John Stiles Collins (December 29, 1837 – February 11, 1928) was an American Quaker farmer from Moorestown, New Jersey who moved to South Florida at the turn of the 20th century. He attempted to grow vegetables and coconuts on the swampy, bug-infested stretch of land between Miami and the ocean, a barrier island which became Miami Beach.

Although the farming venture was not successful, with involvement from his family, including his sons and sons-in law, John S. Collins also became a land developer. He and his family formed the Miami Beach Improvement Company in 1911, instituted the first recorded use of the term "Miami Beach", and built the Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay from the already-established City of Miami in 1913. They built a casino and an oceanfront hotel, and began residential development of the island.

The Collins Bridge project ran short of funds and the 2.5 mile (4&nbsp;km) long wooden toll bridge was in danger of not being completed when 74-year-old Collins struck a deal with automotive pioneer and millionaire Carl G. Fisher (1874–1939) to loan him the needed funds in exchange for 200 acres (800,000 m<sup>2</sup>) of land. Fisher later described John Collins as "a bantam rooster, cocky and unafraid."

The Collins Bridge was located at the southern terminus of promoter Fisher's Dixie Highway project, which brought traffic from the mid-west as part of the National Auto Trail road system. Collins, his family, and Fisher all became very wealthy with the development of Miami Beach, which had a 400% increase in resident population between 1920 and 1925.

John S. Collins died in 1928 at the age of 90. Collins Avenue and the Collins Canal, both on Miami Beach, are named in his honor.

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File:Collins Bridge Miami FL.jpg|Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay, linking Miami with the island of Miami Beach, opened in 1913 as the longest wooden bridge in the world. (Photo from the Florida Photographic Collection.)

File:Miami beach2.jpg|Miami Beach after the 1926 hurricane

File:Belle Isle, Miami Beach 1960s.png|Miami Beach in the 1960s. Belle Isle is visible on the former Collins Bridge path, now the Venetian Causeway

File:Collins Canal 02bw.jpg|Collins Canal

File:Pine Tree Drive Miami Beach - John S Collins 03.jpg|Pine Tree Drive north of 41st Street (southbound view), originally planted as a windbreak by J. S. Collins

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References

Further reading

  • Kennedy, Patricia, Miami Beach, Arcadia Publishing, Images of America series, 2006
  • American Experience series: Carl Fisher, "Mr. Miami Beach"
  • Miami Beach 411 website, John Collins biography
  • Collins Avenue history, Miami Beach
  • The Collins Avenue Story
  • Find a Grave memorial for John Stiles Collins