  the florida east coast railway  is a class ii railroad operating in the u.s. state of florida and since 2007 has been a subsidiary of railroad acquisition holdings, llc, itself a subsidiary of fortress investment group, llc. the fec was historically a class i railroad owned by florida east coast industries (feci) from 2000-2006, foxx holdings from 1983-2000, and the st. joseph paper company prior to 1983. built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the fec was a project of standard oil principal henry morrison flagler. flagler originally visited florida to aid with the health issues faced by his first wife, mary. a key strategist who worked closely with john d. rockefeller building the standard oil trust, henry flagler noted both a lack of services and great potential during his stay at st. augustine. he subsequently began what amounted to his second career developing resorts, industries, and communities all along florida's shores abutting the atlantic ocean. the fec is possibly best known for building the railroad to key west, completed in 1912. when the fec's line from the mainland to key west was heavily damaged by the labor day hurricane of 1935, the state of florida purchased the remaining right-of-way and bridges south of dade county, and they were rebuilt into road bridges for vehicle traffic and became known as the overseas highway. however, a greater and lasting flagler legacy was the developments along florida's eastern coast. during the great depression, control was purchased by heirs of the du pont family. after 30 years of fragile financial condition, the fec, under leadership of a new president, ed ball, took on the labor unions. ball claimed the company could not afford the same costs as larger class 1 railroads and needed to invest saved funds in its infrastructure, fast becoming a safety issue. using replacement workers, the company and some of its employees engaged in one of the longest and more violent labor conflicts of the 20th century from 1963 until 1977. ultimately, federal authorities had to intervene to stop the violence, which included bombings, shootings and vandalism. however, the courts ruled in the fec's favor with regards to the right to employ strikebreakers. during this time, ball invested heavily in nu
Alfred_I._du_Pont Companies_based_in_Jacksonville,_Florida Florida_East_Coast_Railway Florida_railroads Former_Class_I_railroads_in_the_United_States Private_equity_portfolio_companies Railway_companies_established_in_1895 Regional_railroads_in_the_United_States Transportation_in_Brevard_County,_Florida