SOCIALLY GOOD

Our Nonprofit Partner this month is:

Flamingo Gardens’ mission is to depict, preserve, and provide education about the natural and cultural heritage of South Florida and the Everglades in our botanical gardens and wildlife sanctuary.

Flamingo Gardens was originally founded as Flamingo Groves, a citrus orchard, in 1927 by Floyd L. and Jane Wray. The Wrays came to Florida in 1925 and were deeply intrigued with the horticultural possibilities of the subtropical locale. They purchased 320 acres of land around and including Long Key in the Everglades. On January 2, 1927, Floyd L. Wray incorporated Flamingo Groves, beginning what was to become one of the first botanical gardens and tourist attractions in South Florida.

When Floyd Wray and his business partner Frank Stirling founded Flamingo Groves in 1927 it was largely a naturalized hammock surrounded by reclaimed land of the Everglades. They planted the first citrus tree on February 22 and the grove grew to 2000 acres with over 60 varieties of citrus including a 20-acre citrus laboratory. In the 1930s, the botanical gardens received foreign plants and seeds from the federal government for test planting, and to showcase rare tropical fruit, flowering trees, and shrubs, further expanding the botanical collection.

LOCATION

Pelican Landing

Pier Sixty-Six Marina, 2301 SE 17th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316