How the New Deal and the WPA created public recreation in Florida

 
Above: Article and photos from the September 11, 1938 edition of The Miami News. Photographers unknown, provided courtesy of newspapers.com, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Recreation... of, by, and for the people

In the Final Report of the WPA Program, 1935-43 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947), we learn that "It was largely through WPA recreation projects that the many new public recreational facilities constructed throughout the country by WPA workers were brought into full use. The program was designed to provide recreational opportunities for the general public" (p. 62).

In 1938, Florida WPA  Administrator Robert J. Dill, writing in the The Miami News newspaper, highlighted the importance of the WPA to public recreation in Florida:

"Florida has long been famous as a recreation place. But until recently most of its recreation opportunities were open only to tourists... Floridians have been too busy catering to tourists to provide public recreation for themselves. They found recreation spots too crowded or too expensive... This situation has been due to the shortage of publicly-owned recreation facilities... Perhaps a continuance of prosperity in time would have extended recreation facilities to residents of the state as well as visitors. But in fact it was the federal relief program, beginning in 1933, and expanding under the works progress administration, which has changed the recreation situation in Florida. Formerly only 11 cities maintained municipal recreation departments, and all but two of these were cities in which the main business was the entertainment of winter visitors. Today, as a result of the recreation leadership program of the WPA, 153 communities enjoy the benefits of planned, year-round recreational activities" ("WPA Brings Recreation to Florida Thousands," The Miami News, September 11, 1938, p. 23).

Above: A new WPA-constructed playground for the town of Miami Springs, Florida, with tennis courts, roque courts (for a croquet-like game), a shuffle board, a horseshoe court, and other playground materials, ca. 1935-1940. This was one of 206 playgrounds the WPA constructed in Florida. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A new WPA-built wading pool in Adair Park, Lakeland, Florida, 1937 - one of 22 swimming and wading pools the WPA built in Florida. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

A vast, nationwide recreation initiative

In The Miami News article cited above, Mr. Dill gives a fascinating and voluminous account of what the WPA did for recreation in Florida. He concludes with this note on the WPA's national impact:

"Throughout the nation, 2,000,000 adults and over 3,000,000 children are now enjoying recreation under WPA leadership. Forty thousand WPA recreation leaders operate over 14,000 community centers and assist in the operation of 7,000 more. What is being done in Florida is fairly representative of what is going on over a large part of the country. WPA construction of recreation facilities has provided many new opportunities... In all, the WPA has constructed over 1,500 athletic fields, about 900 large and small parks, over 1,300 school playgrounds, over 400 swimming pools and over 300 wading pools, over 3,500 tennis courts, and over 3,700 recreational buildings, including auditoriums, community houses, stadiums, gymnasiums and bathhouses. The American people are realizing the need of opportunities to make the healthiest and happiest use of their leisure time."

(Note: The statistics that Dill gives above are from 1935-1938, not even half the life of the WPA. In many cases, you can double or triple the statistics he gives for the full accomplishments of the WPA, 1935-1943.)