Originally inhabited by the Calusa Indian tribe, The Florida Keys was settled by sailors from the Bahamas in the 1700s. in 1766, the first strategic trading post was established in Key West. Over the next hundred years, sailors and "Wreckers" created a bustling economy based on oceanic trade and salvage. In the late 1800s, the island chain was deemed so strategic for trade that oil tycoon Henry Flagler decided to connect it via railroad to bring goods from Key West to the rest of the continental United States. Often called the "8th Wonder of the World," the Overseas Railroad soon became obsolete, but it laid the foundation for the Florida Keys.

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In 1908, a man named Julius W. Taylor became the first Postmaster of Grassy Key. This was the first time in the island's history that it began to be promoted for tourism. Taylor advertised to growing communities around Jacksonville, FL by saying, “if you were suffering from the Jacksonville heat, come to Grassy Key where the ocean and Gulf breezes steadily blow!” Grassy Key soon became a favorite destination for many walks of life. Industry tycoons, politicians, literary figures, smugglers, and tourists would come from far and wide to relax and mingle between the seas.

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As the commercial fisheries that once drove the economy collapsed, many fishermen were forced to find new means of income. Spongers and Turtlers became Rum Runners during the Prohibition Era. After that, fishermen often opted for lives of smuggling with the various types of contraband that found its way to the shores of the Keys.

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However, in the 1940s, a fisherman from Grassy Key named Milton Santini found a new and unique market catching and selling live porpoises for public and private aquariums. For the next 30 years, Santini developed a deep connection with these animals. His prized dolphin, Mitzi, became one of the most popular porpoises in the world as she starred as Flipper in the 1963 movie. Santini’s Porpoise School has since become the Dolphin Research Center, one of the leading facilities worldwide for animal rescue, research, and training.

 

Grassy Flats was borne from the same thread that gave way to our historical smuggling community.