Cutler Bay is a town south of Miami in Florida, United States.
The earliest settlers in the region now occupied by Cutler Bay were the Tequesta. These indigenous people inhabited the extreme southern portion of Florida for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. It was the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 16th century that would ultimately mark the end of the Tequesta in South Florida. After suffering new European diseases and forced exile, the last Tequesta did and their settlements disappeared into history. Over the next 300 years, the Seminole people came to be the dominant inhabitants of the region, with European settlements primarily limited to Key West and Miami.
World War II brought much change to the region. In 1942, a small, back country airstrip was transformed into the Homestead Army Air Field. With the war raging far overseas, Homestead was initially used as a maintenance stopping point for aircraft flying long distances. During later years of the war, the base was used for significant training operations. Military use of the base ended in 1945, but the influx of returning troops to the area spurred new developments. The Lincoln City subdivisions were among them. The Airport Gardens Homebuilding Company created Lincoln City Section A in 1948.
In January of 2005, the residents voted to incorporate, and in November of that year the Town Charter was approved, making the 9.7 square mile Town of Cutler Bay the youngest incorporated municipality in the State of Florida.
The American Community Survey of 2005-2007, the first official census data collected for the Ton, revealed that the demographic makeup was very similar to Miami-Dade, a result of the Town’s incorporation of neighborhoods and communities and varied incomes. Today, more than 40,000 residents call Cutler Bay home.
In January 2005, the residents of what is now known as Cutler Bay voted to incorporate. After months of work, the Town Charter was approved on November 8, 2005, and was effective the next day, making the Town of Cutler Bay the youngest incorporated municipality in the State of Florida.
The Town's first Mayor, John F. Cosgrove, a former Florida State Legislator for over 25 years, was elected in January, 2006, and on February 2nd, the Mayor and Town Council Members were sworn into office.
On April 19, 2006, Mayor John Cosgrove passed away while vacationing with his daughter. Due to the untimely passing of Cutler Bay's first Mayor, pursuant to the Town Charter, Vice Mayor Paul Vrooman became the new Mayor of Cutler Bay.
Currently, Cutler Bay is home to over 40,000 residents. Cutler Bay is governed by a five-member Town Council and operates under a Council-Manager form of government.