Backup Documents 04/28/2015 Item # 4H 4 II
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, it has been 50 years since Frank, Robert and Elliott Mackie opened their Deltona model
home center after purchasing most of the land known as Marco Island from Barron Gift
Collier for $7 million; and,
WHEREAS, the Mackie brothers vision for this new development in the Deltona Corporation's 1964
annual report stated, "Rather than being aimed primarily at retirees, it is designed for a
complete range of resort and leisure living - hotels, motels, apartments and extensive
areas for homes. The company expects that as the community grows, its' business and
commercial life will expand too, and younger working families will comprise a sizable part
of the population. However, it is expected that most of Marco Island's growth will derive
from tourist activities and from the demand for second homes for vacation, weekend and
other leisure use"; and,
WHEREAS, over 25,000 people toured the model homes and newly available home sites, which was
the beginning of the transformation to modern Marco Is/and and as a result of
development, the S.S. Jolley Bridge opened for traffic in 1969, and Marco Is/and was
officially incorporated as a city on August 28, 1997; and,
WHEREAS, with a population of nearly 20,000 today, Marco Island has risen to be one of Southwest
Florida's most upscale communities, and voted the 2014 number one island in the U.S. by
Trip Advisor travelers. And as seasonal residents and tourists join permanent residents,
they find plenty of paradise to go around, and lots of activities to keep them fascinated;
and,
WHEREAS, the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce and Marco Island Historical Society will
celebrate 50 Years of Modern Marco, 1965-2015, this Friday May 1, 2015 at 6pm.
NOW THEREFORE, be it proclaimed by the Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Florida,
that May 1, 2015 be designated as the
50th Anniversary of Modern Marco Island in Collier County
DONE AND ORDERED THIS 28th Day of April, 2015.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
4, i l(/1, COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA
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TIM NANCE, CHAIRMAN