Editing Opa-locka, Florida (section)

==History==
Opa-locka was founded in 1926 by aviation pioneer [[Glenn Curtiss]], who had retired to become a real estate developer during the nascent [[Florida land boom of the 1920s|Florida land boom]]. The city's unique "Arabian" or "[[Moorish architecture|Moorish]]" architectural theme was executed by American architect [[Bernhardt E. Muller]], who had designed several [[Mediterranean Revival architecture|Mediterranean]] and [[Spanish architecture|Spanish-style]] homes in nearby Miami in 1923.<ref name="Weird2">{{cite web |title=The Nation's Weirdest City Hall |url=http://www.weirdus.com/states/florida/personalized_properties/opa_locka_baghdad/index.php |publisher=Weird US}}</ref> There are various accounts regarding how Opa-locka came to adopt its iconic architectural style. Curtiss had met Muller in 1925 at the suggestion of Curtiss' mother, Lua Andrews Curtiss. Muller is said to have viewed Opa-locka as an opportunity to create a new community based on an architectural theme from a literary work; he was particularly inspired by the exoticism and splendor of the ''One Thousand and One Nights,'' also known in English as the ''Arabian Nights''. By some accounts, Muller met with Curtiss on the site of the future city to describe his concept for an architectural design inspired by individual stories of the Arabian Nights; other sources indicate that Curtiss was inspired by his own reading of ''[[One Thousand and One Nights|Arabian Nights]],'' or by the 1924 film ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1924 film)|The Thief of Baghdad]],'' which was adapted from the story''.''<ref name="Weird2"/>

Opa-locka's overall design and layout was conceived by New York planner and architect Clinton McKenzie, who drew heavily from the contemporary "[[Garden city movement|Garden City Movement]]", which called for satellite communities centered on residences, industry, and agriculture but connected to a central hub and interspersed with [[Green belt|greenbelts]].<ref name="Opa-locka Preservation Association">{{Cite web |title=Opa-locka Preservation Association |url=https://www.discoveropalocka.org/the-city-substantial |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=Opa-locka Preservation Association |language=en-US}}</ref> Opa-locka became a self-contained community with a hotel, zoo park, golf course, archery club, swimming pool, airport, and train station.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=City of Opa-locka History {{!}} Opa-Locka, FL |url=https://www.opalockafl.gov/229/History |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.opalockafl.gov}}</ref> On May 14, 1926, it was officially [[Charter city|chartered]] as a town by 28 registered voters, although much of it remained under construction.<ref name=":0" />

Opa-locka was largely spared by the [[1926 Miami hurricane|Great Miami hurricane]] that devasted much of South Florida in September 1926.<ref name="Opa-locka Preservation Association"/> While the storm ended the Florida land boom and reduced the influx of residents and capital, the town continued to develop; by the end of the year, at least 62 buildings were complete and another 31 were under construction.<ref name="Opa-locka Preservation Association"/> Ultimately, a total of 86 to 105 buildings were built in the [[Moorish Revival architecture|"Neo-Moorish" or Moorish Revival style]] that had first emerged in Europe and North America in the late 19th century;<ref name="opa-tr">{{cite web |author=Rolla L. Queen |date=October 1981 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Opa-Locka Thematic Resource Area |url={{NRHP url|id=64000117}}}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> common characteristics included onion-shaped domes, minarets, crenelated parapets, Saracenic arches, watchtowers, mosaic tile, and outdoor spiral staircases. Several Moorish-style buildings have survived,<ref>{{cite news |title=Opa-locka - Town a 'Dream' Come to Life |url=http://specialsections.miami.com/SS/Page.aspx?sstarg=&facing=false&secid=22109&artid=417135 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321181848/http://specialsections.miami.com/SS/Page.aspx?sstarg=&facing=false&secid=22109&artid=417135 |archive-date=March 21, 2009 |access-date=2 September 2008 |website=MiamiHerald.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History of Opa-locka Architecture |url=http://www.olcdc.org/histarch.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005063613/http://www.olcdc.org/histarch.htm |archive-date=October 5, 2008 |access-date=2 September 2008 |publisher=Opa-locka Community Development Commission}}</ref> of which twenty are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as part of the [[Opa-locka Thematic Resource Area]].<ref name="History">{{cite web |title=City of Opa-locka History |url=http://www.opalockafl.gov/index.aspx?nid=229 |access-date=2018-02-22 |website=www.opalockafl.gov |publisher=The City of Opa-locka, Florida |language=en}}</ref>

On January 8, 1927, as part of an effort to drive growth and generate interest, Opa-locka held its inaugural "Arabian Nights Fantasy", which included dignitaries such as Florida Governor John Martin. Many residents dressed in Arabian-styled theatrical costumes shipped down from New York. The festivities also marked the opening of Opa-locka train station—billed as the "grand Vizier of the Sheikdom of Opa-locka"—and the inaugural run of the [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad|Seaboard Airline Railroad]]'s famous "[[Orange Blossom Special (train)|Orange Blossom Special]]", a deluxe passenger train that would run from New York to Miami in winter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Opa-Locka Miami |url=https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/opa-locka-the-history |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=Greater Miami & Miami Beach |language=en}}</ref> Though largely promotional in its origins, the Arabian Nights Fantasy has since become an annual event centered on promoting civic pride and community.

In 1933, the [[U.S. Navy]] opened a base at the Opa-locka Airport, which helped drive the city's growth. With the closure of the base in the 1950s, Opa-locka experienced a decline.

In the 1980s, Opa-locka transitioned from majority white to majority African American and was seen as a pioneer in black empowerment in northern [[Miami-Dade County|Dade County]],<ref>{{Cite news|first=Tom  |last=Fiedler|first2= Aminda|last2=Marques |title= City Government Access Builds Stable Community - page 1  |newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|date= March 6, 1989|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90131670/the-miami-herald/  |accessdate=}}</ref><ref name="FiedlerClip2">{{Cite news|first=Tom  |last=Fiedler|first2=Aminda|last2=Marques |title= City Government Access Builds Stable Community - page 2  |newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|date= March 6, 1989|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90131897/the-miami-herald/  |accessdate=}}</ref> where neighboring cities ([[North Miami]], [[North Miami Beach]], [[Miami Gardens, Florida|Miami Gardens]], and [[Golden Glades, Florida|Golden Glades]]) were undergoing a similar racial shift. In 1943, Opa-Locka hired its first black police officer.<ref name="FiedlerClip2" /> In 1972, the first black city commissioner was elected, [[Albert Tresvant]],<ref>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title=First Black is Elected in Opa-locka; Pierson, Bowers, Tresvant Lead Vote   |newspaper=[[The Miami Herald ]]|date=April 19, 1972 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90133953/the-miami-herald/  |accessdate=}}</ref> who then went on to serve as the first black [[Mayor of Opa-locka|mayor of Opa-Locka]] in 1975.<ref>{{Cite news|first=John |last=Brecher |authorlink=   |title=Mayor Maps New Opa-Locka  |newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|date=April 17, 1975 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90035205/the-miami-herald/  |accessdate=}}</ref>

Opa-locka was the first community in the United States to commemorate the election of [[Barack Obama]] as the country's first African American president. A mile-long section of Perviz Avenue—from Oriental Boulevard to Ali Baba Avenue—was renamed "Barack Obama Avenue" on February 17, 2009.<ref name="City of Opa-locka History">{{cite web|title=City of Opa-locka History|url=http://www.opalockafl.gov/index.aspx?nid=229 | website= OpalockaFL.gov |publisher= City of Opa-Locka, Florida}}</ref>
 
In addition to the unique buildings, Opa-locka has a large general aviation airport, three parks, two lakes and a railroad station which is currently the tri-rail station. The city is a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial zones. Opa-locka was the backdrop for several films, including ''[[Salesman (1969 film)|Salesman]]'', ''Living Dreams'', ''Texas Justice'', ''[[Bad Boys II]],'' and ''[[2 Fast 2 Furious]]''.<ref name="City of Opa-locka History" />

===2016 financial emergency===
On June 1, 2016, then-Florida Governor [[Rick Scott]] issued Executive Order Number 16-135, declaring the City of Opa-Locka to be in a state of "Financial Emergency" under Florida Statute Section 218.503. According to the Executive Order, the Opa-Locka City Commission requested that the governor declare the financial emergency, the state and the City of Opa-Locka were to execute a State and Local Agreement of Cooperation, and the government would appoint a Financial Emergency Board. On the same day, the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' reported that "Millions of dollars are in arrears as the city teeters on the edge of bankruptcy" and that "city officials remain under an FBI corruption investigation".<ref>{{cite news|last=Sallahand |first=Michael |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article81244712.html#storylink=cpy |title=Governor declares financial emergency in Opa-locka |newspaper=Miami Herald |date=2016-06-01 |access-date=2016-07-26}}</ref> The article also reported that this financial emergency was the second declared for the city since 2002.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Just over a week earlier, Opa-locka Commissioner Terence Pinder apparently drove his SUV into a tree at high speed, killing himself. He was scheduled to turn himself over to prosecutors the next day, having faced bribery charges.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rabin |first=Charles |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-gardens/article79503242.html |title=Facing bribery charges, Opa-locka commissioner rams SUV into tree, killing himself |newspaper=Miami Herald |date=2016-05-24 |access-date=2016-07-26}}</ref>

On June 10, Governor Scott named the Financial Emergency Board.<ref>{{cite web|last=Maselli |first=Giovanna |url=http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/06/10/gov-scott-names-members-in-opa-locka-financial-emergency-board/ |title=Gov. Scott Names Members In Opa-Locka Financial Emergency Board |publisher=CBS Miami |date=2016-06-10 |access-date=2016-07-26}}</ref> The City of Opa-locka does not have an Audit Committee to help select the public accountant to perform the independent audited financial [http://www.opalockafl.gov/index.aspx?NID=189 statements], as required by Florida Statute [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299/0218/Sections/0218.391.html 218.391(2)]