Florida Senate - 2017                            (NP)    SR 1848
       
       
        
       By Senator Hukill
       
       
       
       
       
       14-02535C-17                                          20171848__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution celebrating the 150th anniversary of the
    3         founding of Titusville.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Titusville was founded in 1867 by Colonel Henry
    6  Theodore Titus, who had a vision of building a town stretching
    7  down the Indian River, and
    8         WHEREAS, at the time of Col. Titus’s arrival in an area
    9  then known as Sand Point, the only sign of the existence of a
   10  developing community was a United States Post Office building,
   11  and
   12         WHEREAS, Col. Titus and his wife, Mary, donated land for
   13  the first courthouse and four churches, laid out many of the
   14  town’s streets, and created a link to the outside world by
   15  connecting the St. Johns and Indian Rivers by mule-drawn wagons,
   16  and
   17         WHEREAS, were it not for Col. Titus’s victory in a
   18  challenge match of dominoes against Capt. Clark Rice, Titusville
   19  might be known today as “Riceville,” with Sand Point being
   20  renamed after that 1873 match as Titusville, and
   21         WHEREAS, the 1880s and 1890s saw the birth of commercial
   22  shipments of the famous Indian River Citrus from Dummitt Grove,
   23  the establishment of the first bank, two newspapers, a fishing
   24  industry, and a railroad connection, and
   25         WHEREAS, Titusville’s growth accelerated during the early
   26  1900s, with the construction of a fire department and the
   27  expansion of citywide infrastructure that enabled citizens to
   28  travel to beaches and schools with ease, and
   29         WHEREAS, in 1927, the Arthur Dunn Airpark opened for mail
   30  service and emergency landings, and
   31         WHEREAS, the 1950s and 1960s saw the beginning of space
   32  exploration from the John F. Kennedy Space Center, which served
   33  as the launching point for NASA’s first manned lunar landing in
   34  1969, and
   35         WHEREAS, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and
   36  Canaveral National Seashore were founded in 1963 and 1975,
   37  respectively, to protect some of this state’s most valued land
   38  and wildlife, and
   39         WHEREAS, an abundance of natural treasures makes Titusville
   40  the perfect location for birding, the observation of wildlife,
   41  and ecotourism, and
   42         WHEREAS, the City of Titusville’s rich history reflects a
   43  balance between economic growth, technological advancement, and
   44  the support and protection of wildlife and natural resources,
   45  and
   46         WHEREAS, the 150th anniversary of the founding of
   47  Titusville is being celebrated at a number of sesquicentennial
   48  events throughout the year in honor of this milestone, NOW,
   49  THEREFORE,
   50  
   51  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   52  
   53         That this Legislative Body commemorates the 150th
   54  anniversary of the founding of the City of Titusville.
   55         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
   56  the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the City of
   57  Titusville as a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida
   58  Senate.