Briny Breezes, Florida
| Briny Breezes, Florida | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location of Briny Breezes, Florida |
|
| Coordinates: 26°30′32″N 80°3′15″W / 26.50889°N 80.05417°WCoordinates: 26°30′32″N 80°3′15″W / 26.50889°N 80.05417°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Florida
|
| County | Palm Beach |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| • Land | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 411 |
| • Density | 5,912.6/sq mi (2,282.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 33435 |
| Area code(s) | 561 |
| FIPS code | 12-08575 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0302720 |
Briny Breezes is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 411 at the 2000 census. Briny Breezes (or "Briny" as it is known locally) is a small coastal community of approximately 488 mobile homes along State Road A1A. Briny is a private community consisting mostly of "Snowbirds" from the Northeast, Midwest, and Canada. It and Ocean Breeze are the only two mobile home parks in Florida that are incorporated towns.
In the 1920s, the land housed a strawberry farm owned by Michigan lumberman Ward Miller. Around the time of the Great Depression, he allowed tourists, who brought their trailers down from the North, to camp on his land. He began advertising the land by placing flyers in Northern newspapers, such as the Chicago Tribune, that touted Briny's "$3 a week rent." In 1958, Miller wanted to retire and made an offer to the campers to buy the land: $2,000 per lot and $2,500 for those near the water. The campers brought their assets together and the town was incorporated on March 19, 1963, complete with its own mayor and post office.
The town's first mayor was Hugh David, who held office until his death in 1997 and was never opposed in an election. His successor, Robert Conkey, also died in office only months into his second term in 2000. Conkey's second term was notable as he won the election by only five votes. The town's current mayor is Roger Bennett.
In its beginnings, the town was mainly made up of families that came to live during the winter. Now, the residents are senior citizens that live there either year round or just in the winter.
Briny Breezes was used as the setting for the 2005 film In Her Shoes, and many of its residents served as extras in the movie.
In October 2005, developer Jean Francois Roy, of Ocean Land Investments, made an offer to buy the entire town for $500 million. This would equate to an average of slightly more than $1 million per residential lot. In December 2005, it was announced that 73 percent of the 488 lot owners had voted to hire a lawyer to pursue the sale. Later, Roy raised his offer to $510 million.
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