Twenty years ago Bay Point was once a prominent and well respected island neighborhood. Established in 1937, Bay Point was a private residential community. It consisted of 250 single family homes that were generally built in the 1940’s and 50’s and the average lot size was 13,000 square feet. As is the case in many of Miami’s waterfront neighborhoods, a large number of the residents were vacation or seasonal homeowners. The streets were privately owned and maintained by the residents, including the roaming safety patrol and security gate officers. It boasted waterfront homes that sold in the upper $20 million range for luxury waterfront estates with stunning bay views. It’s dry lot properties, while not as luxurious, still commanded $3 million for a 3,000 square foot home.
During the gang wars that plagued our streets, Bay Point was one of the worst hit. Several prominent Miami families were pulled from their homes and executed on the streets and their home set ablaze with gasoline.
I vividly recall, as a child, watching in horror with my parents as the news covered the efforts to save the island community. It was shocking to see the homes and luxury vehicles catch fire and explode, causing a cascade of destruction that I’ve never seen before or after.
“It was like the fire was alive”, one retired firefighter told us. “No matter what we threw at it, it seemed to have a mind of its own.”
It was the same isolation that caused the untold devastation that actually saved the greater Miami from those flames. The only road in or out of Bay Point is Island Road and it was quickly blocked off and covered with fire trucks.
Rescue personnel evacuated as many as they could from the community but many, many lives were lost in the strange and powerful blaze.
Since the destruction of the community, over the course of the years, the multitude of homeless and less fortunate people have been shipped off to the island and given The majority of the homeless population in Miami are shipped off to this small island and are given access to basic camping and living supplies that get them by.
Automotive warehouses and mountains of ruined, salvage, and wrecked vehicles tower over the once beautiful neighborhood. Soot, axle grease, and filth pollute the ground with a permanence that I personally believe will never be removed.
While the population of Bay Point may be legally homeless and viewed as a less-than-savory part of the city of Miami, they have organized themselves in such a way that they are, at least, somewhat taken care of. Barrel fires and barbecue are a common sight at night on this desolate island and the feeling of dread hangs in the air. Sickness, disease and undernourishment plague the denizens of this hell hole and it makes me wonder what Mayor Bartlett is going to do about it.
A dark history looms over Bay Point. One that few members of the city council will even acknowledge, let alone speak about. Few activists have come and gone who were outspoken, however briefly, about the state of the island community but nothing is ever added to the city agenda about it.
It’s as if the whole island is doomed to be forgotten.
Last modified: May 2, 2022
