Marty Kiar Addresses Galt Mile

Broward Property Appraiser Marty Kiar spoke to the Galt Mile Advisory Board at its September meeting on the work of his office. Marty shared with us the importance of the Owner Alert program (see separate story) and how property values are assessed each year, as of January 1. For condos and coops, one factor is the sales from the prior year that help determine the just market value of your property. While we are excited that units are selling for high prices, those sales affect the value of our property.

Marty also discussed all of the exemptions available to owners, the primary one being the Homestead Exemption, that limits the assessed value from increasing more than 3 percent. There are many others listed on the website, especially for veterans, widows and low-income individuals. Visit the website at bcpa.net and review the exemptions and your individual property. 

Marty Kiar helped Galt Mile President Fred Nesbitt make the first cut into a cake commemorating the 55^th anniversary of the founding of the Galt Mile Community Association. Founded in 1968, the Galt Mile neighborhood association has been in continuous operations for the past 55 years, working to improve the neighborhood and advocate on behalf of the neighborhood and its businesses. 

The Galt Mile Community Association is 55 years old in 2023. Having been founded in 1968, the Association has grown to a membership of 36 high-rise condos, coops and hotels on the Galt Mile. The Galt Ocean Mile began in 1913, when Arthur Galt, a Chicago lawyer, bought the property. It took him 40 years to sell it. Galt was the son of the law partner of Hugh Taylor Birch, who at one time owned most of what is today’s Fort Lauderdale Beach.

In 1953, Coral Ridge Properties, Inc., purchased a tract of land from Arthur T. Galt. The area consisted of most of what is now Fort Lauderdale north from Sunrise Boulevard, between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway north to Floranada Road plus the ocean frontage north of Oakland Park Boulevard, for $19,280,000 (three times the price Spain received for the entire state of Florida). As sections were developed, the owners annexed them to the city. The oceanfront land was platted into 22 lots 200 feet wide. The first annex to the city around 1955, was 8 lots at the south end of the “Mile”.  By 1958, building on the Galt Mile was well underway. 

The original building on the Galt Mile was The Beach Club located where part of the L’ Hermitage Condos now stand. The first oceanfront hotel was the deluxe Galt Ocean Mile Hotel built by Coral Ridge Properties. The same developers later built the seven floor Enquirer Hotel on the land now occupied by South Point. Still later, a small Lauderdale Beach Rutger hotel occupied a spot midway up the beach. Coral Ridge Property later built the Ocean Manor, the first hi rise hotel with beach frontage.



The first hi rise apartment was Edgewater Arms in 1959. This was a cooperative since the Florida Condo Law was not enacted until 1963. The first freestanding restaurant in the area was located at the south end of "The Mile," an attractive Howard Johnson that later became a Miami Sub, and now is the Greek Island Restaurant.

Just prior to the Condo Act of 1963, Coral Ridge Properties developed a cooperative, Coral Ridge Towers. This was reported to be the first hi rise cooperative to have a swimming pool. The Ocean Summit and the Fountainhead were the first two of the boom, followed by the Commodore in 1965.

Local Leaders Update

The Galt Mile is continuously updated by our local leaders. Either through newsletters posted on our website, galtmile.com, or emails or personal appearances at the meetings of the Advisory Board, we learn about issues important to our residents and businesses. 

Tallahassee updates come from State Representative Chip LaMarca and State Senator Jason Pizzo. Over the past two years, condo/coop bills have been adopted, along with other important legislation that impacts all of us. Skyrocketing insurance costs (both the association and individual units) continue to put economic pressure on all of us. The 2024 legislative session is already underway with committee meetings and bill discussions. The 60-day legislative session will run from January 9 – March 8, 2024. 

County updates come from Mayor Lamar Fisher, our district county commissioner. For the past year, he has been serving as mayor, but his one-year term as mayor will end in November. He continues to be our District 4 County Commissioner. He has kept us abreast of all county issues through his monthly newsletter and attendance at our meeting. 

Fort Lauderdale updates come from Commissioner John Herbst, our first district city commissioner. We are in constant contact with John on a list of city issues, and he has been most helpful on all of them, along with major issues such as a new city hall, water treatment plans, park at Lockhart Stadium and many others. 

In all cases, the staffs of these local leaders have been terrific and responsive to our inquiries and needs. Thanks to our local leaders and staff for a great job.