Black Woman Leads Incorporation of Florida City

Crisis, The, Mar/Apr 2004 by Robinson, Andrea

It's 5:30 p.m. on a warm Monday evening when Shirley Gibson finally has time to chat. When you're the mayor and presumptive matriarch of Florida's newest city, everyone wants your ear and your time.

Gibson was one of the driving forces behind the successful grassroots movement to create a new municipality in January 2003. Four months later, it was no surprise that she ran unopposed to become the first mayor of Miami Gardens.

"Anything worth having requires a lot of work," says Gibson, 60. "When I commit to doing something. I'm committed."

Located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Miami Gardens, with a population of about 100,000 residents, is the third-largest city in Miami-Dade County.

The city is about 79 percent Black - a mix of African Americans, Haitians, Bahamians, Jamaicans and others from the Caribbean. In addition, about 16 percent of residents are Hispanic and four percent are White.

The city's most famous landmark is Pro Player Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins and the 2003 Major League Baseball champions, the Florida Marlins. There also are two institutions of higher learning: St. Thomas University and historically Black Florida Memorial College, the birthplace of the Negro National Anthem, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing."

A retired police officer, Gibson has lived in the area for more than 40 years. In 1995, she joined a neighborhood group that launched a campaign to create a new city. They met vigorous opposition from the stadium and business community. Residents overwhelmingly voted against creating the city.

"I was heart broken," she recalls. "I didn't believe the voters would not vote to be self-governed."

Gibson and her crew regrouped. They created a political action committee and waged a more sophisticated campaign, this time reaching out to the business community. Their plan worked and on May 13, 2003, the city became officially incorporated.

Terry Cuson, president and CEO of the North Dade Regional Chamber of Commerce, worked briefly with Gibson on the incorporation effort.

"She's not a politician," says Cuson. "She leads by having her facts straight."

Gibson's first year, however, hasn't been all sunshine. There have been questions about city finances, namely whether Miami Gardens has enough tax revenue to pay for resident services provided by the county.

But Oliver Gilbert, a prosecutor who lives in the city, says Gibson is resilient and predicts Miami Gardens will become a model for other neighborhoods.

"We will be measured against every city, Black or Hispanic," Gilbert says. "In time we'll hold up very well."

- Andrea Robinson