Paradise or Purgatory: The Challenges of Living in Flamingo

The National Park Service Arrives and Evictions Begin

When President Harry S Truman dedicated Everglades National Park on December 6, 1947, the park boundary extended around the village of Flamingo. At that time, the community included thirty-four houses and numerous docks and outbuildings. By March 1949, tension with residents and the growing realization that fish houses could operate outside the park led the National Park Service to end private landholding in the Flamingo area. A judge accepted the government’s decision and ordered Flamingo residents to leave by February 4, 1951. After legal appeals, residents had until June 1, 1951, to vacate Flamingo.

This 1947 map of the Everglades National Parks Project shows designated boundaries of park that Flamingo clearly falls within.

NPS photo (EVER 15217)

Today’s Residents

Today the only permanent or seasonal residents of Flamingo are park employees and volunteers. Some stay for years, others only for a few months. The challenges of living in Flamingo continue to this day, although living there is more comfort than in earlier times. Only forty-five minutes from Homestead, Flamingo is far less isolated than before. However, to those living on the shores of Florida Bay, it can still feel quite remote with limited phone service and internet connections. Mosquitoes can still multiply to astonishing concentrations and hurricanes are still a major threat.

Bob Showler, retired NPS Flamingo District park ranger:

"Over the years I've experienced my share of rodents, roaches, and blood-sucking bugs in Flamingo.  But where else in the United States can you go to see crocodiles, manatees, roseate spoonbills, gumbo-limbo trees, and other amazing life...all in a single day?" 

Aerial photo of the Flamingo housing and maintenance complex

NPS photo (EVER 12301)

Housing for Flamingo residents can be seen in the right of this photo. These homes, just like their predecessors, are built on stilts to avoid water damage during storm surges. In the foreground is the maintenance facility for this area of Everglades National Park.

A manatee swims in Florida Bay near the Flamingo Visitor Center. Visitors can reliably find manatees and crocodiles in the waters around the Flamingo marina.

NPS photo (EVER 43433_19)

Roxanne M. Zastrow, Flamingo book store volunteer:

"My husband used to brag, ‘Mosquitoes don't bite me.’ Well, not anymore. Living in Flamingo surrounded by mangroves, crocodiles, manatees, and many species of birds all year long makes up for the many mosquito and no-see-um bites. But, not without a few curse words while running for our apartment and car doors."

One of the common wading birds in Everglades National Park is the spoonbill, pictured here. In spite of the area's name, flamingos are relatively rare in the park.

NPS photo (EVER 12962)

After more than a century facing numerous challenges detailed in this exhibit, humans continue to try to beat the odds by living in the Flamingo area of Florida Bay. Are the scenery, wildlife, fishing, camping, and recreation worth the effort? Though the National Park Service is working to make the buildings more resilient in the face of stronger storms, sea level rise, and other new challenges, what will life be like in Flamingo for residents in the next 100 years?

CHALLENGES OF LIVING IN FLAMINGO

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  Isolation

  Simple structures like this dotted the landscape in the Flamingo area in the first half of the 1900s.

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  Mosquitoes

  Mosquitoes have plagued humans for as long as humans have tried to live along Florida Bay.

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  Tropical Weather

  Hurricanes sweep across South Florida, leaving trails of destruction.

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  Making a Living

  The rich natural resources in Florida Bay lure people trying to make a living.