Hurricanes and fires have cut the number of remaining Stiltsville structures from 27 to seven

June 21, 1999
Web posted at: 11:43 a.m. EDT (1543 GMT)

MIAMI (AP) -- The colorful little cluster of homes called Stiltsville, built high on poles over the waters of Biscayne Bay, received a reprieve from wrecking crews for at least five months.

The extension is expected to be announced at a news conference Monday by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Biscayne National Park Superintendent Dick Frost, The Miami Herald reported.

"I'm so excited about getting the breathing room we have long sought," Ros-Lehtinen said.

The congresswoman and owners of the seven Stiltsville homes battled for several months to preserve the landmark aquatic community off the tip of Key Biscayne in the shadow of downtown Miami.

The National Park Service, which annexed the bay bottom the homes sit on during a 1980 expansion of the park, has said there were no policies or programs that would justify keeping buildings in the public waters of a park exclusively for private use.

Under terms of leases signed with the state 25 years ago, homeowners had faced a July 1 deadline to remove the homes.

Ros-Lehtinen asked Frost to allow the homes to stand another two years, saying she planned to introduce legislation to preserve them.

Frost responded with an extension until December 1 to "provide enough time for us to discuss your objectives in greater detail."

He also indicated he would allow a longer extension, "once we have developed a more specific timetable."

"Obviously, everybody is pleased," said Laura Roberts, an organizer of Save Old Stiltsville, an owners group that has rallied wide support for preservation.

Environmental groups had backed Frost's plans to remove the structures.

The Stiltsville homes are the descendants of a community that began in the early 1930s when structures were built on sunken barges.

Over the years other homes were added, mostly on pilings driven into the bay bottom. At its height, there were about 25 dwellings, used for weekend retreats and parties but seldom as full-time homes.

For many years, they had a colorful reputation as hangouts for gamblers, boozers and flashy women. They have appeared repeatedly in novels and on television. Inhabitants bragged of being able to catch fish right off their porches or watch boats go by, all within sight of the Miami skyline.

Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.