Introduction
Florida, like many other states, has a history of sundown towns, which were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods that practiced segregation by excluding people of color. These towns used various methods such as restrictive covenants, zoning laws, and intimidation to maintain white residency and prevent Black Americans and other non-whites from moving in. While sundown towns were more commonly found in northern states, Florida also had a number of these discriminatory communities.
How Sundown Towns Formed
Sundown towns in Florida were often established through local ordinances or community pressure. Developers sometimes included restrictive covenants in their property deeds, which explicitly prevented non-whites from living in these areas. In other cases, towns passed zoning laws that restricted certain types of businesses or housing to specific areas, effectively excluding people of color. However, these methods were not always successful in keeping minorities out. Intimidation and violence were frequently used to scare them away, with claims that sundown towns were necessary to protect property values, although the real motive was racism and white supremacy.
It is worth noting that while many sundown towns were created with the explicit purpose of excluding Black Americans, other non-white groups such as Hispanics, Native Americans, Jews, and Asian Americans were also barred from living in these communities. Additionally, not all towns with a sundown history were completely all-white. In some cases, people of color were allowed to live within the community, but they were typically segregated into specific neighborhoods or areas within the town.
The existence of sundown towns has had a significant impact on the demographics of many communities across the United States. In some cases, these communities remain predominantly white to this day as a result of their history. Florida, known for its fairly diverse population, also has a number of sundown towns, which may come as a surprise.
Florida Sundown Towns
Contrary to popular belief that sundown towns are only found in a handful of areas, they actually exist in every state, from California to Maine. Using Tougaloo’s Sundown Town Database, which lists known and suspected sundown towns, it becomes apparent that the majority of these towns are located in northern states. However, there are also a few dozen entries for sundown towns in Florida.
Here are some of the more notable sundown towns in Florida:
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Cedar Key: Located in the Gulf of Mexico, Cedar Key was an American island city with a significant Black population at the turn of the century. However, currently, there are very few Black citizens living in this town. The town has a dark history, as residents burned down a nearby Black town called Rosewood in 1923, resulting in the death of several Black residents.
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Delray Beach: Delray Beach is notorious for being one of the most anti-Semitic communities. While it had a significant Black population, they were restricted to a single neighborhood and were not allowed to leave after sundown. Although one long-time resident denies this claim, stating that the area has always been anti-Semitic.
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Elfers: Elfers, with a population of around 13,000 people, is predominantly white. In the 1920s, residents of Elfers murdered Black sawmill workers and hung them near the town’s entrance with a sundown town sign warning Black visitors not to be caught there after dark.
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Gulfport: Shockingly, Gulfport still claims to be a Florida sundown town as recent as 2010. While the town has made progress towards accepting people, there is still room for improvement.
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Miami Beach: Miami Beach was a sundown town in the late 1940s and early 1950s. However, exceptions were made for some jobs like performers, hotel maids, and bus boys. During the 1960s, most of the Black population in Miami Beach consisted of female live-in domestic workers, a fact that may surprise many tourists who visit the area during Spring Break.
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Myakka City: In the early 1920s, Myakka City experienced a boom in its lumber and turpentine industries, thanks in large part to the labor of Black Americans who built the railroad. However, during the Great Depression, the Ku Klux Klan emerged and ran Black residents out of town.
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Ocoee: Ocoee has a history of violence against its Black residents. In 1920, when Black residents wanted the right to vote, a mob burned their community to the ground while preventing them from escaping by gunfire. This tragic event resulted in the death of 35 people.
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Palm Beach: Similar to Miami Beach, Palm Beach had a sundown policy. Black domestic workers were common, and signs warned Black people to be off the streets by 8 pm or face arrest.
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St. Cloud: According to a resident, St. Cloud was once a sundown town with a warning sign, but the situation has reportedly improved. While there is still a “black section” of the town, more and more Black people are living and working in the city.
Unfortunately, this is only a partial list, and there are likely many other sundown towns in Florida. The state has a long history of segregation and racist practices, particularly in the southern region.
Continued Existence of Sundown Towns
Despite progress made in the Civil Rights Movement and the desegregation of public spaces, sundown towns, including those in Florida, continue to leave a lasting impact on communities. South Florida, including Miami Beach, has long been a popular destination for tourists seeking sun and relaxation. However, for local Black residents like Enid Pinkney, visiting Miami Beach was never a pleasant experience. She describes never being able to stay after dark while visiting family in Miami Beach, highlighting the existence of sundown policies in this Florida town.
Enid Pinkney’s story is not unique. Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, many Black individuals living in other parts of the state were also prohibited from visiting certain beaches and neighborhoods in South Florida. The efforts of civil rights activists in the 1960s, through protests and sit-ins, eventually led to the desegregation of public spaces. This was a significant victory for not only the local Black community but also civil rights activists across the country.
However, despite progress, South Florida still faces challenges in terms of racial inequality. While the region has become more diverse, healing the divisions caused by a history of segregation and discrimination is an ongoing process.
Conclusion
Florida, like many other states, has a dark history of sundown towns that practiced segregation and exclusion. These all-white municipalities or neighborhoods used various means to keep people of color out, including restrictive covenants, zoning laws, intimidation, and violence. Sundown towns existed not only to maintain white residency but also to promote racism and white supremacy.
While the majority of sundown towns were located in northern states, Florida also had its share of these discriminatory communities. Cedar Key, Delray Beach, Elfers, Gulfport, Miami Beach, Myakka City, Ocoee, Palm Beach, and St. Cloud are just a few examples of sundown towns in the state. These towns, with their history of exclusion and violence, have had a lasting impact on the demographics and racial inequality of these communities.
Although progress has been made since the Civil Rights Movement, sundown towns still leave a mark on the social fabric of Florida. Healing the divisions caused by these practices remains an ongoing challenge for the state. Recognizing and addressing the legacy of sundown towns is crucial in building a more inclusive and equitable society for all.