LIVING HISTORY
FLORIDA MEMORY PROJECT
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misreading the times in which they lived. A wild and crazy
land boom looked like progress to a horde of get-rich-quick
dreamers. All over Florida, promoters were unwittingly laying
a foundation for financial devastation that would take
decades to repair.
PROSPERITY AHEAD
Newly elected Gov. Martin stoked the fires of ballyhoo with
visions of never-ending prosperity, but he chalked up some
long-lasting accomplishments, too. As soon as he took office
in January 1925, Martin pushed his administration to build
hundreds of miles of roads connecting soon-to-be bankrupt
communities all across the state.
Developers were claiming it was safe to buy property
sight unseen, and people Up North actually believed their
brochures. As every salesman knows, it’s those unseen
qualities that always look the best. The wealth of the nation
poured into Florida, leveraging down-payments on contracts
for narrow parcels of sand and swamp. Most buyers
didn’t care if they never saw the property they were buying.
They just wanted a piece of paper called a binder, so they
could turn around and flip that binder to someone else for a
higher price. Some folks were doubling their investments in
no time at all. But who was supposed to pay the mile-high
purchase price at the end of the daisy chain? That didn’t
seem to matter much.
LAND BOOM
A land boom is aptly called a fever, because so many
people catch it. In 1925, Florida land fever was spreading
like an epidemic. Even three-time presidential candidate >>
Gov. John W. Martin and family on his inauguration day in 1925.
DiBartolomeo, McBee, Hartley & Barnes, P.A.
Certified Public Accountants Serving the Treasure Coast Since 1981
DiBartolomeo, McBee, Hartley & Barnes has served the Treasure Coast of Florida since 1981. We
have offices in Ft. Pierce and Port St. Lucie, Florida. Our motto is “Personal Service.” We are very
proactive with our clients and assist them in their accounting, tax, and business needs. One or more
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philosophy on which our firm was founded.
FORT PIERCE
2222 Colonial Road, Suite 200
772.461.8833
U Accounting & Auditing
U Tax Return Preparation
U Business Advisors
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PORT ST. LUCIE
439 S.E. Port St. Lucie Blvd., Suite 115
772.878.1952
P l e a s e v i s i t o u r W e b s i t e : w w w. dm hb c p a . n e t
FLORIDA MEMORY PROJECT
Residents of what would become Martin County enjoyed a brief pineapple
boom but later hungered to become a tourist destination.
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