(A portion of a letter written in 1958 by F.P. Sadowski, Mayor of the City of Key
Colony Beach, to
potential investors.)
The general growth in the Marathon area since the time that I moved down here in 1951
and started
to build Key Colony, Little Venice, South Marathon Shores, Marathon Shores and North
Marathon
Shores, all of which have been completed, has increased in the usage and installation of
telephones,
water, utilities, assessments, property values, census, etc. approximately 100%. (10 times
since 1951)
Don’t forget that prior to 1952 everything in the Florida Keys pertaining to building
material and
supplies had been all at a standstill due to federal regulations. First you had to prove
that this was
in some way connected with military usage. Secondly, there was no available skilled help.
Third, all
of the materials for building homes had to be hauled from Miami, therefore, the costs were
quite high.
During that time, as you can see on this brochure, a lot of things have happened. We
have an airstrip
that is approved by CAA and will be run by National Airlines on their way to Key West and
back -
starting this fall. We have a Food Fair Grocery Store, churches and schools of every
domination
including the catholic church and catholic school that is now being completed. A brand
new high
school on the ocean covering thirty acres of land; a brand new bank that is doing a
thriving business -
an eighteen hole championship golf course that is being built by Mr. Switlik from Trenton,
N.J., and
is now just about completed. The REA Electric Plant with its new turbine engine that is
just started
within the last two weeks and another similar engine is already on the way for
installation in 1959 -
and then the entire new City of Key Colony Beach, the second city in the Florida Keys and
the first
city in 128 years, was incorporated just a year ago.
This City now has a marina, a shopping center, approximately 650 lots, two large
cooperative
apartment buildings, each with two bedroom and two bathrooms on the ocean, two large
motels on
the ocean, one large restaurant and Cabana Club which has just been purchased by Guy
Lombardo,
also on the ocean: 1100 foot of boardwalk on the beach in front of all those buildings and
1100 feet
of lighted fishing pier out in the ocean. We have approximately forty homes, nearly all
on canals, a
brand new convention hall that is acoustically equipped and has a very fine speaker system,
is air
conditioned, with a seating capacity of 600; eight new botels and another eighteen hole
golf course
that is under construction and will completed and ready for use in January. Then we have
ten new
apartment and botel sites on the ocean which will accommodate approximately 5,000
apartments that
we propose to build and sell at $9,500 per unit with $500 down and $85 per month, which
would
include the manager’s salary, taxes, water, maintenance, outside lights, and insurance.
They would
have a G.E. kitchen, all air conditioned and heated - a private swimming pool, a
shuffle-board court,
putting green, fishing pier, and beach.
Sincerely yours,
F. P. SADOWSKI CORPORATION
F. P. Sadowski