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    • History ErasedSome history doesn’t survive on purpose. This category documents the stories, places, and communities that have been removed from the official record, by policy, by politics, by neglect, or by design. Where original photographs, documents, and archives have been destroyed, suppressed, or made inaccessible, Properly South Florida uses AI-generated illustrations to reconstruct what was lost and make the record visible again. Every AI-generated image in this category is labeled as such. The absence of documentation is part of the story.
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Places With a Past

Rivers, neighborhoods, bars, motels, marinas, back roads, and buildings that have seen more than their plaques admit.

The Drive: A Block-by-Block History of Wilton Drive

2026-06-26
Places With a Past
By: John Payne
On: June 26, 2026

Walk Wilton Drive with me. Here you’ll find every bar, landmark, and turning point on the street that became the beating heart of South Florida’s LGBTQ+ community, told in order, block by block.Continue Reading

The Gay Mecca That Wasn’t Always: How Wilton Manors Became WilMa

2026-06-16
Culture Then & NowPlaces With a Past
By: John Payne
On: June 16, 2026

Two decades ago, if you were trying to sell a house in Wilton Manors, you didn’t say Wilton Manors. You said northeast Fort Lauderdale. That is not a marketing flourish. That is what former mayor John Fiore remembered doing, because outside the city limits almost nobody knew the place existed,Continue Reading

Fort Lauderdale’s Open Secret: The Beach That Built the Scene

2026-06-10
Places With a Past
By: John Payne
On: June 10, 2026

Before any official designation, Sebastian Street Beach was already claimed; the community didn’t wait for the city’s permission. There is a little bit of pride in most every part of Fort Lauderdale you can wander into. One of those significant places is where the sand meets the pavement down onContinue Reading

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