Leonard Usina | |
|---|---|
 Leonard Usina in 1968 | |
| Born | Leonard Ambrose Usina 1891 |
| Died | 1981 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Banker |
Leonard Usina (1891 - 1981) was an American banker and philanthropist in the twentieth century who worked primarily in Miami, Florida, and St. Augustine, Florida.
Leonard Ambrose Usina was born in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1891. He was one of six children born to Domingo B. Usina and Polonia Theodora Genovar. [1]
Leonard Usina began his banking career in Florida in the early twentieth century. In 1904 he started working for the Peoples Bank for Savings in St. Augustine. This affiliation lasted until 1906 when he began working for the First National Bank of St. Augustine, where he worked until 1909. At that time he took the position of assistant cashier at The Commercial Bank in St. Augustine, which he held until 1912. Usina then moved north to Jacksonville, Florida to work as manager of the transit department at the Heard National Bank. In 1915 he was elected cashier for the Bank of South Jacksonville. [2]
In 1932 Usina moved to Miami while working under Edward Ball for the Florida National Bank and Trust. In 1950, he created his own bank, the Peoples Bank of Miami Shores. In April 1972 his bank acquired a majority share of the Capital National Bank and it was renamed the Peoples National Downtown Bank, its main goal being the rebuilding and revitalization of downtown Miami. At the end of 1972, Usina's bank had earned a profit of $28,000, after being in debt $400,000 the previous year. [3]
While in Miami, Usina lived in a penthouse in the Brickell neighborhood. In 1954, he was awarded the Silver Medallion by the Miami branch of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (known since 2011 as the MCCJ). This group stresses the benefits of diversity through education, awareness, and conflict resolution.
In the 1960s Usina was on the Board of Trustees for Biscayne College in Miami. [4] He was also on the Board of Directors of the Florida Historical Society. [5]
Leonard Usina was the first vice-chairman of the St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission, an organization that would become the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. [6]
In 1968 Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce nominated Leonard Usina as its "Citizen of the Year," to celebrate his contribution to the greater Miami area and his role of chairman of the Peoples First National Bank of Miami Shores. [7]
Usina's wife, Olivia Anna Walsh, died in 1972. [1]
In October 1981, Usina died at the age of 89 in Miami. Pan American Bank purchased most of Usina's bank branches following his death. The exception was the downtown Miami branch. North Carolina National Bank from Charlotte, North Carolina purchased this branch in 1982. [3]
The Leonard Usina Hall of Science at Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus, is named for him. [8]
Miami, officially the City of Miami, is a coastal metropolis and the seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida. With a population of 442,241 as of the 2020 census, it is the second-most populous city in Florida and the eleventh-most populous city in the Southeastern United States. The Miami metropolitan area is the ninth largest in the U.S. with a population of 6.138 million people as of 2020. The city has the third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises, 58 of which exceed 491 ft (150 m).
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The Miami metropolitan area is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world with a 2020 population of 6.138 million people.
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Miami Avenue is a 16.8-mile (27.0 km) main north–south street running through Coconut Grove, Brickell, Downtown, and Midtown in Miami, Florida. It is the meridian road dividing the street grid of Miami and Miami-Dade County into east and west avenues.
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Carlos Antonio Giménez is a Cuban-born American politician and retired firefighter currently serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 26th congressional district. A Republican, he served as mayor of Miami-Dade County from 2011 to 2020. He served as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner from 2003 to 2011, and was the fire chief of the City of Miami Fire Department.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Florida.
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Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in the United States. It is also Florida's third largest county in terms of land area, with 1,946 square miles (5,040 km2). The county seat is Miami, the core of the nation's ninth largest and world's 34th largest metropolitan area with a 2020 population of 6.138 million people.
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The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board (HSAPB) was a state agency in Florida that participated in the restoration and preservation of historic buildings in St. Augustine, Florida from 1959 to 1997. Created in 1959 by Governor LeRoy Collins, the agency acquired, restored, and preserved historic structures in St. Augustine until its abolishment by the State of Florida in June 1997.