Eliot Kleinberg

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Eliot Kleinberg is an author and a retired (December 2020) news and features writer for the Palm Beach Post in Palm Beach County, Florida.

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Born in Coral Gables, Florida, Kleinberg grew up in South Florida and received two degrees from the University of Florida. He was a reporter for The Dallas Morning News from 1984 through 1987, when he returned to Florida [1] and joined the Palm Beach Post. He has written extensively about many different aspects of Florida, and is most notable for his books Weird Florida and Weird Florida II, [2] and Black Cloud, a history of the great 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. His first work of fiction is Peace River, a historical novel set during the Civil War. He now is assembling a series of mysteries featuring 1920s Miami police detective Nate Moran. He also publishes a blog about bad writing, and how to fix it, called "Something Went Horribly Wrong."

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Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Beach County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 26th-most populous in the United States, with 1,492,191 residents as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is West Palm Beach, which had a population of 117,415 as of 2020. Named after one of its oldest settlements, Palm Beach, the county was established in 1909, after being split from Miami -Dade County. The county's modern-day boundaries were established in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belle Glade, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Belle Glade is a city in south-central Florida and it is the far western part of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 16,698, down from 17,467 in the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal Point, Florida</span> CDP in Florida, United States

Canal Point is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida despite its local culture and location being way more similar to the Florida Heartland. Canal Point has a population of 344 people counted in the 2020 US census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bay, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

South Bay is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is the westernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. As of 2020, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 4,860 residents. While the current estimates place South Bay's population in the incorporated city limits at more than 4,000 people, surrounding areas increase the population figures to 54,000 people in a 25-mile (40 km) radius and more than 1.4 million in a 50-mile (80 km) radius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Okeechobee</span> Natural freshwater lake in Florida, United States

Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states, after Lake Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 Okeechobee hurricane</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane

The Okeechobee hurricane of 1928, also known as the San Felipe Segundo hurricane, was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the recorded history of the North Atlantic basin, and the fourth deadliest hurricane in the United States, only behind the 1900 Galveston hurricane, 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane, and Hurricane Maria. The hurricane killed an estimated 2,500 people in the United States; most of the fatalities occurred in the state of Florida, particularly in Lake Okeechobee. It was the fourth tropical cyclone, third hurricane, the only major hurricane of the 1928 Atlantic hurricane season, and remains the deadliest disaster in Florida’s history to date. It developed off the west coast of Africa on September 6 as a tropical depression, but it strengthened into a tropical storm later that day, shortly before passing south of the Cape Verde islands. Further intensification was slow and halted late on September 7. About 48 hours later, the storm strengthened and became a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Still moving westward, the system reached Category 4 intensity before striking Guadeloupe on September 12, where it brought great destruction and resulted in 1,200 deaths. The islands of Martinique, Montserrat, and Nevis also reported damage and fatalities, but not nearly as severe as in Guadeloupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1947

The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane(Air Weather Service designation: George) was a long-lived and an intense tropical cyclone that affected the Bahamas, southernmost Florida, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in September 1947. The fourth Atlantic tropical cyclone of the year, it formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on September 4, becoming a hurricane, the third of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season, less than a day later. After moving south by west for the next four days, it turned to the northwest and rapidly attained strength beginning on September 9. It reached a peak intensity of 145 mph (233 km/h) on September 15 while approaching the Bahamas. In spite of contemporaneous forecasts that predicted a strike farther north, the storm then turned to the west and poised to strike South Florida, crossing first the northern Bahamas at peak intensity. In the Bahamas, the storm produced a large storm surge and heavy damage, but with no reported fatalities.

WXEL-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Boynton Beach, Florida, United States, serving the West Palm Beach area. Owned by South Florida PBS, it is a sister station to Miami-based flagship and fellow PBS member WPBT and Class A station WURH-CD. The three stations share transmitter facilities on Northwest 199th Street in Andover; WXEL's studios are located on South Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach. WXEL, WPBT, and WURH-CD are also broadcast by a translator in Fort Pierce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane of 1928 African-American Mass Burial Site</span> United States historic place

The Hurricane of 1928 African-American Mass Burial Site is a pauper's cemetery and mass grave in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The cemetery is situated near the junction of 25th Street and Tamarind Avenue between I-95 and U.S. Route 1. The site is the location in which 674 bodies of African Americans or those of an unknown race were buried following the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, while most of the white victims of the storm received a proper burial at Woodlawn Cemetery due to segregation laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clewiston Inn</span> United States historic place

The Clewiston Inn is a historic site in Clewiston, Florida, United States. It is located at U.S. 27, west of the junction with CR 832, and is the oldest hotel in the area of Lake Okeechobee. On February 21, 1991, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loxahatchee Groves, Florida</span> Town in the state of Florida, United States

Loxahatchee Groves is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The town was incorporated November 1, 2006, as the 38th municipality in Palm Beach County. The first election for town council members was held on March 13, 2007. The area had been settled since 1917, although Loxahatchee Groves did not become a municipality until 2006. The town bills itself as "Florida's Last Frontier". It was incorporated primarily in order to protect the area from the encroaching urbanization of South Florida, as nearby cities continued to develop and to preserve the area's rural character. The town is part of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US census, the town had a population of 3,355.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of the 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane in Florida</span>

The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane had widespread impacts in Florida. It produced significant flooding, damage to vegetation, and beach erosion in the Miami metropolitan area. After forming off West Africa on September 2, the storm moved on a parabolic path that brought it through The Bahamas as a Category 3 hurricane on September 16, eventually striking the city of Fort Lauderdale in South Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on the following day. The hurricane later crossed the state, entered the Gulf of Mexico near Naples less than 24 hours later, and went on to strike Louisiana before dissipating on September 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1949 Florida hurricane</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1949

The 1949 Florida hurricane, also known as the Delray Beach hurricane, caused significant damage in the southern portions of the state late in the month of August. The second recorded tropical cyclone of the annual hurricane season, the system originated from a tropical wave near the northern Leeward Islands on August 23. Already a tropical storm upon initial observations, the cyclone curved west-northwestward and intensified, becoming a hurricane on August 25. Rapid intensification ensued as the storm approached the central Bahamas early on August 26, with the storm reaching Category 4 hurricane strength later that day and peaking with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (210 km/h) shortly after striking Andros. Late on August 26, the storm made landfall near Lake Worth, Florida, at the same intensity. The cyclone initially weakened quickly after moving inland, falling to Category 1 status early the next day. Shortly thereafter, the system curved northward over the Nature Coast and entered Georgia on August 28, where it weakened to a tropical storm. The storm then accelerated northeastward and became extratropical over New England by August 29. The remnants traversed Atlantic Canada and much of the Atlantic Ocean before dissipating near Ireland on September 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1933 Treasure Coast hurricane</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1933

The 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane was the second-most intense tropical cyclone to strike the United States during the active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. The eleventh tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the season, it formed east-northeast of the Leeward Islands on August 31. The tropical storm moved rapidly west-northwestward, steadily intensifying to a hurricane. It acquired peak winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and passed over portions of the Bahamas on September 3, including Eleuthera and Harbour Island, causing severe damage to crops, buildings, and infrastructure. Winds over 100 mph (160 km/h) affected many islands in its path, especially those that encountered its center, and many wharves were ruined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Florida</span> At least 2,500 fatalities in the state of Florida

The effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Florida included at least 2,500 fatalities in the state, making this the second deadliest tropical cyclone on record in the contiguous United States, behind only the 1900 Galveston hurricane, as well as the deadliest weather event on the East Coast of the United States. The storm originated from a tropical depression that developed near Senegal on September 6. Traversing westward across the Atlantic Ocean, the cyclone struck the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas as a powerful hurricane. Early on September 17, the storm made landfall near Palm Beach, Florida, as a Category 4 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. After initially moving northwestward across Florida, the cyclone curved north-northeastward near the Tampa Bay area. The hurricane briefly re-emerged into the Atlantic prior to striking South Carolina on September 18 and becoming extratropical over North Carolina on the next day, before the remnants lost their identity over Ontario on September 21.

The history of West Palm Beach, Florida, began more than 5,000 years ago with the arrival of the first aboriginal natives. Native American tribes such as the Jaegas inhabited the area. Though control of Florida changed among Spain, England, the United States, and the Confederate States of America, the area remained largely undeveloped until the 20th century. By the 1870s and 1880s, non-Native American settlers had inhabited areas in the vicinity of West Palm Beach and referred to the settlement as "Lake Worth Country". However, the population remained very small until the arrival of Henry Flagler in the 1890s. Flagler constructed hotels and resorts in Palm Beach to create a travel destination for affluent tourists, who could travel there via his railroad beginning in 1894.

Desoto Tiger was a Seminole from a Creek-speaking camp near Indiantown, Florida, and the son of Cow Creek chief Tommy Tiger. In December 1911, Tiger was taking a bundle of ninety otter hides trapped by himself and others to market at a trading post, when he gave a ride in his canoe to John Ashley. On December 29, 1911, a dredging crew working near Lake Okeechobee discovered Tiger's body. Ashley had been seen travelling with Tiger by Tiger's uncle, Jimmy Gopher, so a group of Seminole pursued Ashley to Miami, but were too late to find him. They did, however, find the furs with unmistakable Seminole markings at Girtman Brothers fur traders in Miami, who related that they had purchased the bundle of otterskins from John Ashley for $1200. The Palm Beach County commissioners voted to offer a reward for the apprehension of Tiger's murderer, and asked then governor Albert W. Gilchrist to fund the reward, which was done in the amount of $150 on January 15, 1912. This was Ashley's first crime, and launched a career of misdeeds that earned him the name King of the Everglades.

Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. Its history dates back to about 12,000 years ago, shortly after when Native Americans migrated into Florida. Juan Ponce de León became the first European in the area, landing at the Jupiter Inlet in 1513. Diseases from Europe, enslavement, and warfare significantly diminished the indigenous population of Florida over the next few centuries. During the Second Seminole War, the Battles of the Loxahatchee occurred west of modern-day Jupiter in 1838. The Jupiter Lighthouse, the county's oldest surviving structure, was completed in 1860. The first homestead claims were filed around Lake Worth in 1873. The county's first hotel, schoolhouse, and railway, the Celestial Railroad, began operating in the 1880s, while the first settlers of modern-day Lake Worth Beach arrived in 1885. During the 1890s, Henry Flagler and his workers constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel and The Breakers in Palm Beach and extended the Florida East Coast Railway southward to the area. They also developed a separate city for hotel workers, which in 1894 became West Palm Beach, the county's oldest incorporated municipality. Major Nathan Boynton, Congressman William S. Linton, and railroad surveyor Thomas Rickards also arrived in the 1890s and developed communities that became Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton, respectively.

Chosen is a ghost town in Palm Beach County, Florida near Belle Glade, Florida and Lake Okeechobee. The deadly 1928 Okeechobee hurricane devastated the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Park Bridge</span>

The Royal Park Bridge is a bascule bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway, linking Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, Florida. It gained widespread attention in February of 2022 when a woman fell to her death as its movable spans rose.

References

  1. "Eliot Kleinberg". Florida Historical Society Press and Chapin House Books. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
  2. "CNN LIVE SATURDAY - Aired April 29, 2006 - 14:00 ET". Cable News Network LP, LLLP. 2006-04-29. Retrieved 2007-01-13.