Briny Breezes

Briny Breezes, Florida, is a small coastal town located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach County. It is believed to be the only oceanfront mobile home park in Florida. Its original residents were seasonal families; today, mostly retirees live in approximately 488 mobile homes in Briny Breezes either seasonally or year-round.

In 1919, Ward Beecher Miller (1861-1937) left Michigan with his wife, Agnes, and purchased 43 acres on the barrier island near Boynton (now Boynton Beach); he named it Shore Acres. The Millers raised turkeys and dairy cattle on the west side of A1A and turned Ruthmary Avenue into a strawberry patch. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, he allowed tourists to park their travel trailers on his land for $3 per week, advertising in northern newspapers. By 1937 there were 40 trailers in the park, and Briny Breezes separated from Boynton Beach (now Ocean Ridge). In 1958 the residents pooled their resources to purchase the Millers’ land at $2,000 to $2,500 per lot, a total of $1.5 million. The trailer park was incorporated as the Town of Briny Breezes in 1963.

Briny Breezes is situated in a nice area with plenty of things to do. Just a few miles north of the community, you’ll find Ocean Ridge Natural Area. This is a 27-acre public-use wetland habitat that’s easily accessible by foot, bike or boat. The maritime forest and mangrove swamp ecosystems found in this area provide the ideal resting place for yellow-crowned night-herons, red-bellied woodpeckers and a diverse array of crustaceans like the blue land crab. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a manatee wading amongst the mangroves.

Information courtesy of Palm Beach History Online

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