AC Services in Coral Springs, FL

Coral Springs is a planned community. Prior to its incorporation as a city in July 1963, the area which is now Coral Springs was part of 20,000 acres (81 km²) of marshy lands bought by Henry Lyons between 1911 and 1939. After several floods in 1947, Florida created the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District (now the South Florida Water Management District). Canals and levees drained much of the area upon which Coral Springs was built. After the land was drained and cleared, most of the area was used as a bean farm. After Lyons’ death in 1952, his heirs changed the focus to cattle.

A post-World War II real estate boom in South Florida attracted the interest of developers. Coral Ridge Properties, which already had several developments in Broward County, bought 3,869 acres (16 km²) of land from the Lyons family on December 14, 1961 for $1 million. The City of Coral Springs was chartered on July 10, 1963. Other names that were considered for the new city included “Curran Village,” “Pompano Springs” and “Quartermore”. By 1964, the company had developed a master plan for a city of 50,000 residents. On July 22, 1964, the first sale of 536 building lots netted $1.6 million. The landmark covered bridge was built that same year to promote the town. In 1965, Coral Ridge Properties bought an additional 6,000 acres (24 km²) from the Lyons family, increasing the city’s land area to 16 square miles (41 km²). The first city government elections were held in 1967.

The city added 19 public schools, a regional mall, shopping centers and parks between 1970 and 2000 in response to rapid population growth. The biggest shopping mall in the city is Coral Square, which opened in October 1984 with 945,000 square feet (87,800 m²) of retail space and more than 120 stores. The construction of the Sawgrass Expressway in 1986 brought even more growth. A museum and a theater opened in the 1990s. The city reached residential build-out in 2003 and is very close to a commercial build-out.