Storm Damage Restoration in Loxahatchee Groves, FL

The area now known as Loxahatchee Groves was originally a portion of the 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km²) of land purchased by the Southern States Land and Timber Company in 1902. Shortly after completion of the West Palm Beach (C-51) Canal – which connected downtown West Palm Beach to Lake Okeechobee at Canal Point for the purpose of transporting crops by water – in 1917, Southern States sales manager, and later president, George Frederick Bensel envisioned a “waterfront” farming community. Bensel and company engineer Torvald Garfield “T. G.” Thorgesen both created the first topographical map of Loxahatchee Groves during the following three years. After Bensel, Thorgesen, and others established the Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company, they bought 6,500 acres (26 km²) from the Southern States Land and Timber Company, naming the land “Loxahatchee Farms”. The Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company would build almost 30 mi (48 km) of canals and roads, which were to be maintained by the Loxahatchee Groves Drainage District, now known as the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District.

In 1925, Bensel opened a combined gas station, grocery store, and post office. Loxahatchee Groves received extensive damage during the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, with almost every home knocked off of their foundations. In the 1930s, Bensel’s brother Thomas began a project which encouraged residents to plant citrus, resulting in about 56,000 new trees being planted. During that time, a water pump was built at State Road 80 (Southern Boulevard) and D Road, allowing water to be drawn from the West Palm Beach Canal. The Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company sold Loxahatchee Groves to Loxahatchee Investments in 1958. Production of citrus and tomatoes gradually ceased following George Bensel’s death in 1961. With significant development in Royal Palm Beach and Wellington in the 1980s and 1990s, some residents of Loxahatchee Groves believed the rural lifestyle and landscape of the area was under threat.

Consequently, a movement for incorporating Loxahatchee Groves for the purpose of preserving the rural lifestyle of the area began in 2003. On October 10, 2006, residents voted 458-350 in favor of incorporation, making Loxahatchee Groves the 38th municipality in Palm Beach County. The first election for town council members was held on March 13, 2007. Dave Autrey, David Browning, Marge Herzog, Bill Louda, and Dennis Lipp were the first elected council members, while Browning was selected to be mayor and Herzog was chosen to be vice mayor at the first town council meeting on March 29. Prior to the election, a political forum for the candidates was hosted at a naturist resort, drawing a crowd of about 100 people.