-0744 Fax: (305)933-3825 Email: mtalley@goldenbeach.us
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