West Park, Florida
Encyclopedia
West Park is a municipality
in Broward County
, Florida
, USA. It was created on March 1, 2005. It is located in the southeastern part of the county and consists of the neighborhoods of Miami Gardens (Broward County)
, Carver Ranches
, Lake Forest
and Utopia
. A large portion of the city lies west of the city of Pembroke Park, so the new city was called "West Park". With a population of 14,156 as of the 2010 census, the city borders Miami-Dade County
on the south, Pembroke Park
on the east, Hollywood
on the north and Miramar
on the west.
approved House Bill 1491, which provided for an election on November 2, 2004. Following a vote of 3,400 to 956 for incorporation, West Park was on its way to becoming Broward County’s 31st city. After the election, residents elected an interim transition committee and held a series of workshops to gain input on the level of municipal-type services to be provided. It was decided that the new municipality would be known as West Park until consensus is reached on a permanent name.
On March 8, 2005, Eric H. Jones, Jr., was elected Mayor
and four Commissioners were elected: Felicia M. Brunson, Thomas W. Dorsett, Sharon Fyffe and Rita (Peaches) Mack. They were sworn-in as the municipality’s first elected leaders on March 10, 2005, and will guide West Park from an unincorporated area governed by the County to a fully functioning, independent city.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Broward County
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA. It was created on March 1, 2005. It is located in the southeastern part of the county and consists of the neighborhoods of Miami Gardens (Broward County)
Miami Gardens, Broward County, Florida
Miami Gardens was a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,706 at the 2000 census.It was one of the four unincorporated neighborhoods that were incorporated to create the new city of West Park in 2005...
, Carver Ranches
Carver Ranches, Florida
Carver Ranches was a census-designated place in Broward County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,299 at the 2000 census.In 2005 it became one of four neighborhoods to incorporate into the new city of West Park.-Geography:...
, Lake Forest
Lake Forest, Florida
Lake Forest was a census-designated place in Broward County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,994 at the 2000 census. It is now a neighborhood of West Park, Florida...
and Utopia
Utopia, Florida
Utopia was a census-designated place in Broward County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 714. The area is now part of a West Park neighborhood.-Geography:Utopia is located at...
. A large portion of the city lies west of the city of Pembroke Park, so the new city was called "West Park". With a population of 14,156 as of the 2010 census, the city borders Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
on the south, Pembroke Park
Pembroke Park, Florida
Pembroke Park is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. The town took its name from its location along Pembroke Road. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,102. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census. Close to half...
on the east, Hollywood
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
on the north and Miramar
Miramar, Florida
Miramar is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city was named after the Miramar district of Havana, Cuba. As of the 2010 census, the population was 122,041...
on the west.
History
The previously unincorporated neighborhoods of West Park embarked on the road to incorporation in 2004, after the Florida LegislatureFlorida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
approved House Bill 1491, which provided for an election on November 2, 2004. Following a vote of 3,400 to 956 for incorporation, West Park was on its way to becoming Broward County’s 31st city. After the election, residents elected an interim transition committee and held a series of workshops to gain input on the level of municipal-type services to be provided. It was decided that the new municipality would be known as West Park until consensus is reached on a permanent name.
On March 8, 2005, Eric H. Jones, Jr., was elected Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and four Commissioners were elected: Felicia M. Brunson, Thomas W. Dorsett, Sharon Fyffe and Rita (Peaches) Mack. They were sworn-in as the municipality’s first elected leaders on March 10, 2005, and will guide West Park from an unincorporated area governed by the County to a fully functioning, independent city.