IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 361 
Recognizing the historical significance of Historic Virginia Key Beach Park 
of Miami, Florida. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 23, 2009 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. HASTINGS of 
Florida, and Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the historical significance of Historic Virginia 
Key Beach Park of Miami, Florida. 
Whereas in the early 1900s, Historic Virginia Key Beach 
Park of Miami, Florida, was frequented by African-Amer-
ican and Caribbean settlers arriving by ferry from main-
land South Florida; 
Whereas in the summer of 1945, on the beach at Baker’s 
Haulover County Park, a group of black men led by then 
attorney Lawson E. Thomas staged a protest against the 
unjust segregation laws that prohibited black people from 
using the public beaches in South Florida; 
Whereas in response to the protest, county officials des-
ignated Virginia Key Beach Park as the ‘‘Colored 
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•HRES 361 IH 
Beach’’, a segregated beach site for the African-American 
community which opened on August 1, 1945; 
Whereas, even after civil rights laws opened all the public 
beaches in South Florida to people of all races and 
ethnicities, Virginia Key Beach Park remained a popular 
destination for many in the African-American community 
for several decades; 
Whereas in 1979, the site was transferred from the county 
to the City of Miami with the stipulation that the beach 
be kept open and maintained as a public park and recre-
ation area; 
Whereas in 1982, citing the high cost of maintenance and op-
erations, the City of Miami closed Virginia Key Beach 
Park shortly after assuming its responsibility; 
Whereas in 1990, the City of Miami Commission responded 
to citizen outcry and established the Virginia Key Beach 
Park Trust (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Trust’’) to re-
store, reopen, and preserve the site for public use; 
Whereas the late M. Athalie Range, an African-American 
community leader and the first woman to sit on the City 
of Miami Commission, worked with the community to 
save Virginia Key Beach Park from the grasp of devel-
opers, and deliver it back to the people. She lobbied to 
place the property on the National Register of Historic 
Landmarks, spearheaded funding for a multi-billion dol-
lar restoration program, and planned a new museum/cul-
tural center that would one day, impart the message of 
social equality and responsible citizenry for future gen-
erations; 
Whereas in June 2002, the Trust successfully petitioned Fed-
eral and State government officials to place the site on 
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•HRES 361 IH 
the National Register of Historic Places and give it a 
Florida Historical Marker; 
Whereas in 2003, the Dade Community Foundation estab-
lished the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Fund 
to collect charitable donations to help restore and pre-
serve the park; and 
Whereas on February 22, 2008, after extensive renovation by 
the Trust, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park celebrated 
its grand re-opening for public use by the entire commu-
nity with a ribbon cutting ceremony and community con-
cert: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the extraordinary historical, cul-
tural, and recreational significance of Historic Vir-
ginia Key Beach Park of Miami, Florida; 
(2) recommits its attempt to protect and pre-
serve American history through national parks and 
historic sites; 
(3) acknowledges the significance of the Afri-
can-American community’s struggle for equality 
through its collaborative efforts to preserve this his-
toric site; and 
(4) affirms its desire and commitment to sup-
port and fund the operations of Historic Virginia 
Key Beach Park and the historical museum soon to 
be constructed through an endowment. 
Æ 
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