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- HISTORY OF THE UPPER KEYS
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- Harris Harris - Former County Commissoner for District 5 By Jerry Wilkinson
The research of Harry Harris proved very difficult. In
interviewing local residents born and raised in the Upper Keys, he was
known by all, but it appeared that he never spoke of his family, other
than his
sister, Mabel, and a brother known as “Peanuts.” Over two decades, I
had
amassed about four dozen newspaper clippings, but most were either some
celebration/event, or at the time of his indictment for bribery in
1975. I did have one
postcard of his sister’s restaurant, “Mabels Place”, postmarked 1934
and mailed to
“J.L. Harris, St. Louis, Ill. Using my Internet subscription to
GenealogyBank.com I
did find his enlistment in the Army and several other civil documents,
but no
family.
At one of my presentations to the Daughters of the
American Revolution (DAR) I met and asked Orva Gaile Clubb, a
professional
Genealogist now residing at Big Pine Key for assistance. What I had
been years
looking for,
she found in less than a week and is well presented, so I quote a
portion: “Harry Harris was born Lemuel Washington Harris on 24 July 1904 to James L. Harris and Dissie R. Harris, in Flannigan, Hamilton Co., lllinois, where his father and mother resided during the time period that their 2 oldest children were born in 1900. It is believed that they resided there during the entire time period their children were being born. Shortly after the youngest child was born the family moved to Oklahoma. “Harry” appears by his given name, Lemuel W. Harris living with his parents James L. Harris and his mother Dissie R. along with his entire family of siblings residing on a farm in Standford, Galvin Co., Oklahoma. He is listed in the 1910 United States Census as the sixth child of nine brothers and sisters, showing him to be 5 years of age. Interestingly, two other siblings listed on the census are his sister Mabel G., age 7 and her brother Urtis, who is a year and a half old. In 1910 the list of family members is as follows:: James L. Harris age 34: fatherDissie R. Harris age 35: mother Arthur L. Harris age 15: son Elmer J. Harris age 12: son Ewell D. Harris age 10: son Delmer E. Harris age 9: son Mabel G. Harris age 7: daughter Lemuel W. Harris age 5: son Lyman Harris age 4: son Riford Harris age 3: son Urtis Harris age 1: son
“... In 1920 Harry, as a young man of 16 years, sets out leaving Oklahoma with his brothers
Elmer and Delmer and
migrated back to lllinois where he is found living in a boarding house
as a
lodger in Ward 1, in the city of Peoria, Ill. He is identified
there as Washington
Harris, his occupation is noted
as a Bell Boy working in a Hotel. His brother Delmer is working
in a Drug Store as a
Chemist and his other brother Elmer refused to state his occupation! The U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records from the
years 1938-1946, indicate that Harry L.
Harris / born 1904 / a citizen born Illinois
was residing in MoCo, Fl. On 1 September 1942 he enlisted. The Enlistment City is shown as Camp Blanding. He was enlisted as a
Private in the Army. The Description was as follows: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other
emergency, plus six months, subject to the
discretion of the President or otherwise according to law. His level of education
completed was Grammar School and his Civil Occupation was Hotel and
Restaurant
Manager. At the time of his enlistment he is Separated without
dependents. Also listed on the 1935 State of Florida Census
record Harris’ sister
Mabel H. McKinney
is living in Monroe Co., Florida along with her brother Ernest. On the
original copy of the
census she is identified as Mabel (middle initial G instead of (H)
McKinney. Her occupation is
Restaurant Keeper and her brother Erttis now Ernest is listed as a
Filling
Station Operator. Both are listed as Single.
... In 1935, Harry Leonard Harris is found on printed
transcript of the Florida State Census for Monroe Co., Fl. He is listed as 32
years of age: born in
Ill. On the original handwritten
copy he is shown as Harry Lemuel Harris. His occupation is Truck Driver and he is a
Single man.”
With the above professional contribution, I feel
reasonably
confident continuing with the other documentation that I have collected.
Harry Harris and his brother Earnest came from Chicago to
the Key Largo area in 1931 to assist his sister Mabel. We know nothing
of his
assistance to his sister other than he found work with H.M. McKenzie,
the
owner/builder of
Mac hired Harry Harris as delivery man driving a truck
delivering gasoline, kerosene, ice and, little doubt, some groceries
when the
need arose. Mac had two gasoline delivery trucks, but ice was Harry’s
specialty. In this capacity, Harris became personally known to almost
every
local family - permanent and part time residents. Delivering ice
required Harris
to enter the houses, something usually reserved for intimate friends.
The 1935
census listed his occupation as truck driver.
After the 1935 Hurricane, Mac expanded
his Tavernier operations to one-stop shopping - something unheard of
then. He
added a theater, restaurant, hardware store, automotive garage and
lumber yard
to the existing sundry
After a Grand Jury indicted Harry for bribery in 1975 - to
be discussed later- many newspaper articles were written about his life
at
Tavernier. An article “-The Trouble With Harry -” found in The
Tropic
section of The Miami Herald, March 10, 1974 edition is
much
longer than others and has considerable quotes. I
will simply number the quotes from that
article from hereon.
Quote 1: “Harris sold them fish, a decision
influenced somewhat by the fact that he got it free from the charter
boats that
worked out of Tavernier. ‘The
charter boats used to catch a lot more fish than they could use. I
never bought
any fish for the restaurant. I just used to send this colored man down
to the
docks and he’d get the fish they weren’t going to keep, clean it up and
bring
it back here. The price for a dinner, with Key lime pie for dessert was
65
cents.’”
Quote
2: “It was 1939 when Harris got
In 1940, Harris entered politics getting his feet wet by
running for Constable of District 3. He challenged the serving
Constable, Cleve
Johnson of Rock Harbor. Cleve was the son of William (Willie) Johnson
who
homesteaded in the Rock Harbor area in 1898. The Democratic First
Primary was
May 7, 1940, and Harris received 167 votes to Johnson’s 223 votes. In
1940,
candidates for county district seats were only voted on by the
registered
voters residing within the specific district and not the entire county.
Even
though defeated, garnering 42% of the votes was significant for an
“outsider”.
In the same election, for County Commissioner of District
5, R.W. Craig was forced into the second primary with Robert Thompson
of
Marathon. In the second primary held on May 25, Craig won 1,772 to
Thompson’s
1,554. For the Justice of the Peace, C. Marvin Thompson won over Doc
Lowe. All the district terms were two
years, so Harris continued with his restaurant. It is not known when he
quit
his job with Mac. Sometime later it is said he purchased the restaurant
and
used it as his office, but usually sharing it with others. He preferred
to stay
in the background. He never was the constable. Both the
railroad and the highway were
operational, but the highway brought more vehicular traffic to the Keys
than
the railroad. Much of the traffic involved fishing, and new guides were
moving
in as competition to the Albury and Lowe families. Sport fishing
rapidly
competed with commercial fishing as an industry.
According to later newspaper articles
written in this time period, Harris and incumbent County Commissioner
Craig
became embroiled in a heated discussion of the role of the local deputy
sheriff
officer. In the 1940 election a new county sheriff (Berlin Sawyer) had
been
elected and wished to replace the Upper Keys Deputy. Commissioner Craig
did not
what to, and he had hiring and firing powers. Sheriff Sawyer countered
by not
allowing the deputy to make arrests. Harris told Craig to get rid of
the deputy
or “I will run against you.” Craig did not fire the deputy and the
media writes
that this incident was how Harris became interested in politics.
The facts of this are not recorded,
but what we do know is there was no county administrator at the time,
and
county commissioners had to do the entire day-to-day duties county
wide. Somehow,
among themselves, they divided all the major and minor duties within
the
county; therefore, they not only made policy, they managed every detail
large
and small. In 1971, they created the position for a County
Administrator and
staff as it is today.
Regardless
whether the previous story is true, in 1942 Harry Harris filed as a
Democratic
candidate for the Board of County Commissioners, District 5, which then
included Marathon. In the First Primary on May 5, 1942, he received 51%
percent
of the total votes over incumbent R.W. Craig and candidate W.A. Parrish
of
Marathon - election over! However, before he could take office, he was
drafted.
Quote
3: “... The man Harry defeated was an ally of Willie Porter, a
powerful Key
West politico, who Harris says, controlled the draft board. ‘So what
happens?
The draft board reached out there and put me in the Army.’ At 37 years
old,
however, Harris barely stayed at Camp Blanding, near Jacksonville, long enough to
unpack. As
soon as he turned 38, he was released. That didn’t stop the draft board
though.
‘When I came home from the Army, before I even got here, there was a
card
waiting for me, reclassifying me 1-A. They sure didn’t want me in
politics. I
was determined as hell then I wouldn’t quit. I went up to Camp Blanding
three
or four times. Finally, I got a telegram from General Hersey. It said,
‘Don’t
take him back anymore’ or words to that effect....”
At
this point in the research, I was concerned by Arva’s and my Army
records
showing that he voluntarily enlisted in the Army on September 1, 1942.
This
could have occurred if he gave up the battle with the draft board and
simply
enlisted. Besides, he turned 38 on July 24th. All the 1970s newspaper
articles
indicated Harris served in the Army, one showed the Navy, and returning
to
Tavernier and serving as the county commissioner. Interviews with local
residents also said he returned and served as commissioner. A later
political
ad showed him serving in an Army antiaircraft unit. [KN 4-16-1964]
The
Army is a Federal responsibility and county commissioner was a state
responsibility; therefore, perhaps the Governor took some action. From
the MoCo
Clerk of the Court, I found the following Governor’s Executive Order: “STATE OF FLORIDA EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT TALLAHASSEE
WHEREAS,
heretofore on to-wit, the
18th day of January, 1943, Harry L. Harris, the regularly elected,
qualified
and setting Member of the Board of County Commissioners. District No.5,
Monroe
County, Florida, was by executive order granted leave of absence from
the
duties of his said office during the term of his active military
services by
virtue of the provisions of Chapter 20718 and 20883, Act of 1941, and WHEREAS, on
the 26th
day of January, 1943, W.A. Parrish was, by executive order, appointed
as a
substitute or acting member of the Board of County Commissioners,
District No.
5, Monroe County, Florida, to perform the duties of the said office
during the
term of the active military service of the said Harry L. Harris, and WHEREAS, as
appears
by evidence produced before me, the said Harry L Harris, was, on the
15th day
of March, 1943, released and discharged from active military service
and has
returned therefrom; NOW,
THEREFORE, I,
Spessard L. Holland, as Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby
order and
direct that the said Harry L. Harris resume the duties of his said
office and
that the said W.A. Parish be relieved and released therefore.... IN TESTIMONY
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the
State of
Florida to be affixed at Tallahassee, the Capital, this 7th day of
April, A D
1943. (SEAL)
(ad) Spessard L. Holland
GOVERNOR BY THE GOVERNOR, ATTEST:
(ad) R. A. Gray SECRETARY of STATE”
At
this point and until proven different, one ‘guess’ is that he enlisted
on
September 1, 1942, received some kind of a deferment, came back and was
sworn
in - usually done in November in those days - obtained Governor
Holland’s leave
of absence, served an abbreviated period in the Army from January 18 to
March
15, 1943, was honorably discharged and continued his two-year term as a
county
commissioner.
As
to the Miami Herald article mentioning the age 38, he was born
July 24,
1904; therefore, he would have not been 38 until July 1942. My research
on the
Internet indicates that single men had to serve much older age than 38.
Before
leaving the alleged draft board incident, the Key West politico
“Willie” Porter
was William R. Porter. He had been a
three time county commissioner for District 1, Key West, from 1932 to
1938 and,
at the time, he was the president of the Florida First National Bank in
Key
West. There is little doubt that he could have been a powerful
politico. I
found no records of the MoCo draft board.
Quote
4: “When Harris was first elected to
the
commission, he was sent there entirely by the people of District 5, the
Middle/Upper Keys. That, Harris decided, was morally wrong, and asked
his
friend and political associate, State Rep. Bernie Papy, to have that
changed.
‘I said to him and to all of them, I just don’t believe in this goddam
‘district.’ When you go to the courthouse, you represent every
sonabitch in
Monroe County. They ought to have a say whether you are going to serve
them and
spend their money.’”
Bernie
Papy is a legend of MoCo politics, having won the office of Florida
State
Representative in 1934. MoCo is one of the smallest of Florida’s 67
counties,
yet Bernie Papy wielded a big stick. He served until 1962. There is no
way of
knowing, but I credit his friendship with Papy for much of his
political
success.
Before leaving the year 1943,
Harry Harris married Lena
Hazel Hardy of South Carolina on September 18, 1943. Was this his first
marriage? The Army Enlistment Record said he was ‘separated.’ Everett
Albury,
the Postmaster of Tavernier, 1953 to 1983, recalls he had a wife and a
son when
he came to Tavernier.
I
have no documents from 1942 to 1944 - a few ships sank off shore and
the Upper,
Middle and Lower Keys became a ghost county. The 1945 census shows the
population of the entire Lower Keys as 5 people. The males were either
in
military service, or went to Key West to work in the naval facilities.
Now
for the 1944 elections: In the Democratic First Primary election of May
2nd,
306 votes were cast by Democratic registered voters of District 5.
Harry L.
Harris received 136 votes and W.A. Parrish received 170 votes. So by a
56% to
44% vote, incumbent Harry Harris was defeated and W.A. Parrish of
Marathon
became the new District 5 County Commissioner.
In
the General Election on November 7, 1944, Bernie Papy sponsored
amendment
number 8 to the Florida Constitution which changed the terms of the
County
Commissioners for the odd numbered Districts [1, 3 and 5] to 4 years.
The even
numbered districts [2 and 4] had one more 2 year term after which they
changed
to 4 years. The amendment passed 598
votes to 401 votes; therefore, there was some resistance. The timing
was poor
for Harry Harris however, as now he must wait four years until 1948 to
challenge W.A. Parrish for his seat back.
Since this is in part a political
Harris
now devoted full time to his restaurant. Business was excellent with
the
workers from the construction of the water pipeline from Florida City
to Key
West. During this time he acquired the first Liquor License outside of
Key
West. Business was so good that from Mac he leased the former theater,
now
converted into a hotel, as room and board for the water pipeline
workers. This
work only lasted about one year, but some Navy/civilian personnel
remained in
Tavernier to maintain and operate the pipeline.
During
WW-II he moved the business Harry’s Bar and Restaurant, across the
highway
(bayside). Later and for some reason, according to the November 1, 1947
Florida
Keys Weekly News published in Miami, he
In
December of 1947, the Upper Keys Chamber of Commerce was formed with
McKenzie
as president and Harris as one of the directors.
Now
to the May 4, 1948 Primary elections: This was first time the Board of
County
Commissioners (BOCC) candidates had to campaign countywide. There were
five
candidates for District 5 in the First Democratic Primary. See chart
below. For
BOCC candidates, the difference was 306 votes cast in 1944 compared to
5,628 in
1948. The results were: -William G. Curry (Rock Harbor) =
564 -Harry Harris (Tavernier) = 1,218 -Joe Johnson (?) = 834 -Edney Park (Islamorada) = 400 -W. A. Parrish (Marathon) = 597 * On page 837 the statistics are
calculated by the canvassing board meeting on May 7, 1948.
No
one received a majority of votes; therefore, a Second Primary was
required with
results as follows: Harry Harris = 2,401 and Joe Johnson = 2,155. Still
there
were no GOP candidates; therefore, Harry Harris was elected and
remained the
county commissioner for 28 consecutive years minus two months in 1976.
A comment here: the above appears to
have been a close election, yet I cannot locate anyone today (July 5,
2011) who
knows who Joe Johnson was, or where he lived - had to
be between Marathon and Key Largo. He is not
listed in the 1945 census, or in the 1952 phone book. This will be true
for
other candidates, even though they make a reasonable showing in
elections.
On
the other hand, there was candidate Edney Parker - a true Conch.
Participated
with the school board in the 1930s, worked as Sanitation Officer for
FERA when
the WW-I Veterans were here and father to 11 children. Every old-timer
knew
Edney Parker and his family members - some are still here.
At
this time, unincorporated MoCo was just beginning to feel the post
WW-II growth
that was ahead. Please take a glance at the
population graph at the right. It will slightly enlarge if you click on
it. One can see the total population of unincorporated MoCo remained
about flat from 1,000, to 2,000 until after WW-II. from then on, it sky
rocketed with a 10 tto 12,000 increase each decade. This was the period
when Harris served with increasing growth every year. The population of
Key West is shown as a comparison. This should help understand the
previous political disrtibution chart. As previously mentioned,
a Chamber of Commerce had been
formed.
The McKenzie’s Shopping Center was the only of its kind in the
unincorporated
area - see 1938 photo. A hardware store and automotive garage have been
added.
Fishing, eating and drinking resorts are the main economy, and the
building
industry is growing, which supports more fishing, eating and drinking.
Television, air conditioning, high schools and mosquito control are
just ahead.
The Overseas Highway will always be behind the level of service
actually needed,
as will the Florida Keys Aqueduct Association and Florida Keys Electric
Coop.
Harris will struggle with solid waste collection and ignore liquid
waste
disposal, but does an excellent job prodding the State Road Department
with
U.S. 1 upgrades, with Rep. Papy’s help. In general, it is all uphill
for Harry
Harris with an almost exploding population during his tenure.
Let’s
also not forget that MoCo still did not have a county administrator,
meaning
the commissioners had to literally do all these functions. Politically
that was
important, as hiring, firing and promoting can be very useful political
tools.
Also, the Florida Sunshine Laws did not exist until much later. It was
customary for the BOCC to have a workshop to discuss and decide all the
business
that was later to be conducted at the announced formal BOCC meeting.
Their
appointed boards and councils did likewise. With all this said,
remember the
population of unincorporated MoCo was only about 3,000 citizens in 1948.
The
County Mayor acted as CEO of the other four commissioners. Two known
examples
of commissioner tasks were: Clarence Higgs was responsible for beaches
and
buildings, and Harry Harris was responsible for roads and grounds. To
the best
of my knowledge, the county did not levy taxes for road construction
and
maintenance. The State Road Department did the work and used the MoCo
share of
road and transportation taxes (e.g., gasoline tax, etc).
Also,
I wish to present the other four MoCo commissioners serving in 1948.
District
1: Joe Allen served from 1948 to 1960, then served as Property
Appraiser 1960
to 1976, and then State Representative from 1976 to 1984. District 2: Frank Bentley 1944 to 1954. District 3:
Clarence Higgs 1944 to 1962. District 4: Gerald Saunders 1946 to 1970.
Note that
Higgs, Saunders and Harris served simultaneously from 1948 to 1962;
then,
Freeman, Saunders and Harris served simultaneous from 1954 to 1970.
Districts
1, 2 and 3 were Key West, District 4 was Stock Island to Marathon, and
District
5 was Marathon to Key Largo. There were seven voting precincts then,
and in
2011 there are 33 precincts.
After
serving a four year term, 1952 was Harris’ second try for reelection
and he was
successful. In the First Democratic Primary, Harris was challenged by
Milton C.
Peacock of Tavernier who lost by 2,298 to Harris’ 3,977 votes -
election is
over with another easy primary victory. Milton Peacock was of the
Coconut Grove
Peacock family and operated a restaurant on Plantation Key.
For
a reference, the population of all unincorporated MoCo in 1952 was up
to about
5,000, which, by chance, was the same as the population of Key West in
1870.
1952 also was when the Rock Harbor Post Office name was changed to Key
Largo.
Coral Shores High School also added grade 12; it had grades 1-11 in
1951.
In
1955, Rep. Papy and Harris led the highway fishing piers project. The
first
infusion of funds was $50,000 from the state.
Relatively
large development projects were started in the Upper Keys on the way to
the
1956 election, such as the start of the Venetian Shores subdivision.
Then the
highway tolls were removed from the OSH in 1954, and the Ocean Reef
Club opened
its airport in 1956.
Harris
had no challenging candidates in 1956 - so onward for another four
years.
I
have four copies of BOCC minutes, and the minutes of May 7, 1957
contains the
following item [They are not even numbered] - “Secondary road in Burton
Subdivision for recreation area - $4000.00.” We who live in the
subdivision
have been told that the land for ‘Harry Harris Park’ had to be given as
a
dedicated park in his name as a bribe by Judge Tom Lummas to have
Burton Drive
(MM-92.5) built from US-1 to his proposed subdivision - about 1 mile.
Perhaps
it was, but I see now by the 3.3 acres being a recreation area, use of
road
funds could be appropriated without raising any eyebrows. Also this
year, the
plat for Plantation Key Colony on Plantation Key was approved for
development.
I
cannot resist the temptation
Forward
to 1960 and the First Primary on May 3rd. Harris was challenged by
Oliver
Folmar of Tavernier who lost 2,386 to 4,933 to Harry Harris. Oliver was
a local
attorney with an office on Plantation Key and lost a bid for State
Senator in
the Special Primary Election in 1963.
Events
in the early 1960s: former President Harry Truman visited the Upper
Keys at
Islamorada, the Marvin Adams
The
first recorded “Grass Roots” BOCC meeting outside of Key West was held
in May
of 1963, no official business was conducted. They met in Corals Shores
High
School with about 50 citizens attending. Harris acted as chairman and
led off
with: “We know what you need better than you do, and we know why you
can’t get
it.” [MH 5-5-1963] The audience was quiet. However, more bridges (after
the
million dollar Boot Key Bridge project) were not met with enthusiasm!
In
the 1964 election, Harris faced two challengers, Homer Byrum and C.
Floyd
Majors, and again it was no contest. The First Primary votes were:
Homer Byrum=
843, Harry Harris = 5,536 and C. Floyd Majors= 3,950. Again we do not
know who
Majors was. Byrum was a Tavernier resident and was elected Justice of
the Peace
in 1968.
In
1966, a number of businessmen of Marathon celebrated Sunday, December
4, 1966
as “Harry Harris Day” at Sombrero Beach. Walter Trandel unofficially
headed the
sponsoring of the event. When asked who was sponsoring the affair,
Trandel
said, “There were so many people who have donated money to show
appreciation....”
[KN 12-1-1966] In the
1968 election cycle, Harris
again had no challengers. Unincorporated
MoCo’s population had increased about 5,000 since the 1964 election. If
you
look back at the population graph, the rate of increase shows a slight
increase
at 1970 and, sometime around 1972 or 73, unincorporated MoCo and Key
West had
equal population - about 28,000.
About
this time, Harris buys or
The
issue of curbing development was coming to the forefront. In the past,
unincorporated MoCo was a virtual frontier. Times were changing. A few
realized
that Manhattan Island in New York was smaller than the Island of Key
Largo, and
growth could be a huge problem. Hurricane Donna in 1960 created an
awareness of
building codes and zoning; perhaps better said, the lack thereof. Local
conservation and civic groups began to form, as well as affiliations to
national groups. The troops were restless.
In
a May 4, 1978 Keynoter article, Harris told writer Jackie
Harder:
“Action seekers came from the lower economic levels of the Keys.” “The people with money didn’t have time to
fool with you. They just paid their taxes and did what they wanted to
do. But
the retirees and pensioners wanted “roads, lights, mosquito control -
they
wanted all these kinds of things, but they didn’t have the money to pay
for
them.”
For the Upper Keys, big
news from the January 13, 1971 Key West
Citizen: “With the new ‘Mayor of Monroe
County’ at the wheel on the commission bench, at least for the next two
years,
the password is going to be: ‘Progress’”
In
the article, Harris laid down a five-point course of action to start
the county
“on a road to growth and development”. In summary they were: 1. Work on the Master Plan for MoCo 2. A war on the pollution of the
Florida Keys 3. Four-laning U.S. -1 starting
with 15-miles north of Key Largo (referring to *Islandia.) 4. Upgrading the plat laws 5. Upgrading the zoning Department. *[Islandia was a Dade County
municipality connecting all of the remaining Upper Keys from Key
Biscayne to
the northern tip of Key Largo. It first brought attention in 1955.
Since it
connected to MoCo, it became a hot item here. Harris was the lead
commissioner
as it involved ‘new roads.’ Commissioner William Freeman was the sole
dissenter
in 1964. Elliott Key and more were to be six-lanes, and property was
eminent
domained for the highway right-of-way. I will present more in a
separate History
Talk - JW]
As
the new BOCC Mayor, Harris convened and conducted the first BOCC
meeting
outside of Key West at Tavernier in March 1971, which began the
rotation of the
BOCC meetings. The key issue was the resolution to hire a County
Administrator
for $30,000 a year versus the $7,000 that each commissioner was being
paid. (KN
3-25-71). County Administrators have been: William Roberts, Kermit
Lewin, Tom
Brown, Jim Roberts, Tom Willie and, currently, Roman Gastesi.
What was thought of as uncontrolled growth and population
density, brought on three new District 5 commissioner challengers in
1972.
Votes in the First Primary on September 12, 1972 were: Ann Golenkow
=1,286;
Harry Harris = 3,020; Robert Hostetler = 679 and Don Schloesser= 2,341.
Harry
Harris won the primary with a slim majority of 51.47%. Please note that
the
primaries have changed from early in the year to later.
Ann and her husband Bob Galenkow owned and operated the
Matecumbe Motel. Robert Hostetler published The Reporter
newspaper. Don
Schloesser owned and operated a motel on Plantation Key.
As a result of the developers’ largess, Harris had the
best
financed campaign of any of the four persons running for his seat. Of
his
$11,960 collected; however, $4,000 came from developers. Quote 5:
“’There is
nothing wrong in taking such contributions,’ says Harris, who is listed
in the
campaign records as having put another $4,200 of his own money into the
race.”
Harris’
strongest opponent, an anti high-rise Realtor, Don Schloesser, spent
roughly
only $3,400, $2,600 of that being from Schloesser’s own pocket. The
other two
candidates got one contribution each, one for $25 and the other for
$10. The
high spending, coupled with the reputation and political IOUs built up
over the
years, paid off: Harris defeated all three challengers without even a
runoff.
He led in all but one of the Keys 23 precincts (the one he lost was in
Key
West) despite the odds against his victory given by three-out-of-four
Key West
political observers.
For
reasons not stated, on April 12, 1973, Harris divorced his wife Hazel
of 30
years.
A
surprise for locals followed. On May 3, 1973, Harris married Carol
Blackburn,
who was the sister of long time Tavernier local and Coral Shores office
manager
Kay Wilkinson. They eloped across the
state border to secretly marry in Georgia. [KN 5-3-73]
Rapid
growth and loss of environmental resources throughout Florida,
especially in
coastal areas, concerned the Florida legislators and in 1970 it created
the
Florida Coastal Coordinating Council. I am not certain of the specific
timing,
but one proposed project on North Key Largo was Ocean Forest, which
insisted on
vested rights for 12,628 units. That single project, with two people
per unit
would have been larger in population than Key West. Keys-wide, there
were 51
other projects in various stages of proposals.
The
stepping stones of Ocean Reef, then Islandia, and a new spurt of
growth,
specifically but not limited to North Key Largo, triggered the
designation of
Key West and Monroe County as an ‘Area of Critical State Concern.’ It
was
actually 1974, but a legal review postponed enactment to 1975. In 1977,
Coastal
Management was transferred to Department of Environmental Regulation
(DER) and
in 1992 was transferred to Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
In
1969, the ‘South Florida Regional Planning Council’ for Dade, Broward
and
Monroe Counties was created. MoCo commissioners William Carter and John
Parker
were appointed as MoCo representatives.
Harris
was proud of his pro-growth stance and never looked back. Quote 6:
“To
Harris, such growth is good. He is proud, for instance, that the tax
roll of
the Keys has grown from $9 million or so when he first got on the
commission -
‘and half of that was exempt’ - to some $400 million today. It is a tax
roll
that promises to keep growing as housing developments and mobile home
parks
continue to sprout throughout the Keys. There are those in Monroe
County;
however, who are not so sure that this growth is all good. It is taxing
the
Keys, they say, beyond their capacity.
‘Everybody
thinks that,’ says Harris. ‘Retirees, all they want to do is fish. They
don’t
want roads. They don’t want nobody to come here cause they got theirs.
They
don’t want it to get crowded like in Chicago or Cleveland.’ Please note
that
Tavernier where his office and bar were, was 4-laned first and has the
only
sidewalks on US-1.
The
prospect or growth per se doesn’t disturb Harris, nor does the idea of
trailer
parks and high-rises, rallying points for the anti-growth elements.
‘What
reason have you got to turn them down - just because you don’t like
trailer
parks? When you set as a judge on something like this zoning, you can’t
take
your personal feelings and deny a man his livelihood. This is still
America. I
think there is a place for trailer parks. I think there’s a place for
condominiums. I think there’s a place for single family homes but not
together.’ That, he says, is where zoning comes in, designating a
proper place
for everything.” Since
the subject has been brought up,
Harry Harris did not like to fish and I have never heard of a fish
story in
relation to Harry Harris. I also wish to comment on the above statement
of the
tax roll going from “$9 million” o “$400 million today.” The ‘today’
was 1974
and the total taxes collected for the year 1974-1975 was $12,502,100.46
- huge
gap from $400M. The revenues of 2010-2011 were $225.3M.
On April 15, 1975, a Dade
County Grand Jury indicted MoCo Commissioner Harry Harris on two counts
of
allegedly bribing MoCo Commissioners Carter and Parker to approve a
Broward
County ‘Century Village South’ project in February, 1974.
Gov. Reubin Askew suspended Harris on April 22, 1975 and
appointed Martha Mae Wedel of Tavernier on April 28, 1975 until
“...further
executive order.” Mrs. Wedel was the Upper Keys bureau chief for the Keynoter newspaper. [FA papers]
[A
comment from the writer: The drought of media documentation almost
instantly
reversed once the Grand Jury indictment was announced.]
According
to the trial testimony in Miami, the
bagman allegedly left $15,000 in the home of Harris. The bagman himself
had
been accused, but turned state’s evidence and was given immunity. In
June, 1975,
a six person jury at the District Circuit Court found Harris not
guilty. [FA
6-20-7]
The
Dade County Grand Jury then returned the second indictment against
Harris that
he had accepted unauthorized compensation for a favorable vote on a
zoning
appeal. [MH 6-23-75] This indictment is not in the FA documents.
The
new charge involved the zoning for the ‘Snake Creek Development
Corporation’s’
560-unit apartment complex on Plantation Key. The Zoning Board had
refused a
rezoning change in 1973 and again in 1974. The BOCC overturned the
Board’s
refusal in July 1974 by a 4-1 vote. Allegedly, an $18,000 bribe for
this vote
was sought and paid between July 1 and November 1 of 1974. The bagman
then
perjured himself, but legal questions resulted over the two witnesses
required
and eventually the charges were dropped. [MH undated]
A Key West Citizen article published October 8,
1975
contained much of the
same and added a telephone quote from Harris: “I am indeed a happy man.
I felt
all along that I would be vindicated for I knew I was not guilty of the
charges. It was a waste of taxpayers’ money. What’s more,” he added,
“it has
been real embarrassing to me and my family.”
The Florida State
Attorney, Richard Gerstein,
dismissed all charges on October 7, 1975 and Gov. Askew reinstated
Harris by
Executive Order 75-17 dated and signed on October 16, 1975. [FA] His
fellow
commissioners agreed he should continue as the MoCo Mayor.
From
the Florida Archives, there were considerable letters and telegrams on
October
9 and 10 for reinstatement. To be fair there were some to not reinstate
him for
he was “out of touch” and they were very pleased with Commissioner
Wedel. The
majority were pro-Harris.
My
comment is it requires time to justify an executive order. There was no
hue and
cry when it took seven days for suspension after the indictment, which
is more
or less automatic.
For
the record, the [FA 10-14-75] contains a Notice of Prehearing
Conference
scheduled for November 5, 1975 at 6 PM pursuant to rule 12.7(e) Rules
of Florida
Senate. There was a cancellation dated October 28th. This committee
evolved
into the 1990 Ethics Committee. I am aware of no action here.
After
being reinstated as Mayor on 16 October, among the key issues before
the
commission, Harris said, are the guidelines to meet critical state
concern and
“our bicycle path in Key Largo. The path,” he said, “has not been
completed.”
[MH 10-17-75].
One
of the last successes Harris had as commissioner was the Key Largo bike
path.
From The Reporter newspaper January 16, 1975: “...At the
January 7th
County Commissioners Meeting in Marathon, Mayor Harry Harris spoke
strongly in
favor of the much needed bike path for Key Largo.... Mayor Harris made
the
proposal and the Commissioners voted unanimously to have the County
using
$50,000 of Monroe County Secondary Funds, matching the $50,000 Federal
Grant....”
Preparations for the 1976 elections began. It appears that
Harris did not immediately leap into candidacy, and MoCo Democratic
State
Committeewomen Connie Gibbs announced she was a candidate for
commissioner. [RP
5-5-76]
A
significant May, 1976 event was the dedication of the ‘Adams Waterway’ which had remained closed off since 1963. Mayor
Harris,
John Pennekamp and Marvin Adams officiated the 20 minute ceremony. [RP
5-27-76]
The following month, June, Harris announced that he was a
candidate for District 5 County Commission and that key Democratic
members
supported him. Ms. Gibbs withdrew and served as Harris’ campaign
manager. [RP
6-10-76]
As
Harris’ campaign manager, Ms. Gibbs received a death threat in July if
she
didn’t stop working for Harris. This was turned over to the sheriff and
the
FBI. [RP 7-23-76]
Now for the September 7th First Primary 1976 Election with
three candidates: Tom Fouts = 791; Harry Harris = 4,336 and Don
Schloesser =
5,758 which was 52.8% of the total votes; therefore, defeating Harry
Harris in
a primary with four candidates. Don was now also president of Upper
Keys
Citizens Association. All three incumbent Commissioners, Harris, Parker
of District
1 and Pritchard of District 3 lost their positions.
Back to the election 1976: Schloesser outspent Harris
roughly $13,800 to $12,400 in a campaign that saw two other BOCC
commissioner
incumbents, Harry Pritchard and John Parker, defeated. Schloesser’s
money came
in generally small amounts from a large number of people. Harris’s came
in
large amounts, sometimes $500 to $1,000, from fewer persons, many
associated
with development interests.
As
the end of 1976 approached, Harris resigned two months before the end
of his
term. The reason for resigning is not clear.
Then
from a Keynoter article dated March 4, 1978, I excerpt: “...A
few weeks
ago, Mr. Harris was admitted to the hospital with fluid on his lungs.
The fluid
was pumped out and a few days later he was back at his office-den on
the bottom
floor of his house, surrounded with mementoes of his - and the county’s
-
colorful past....”
From The Reporter
dated July 13, 1978: “Harry Harris of Tavernier, died late Saturday
morning at
Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami at age 73, two weeks before his
74th
birthday.... His survivors include his wife Carol of Tavernier, two
brothers,
Euell of Calation, Ill. and Lyman of McAllen, Tex. and a niece, Mrs.
Frank
Thomas of Carlin, Ill.
Services
were held Wednesday, July 12, at the Coral Isles Church on Plantation
Key with
Rev. William North and Rev. Richard Pedigo of Burton Memorial Methodist
Church
officiating. Following cremation his ashes will be strewn by plane over
the
Keys he loved so well.”
Next
we read from the Keynoter dated March 14, 1985: “Friends
gathered at
Harry Harris Park on March 8 to dedicate a monument in the memory of
the park’s
namesake.... According to the memorial organizer Budd Post, there were
other
people who donated the time and the work. Sam Erb, the stonemason,
built the
monument and Joe Friends welded the flagpole together.
Mr.
Harris is at rest now. According to Mrs. [Kay] Wilkinson, the ashes of
Mr.
Harris, formerly at the hurricane monument in Islamorada, now are
enclosed in the
park memorial.”
The
inscription reads: “Harry L. Harris, born July 12, 1904, died July 8,
1978. A
pioneer during the days of the Keys emergence, he continued the
traditions of
Planter and Tavernier settlers in caring for their own. He served his
fellow
citizens in Monroe County as a County Commissioner for 34 years
(1942-1976.) He
is remembered with esteem and affection by his family, neighbors and
countless
friends. This memorial is dedicated in his honor, March 1985.”
In
closing, as commissioner for District 5, Don Schloesser served his
4-year term
and was defeated by Rep. Ken Sorensen, who was defeated by Rep. John
Stormont
in 1984. All five County Commissioners are now Republicans.
The
Tavernier Cafe/Harris’s office is at the original location, and now
serves as
the Tavernier Hotel’s registration office.
Tavernier
is the only community in unincorporated MoCo that is four laned with
curbs, streetlightsd and
sidewalks. |
