Secrecy Has No Excuse : The Florida Land Boom, Tourism, and the 1926 Smallpox Epidemic in Tampa and Miami

Historians frequently have identified the period from roughly 1921 to 1926 in Florida as the Land Boom, or simply, the Boom. It is usually analyzed through the prism of the Roaring Twenties in the United States, a time best symbolized in the state by a frenzied real estate market, overinflated land prices, and massive speculation. Miami and south Florida received much of the attention, but there were important aspects of boomtime mania in many parts of the state, including the Tampa area. A booster-driven public relations blitz made up of promotional advertising, business propaganda, and glowing press releases fuelled the Boom. The get rich quick possibilities of the era and the magnificence of the state\u27s climate and natural environment also played a role. Consequently, Florida became a tourist magnet, especially in the areas around Miami and Tampa, bringing winter visitors, a growing permanent population, and increased outside investment