Briny Breezes, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Briny Breezes, Florida
Town
Town of Briny Breezes
Location of Briny Breezes, Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Palm Beach
Settled (Shore Acres Dairy)	c. 1905-1919
Unincorporated (Briny Breezes)	1925
Incorporated (Town of Briny Breezes)	March 19, 1963
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	0.11 sq mi (0.27 km2)
• Land	0.06 sq mi (0.15 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	502
• Density	8,807.02/sq mi (3,388.41/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33435
Area code(s)	561, 728
FIPS code	12-08575
GNIS feature ID	0302720

Briny Breezes is a small and special town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It's often called "Briny" by the people who live there. This town is part of the larger Miami metropolitan area in South Florida.

Briny Breezes is a unique coastal community. It has about 488 mobile homes located right along State Road A1A. Many residents are "snowbirds" who come from colder places like the Northeast, the Midwest, and Canada to enjoy the warm winters. Briny Breezes and Ocean Breeze are the only two mobile home parks in Florida that are also officially incorporated towns. In 2020, the town had a population of 502 people.

History of Briny Breezes

How Briny Breezes Began

The land where Briny Breezes now stands was once a dairy farm in 1919. It was owned by a man named Ward Miller from Michigan. During the time of the Great Depression, he started letting tourists camp on his land. These tourists would bring their trailers down from the northern parts of the United States.

Miller began advertising his land in newspapers up North, like the Chicago Tribune. He advertised that people could rent a spot for just "$3 a week."

Becoming a Town

In 1958, Ward Miller decided he wanted to retire. He offered to sell the land to the campers who were staying there. Each lot cost $2,000, and lots near the water were $2,500. The campers worked together to buy the land.

On March 19, 1963, Briny Breezes officially became an incorporated town. This meant it had its own mayor and even its own post office.

Early Leaders and Changes

The town's first mayor was Hugh David. He was mayor for a very long time, until he passed away in 1997. He was never challenged in an election! His successor, Robert Conkey, also passed away while in office in 2000.

When the town first started, many families came to live there just for the winter. Today, most residents are senior citizens. They either live there all year or just during the winter months.

Briny Breezes in Movies

Briny Breezes has even been featured in movies! The 2005 film In Her Shoes was set in the town. Many residents even appeared as extras in the movie. Parts of the 1992 comedy-drama Folks!, starring Tom Selleck, were also filmed in Briny Breezes.

Development Plans and Changes

In October 2005, a developer named Jean Francois Roy wanted to buy the entire town. He offered $500 million for it. This would have meant each lot owner would get more than $1 million.

In December 2005, most of the 488 lot owners voted to explore the sale. Roy later increased his offer to $510 million. Many people had bought their homes for much less, around $30,000 to $40,000. This sale would have been a huge financial gain for them.

A vote to approve the deal happened on January 10, 2007. About 80 percent of residents voted to sell. However, the deal was later canceled by the developer on July 30, 2007. There was a disagreement with the town's board about how much time was needed to check everything before the sale.

Geography of Briny Breezes

Briny Breezes is located at about 26.508849 degrees North latitude and -80.054150 degrees West longitude.

It is about 1.6 miles south of Ocean Ridge. It is also 1.3 miles north of Gulf Stream. The town is situated between the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Intracoastal Waterway to the west.

The United States Census Bureau says the town covers a total area of about 0.1 square miles. Most of this area is land, but about 22% of it is water.

Climate in Briny Breezes

Briny Breezes has a tropical climate. This is similar to the weather found in many parts of the Caribbean. It's one of the few places in the main 48 states with this type of climate. It usually has a tropical savanna climate, which means it has warm temperatures all year with wet and dry seasons.

Population and People

The population of Briny Breezes changes a bit over the years. In 2020, there were 502 people living in the town. These people lived in 427 households, and 214 of those were families.

In 2010, there were 601 people living in Briny Breezes. There were 407 households and 218 families at that time.

See also

In Spanish: Briny Breezes para niños