Shirley Gibson, Miami Gardens, Fla.’s inaugural mayor. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLORIDAPOLITICS

MIAMI – Shirley Gibson, the first mayor of Miami Gardens who was the catalyst for the incorporation movement for Florida’s largest Black city, has died.

She was 79.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Chairman Oliver Gilbert, who succeeded Gibson as mayor of Miami Gardens when she was term-limited in 2012, confirmed her death at the October 17 County Commission meeting. Gilbert said she died on October 16.

Gilbert paid tribute to the woman who he called an extraordinary pioneer for public service.

"So much of what I personally learned about public service I got from her," said Gibert. "It was her strength that propelled the city that many in this community thought would never succeed. That is the same city she created and became an All-America City. This community lost an extraordinary woman."

Gibson, who was born and raised in Miami Gardens, was a police officer for 16 years before she retired to run for political office.

She joined the North Dade Community Council, which handled neighborhood zoning issues for the county, in 1996.

Gibson began the incorporation movement in the late 1990s to create the area’s own local government to enhance services in a faster time frame.

The original proposed city was called Destiny, but residents shot down the incorporation vote fearing they would pay higher taxes.

Several years later, Gibson and a group of residents from the Carol City, Norland, and LeJune Gardens areas, led a successful campaign to incorporate in 2003 but changed the name to Miami Gardens.

Gibson was elected the city’s first mayor in 2003 and she and the City Council improved the city’s infrastructure, public safety, economic development and civic engagement.

After contracting Miami-Dade County for police services for four years as part of the incorporation agreement with the county, Miami Gardens started its own police department in 2007.

In 2023, Gibson told the Miami Herald when the city celebrated its 20th anniversary, that one of the biggest challenges was clashing with former Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, who tried to squash Miami Gardens’ plan to become a city.

“You know, a lot of people were concerned that we would not be successful, because the county said we were too poor to be our own city,” she said. “So, when your government tells you that, it resonates, and so we had to try to overcome that.”

Gibson and other city officials made sure Miami Gardens received its fair share of tax dollars from Hard Rock Stadium through county government.

She also was one of the creators for Jazz in the Gardens, a popular annual music festival at the stadium that has attracted mega music stars and thousands of concert-goers.

After she was term-limited, Gibson unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the County Commission.

She co-hosted the “Miami Talk” radio program and has been a guest panelist on several local TV programs discussing issues impacting the community.

Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris said Gibson is responsible for bringing new development to the city and better services.

"Mayor Gibson was a pioneer and a visionary in our community," Harris said in a statement. "She was very instrumental in the establishment and evolution of Miami Gardens. Her legacy of leadership and dedication to our city will always be remembered. Our thoughts, hearts, and prayers are with her family during this difficult time."

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also paid tribute to Gibson in a post on X. "Miami-Dade has lost a brilliant leader and for so many of us, a wise and dear friend," Levine Cava said. "Shirley was a role model and a maverick. She helped to create the City of Miami Gardens to lift her community’s voices, dedicating her life to service. We have lost a bright light."