Flagler Monument Island

Flagler Memorial Island is an uninhabited artificial island of South Beach in the city of Miami Beach in Biscayne Bay, Florida. A 110 feet (34 m) high obelisk with allegorical sculptures at its base stands as a monument to Miami pioneer Henry M. Flagler, and was built in the center of the freshly constructed island in memory of Flagler, who died in 1913.

Unlike the Venetian Islands, the perfectly rounded shape of the memorial island was not protected by a sea wall. The powerful tidal flow from Government Cut, as well as hurricanes and other forces, have drastically altered its original shape. Exotic species such as Burma reed (Neyraudia reynaudiana), seaside mahoe (Thespesia populnea) and beach naupaka (Scaevola taccada) have covered much of the island. In 1994 the Biscayne Bay Environmental Enhancement Trust Fund and the Florida Inland Navigation District used a $220,000 bond

Miami Beach co founder Carl G. Fisher commissioned the construction of the obelisk monument and the four allegorical statues at the base in 1920 at a cost of $125,000. His Alton Beach Realty Company deeded the land to the City of Miami Beach in 1939. During the preliminary dredging in 1919, a Native American war club was discovered by workers. Believed to be from the Tequesta, the club is currently in the archives at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The island and the monument were both donated to the city of Miami Beach in 1939. In the years since the city, county and the private sector have all contributed to maintenance. In 1998 a careless picnicker set the island on fire, destroying $250,000 worth of trees and landscaping from a 1994 restoration project. There has been a fence put up to stop people from vandalizing the base of the monument where there is a profuse amount of graffiti. In 2008 there was a group of teenagers who threw human feces at the monument and filmed it. They were later arrested by law enforcement. In early 2011, Reality Kings, an adult video maker, filmed Island Adventure on Monument Island, rousing the ire of local authorities.

Designed by sculptor H. P. Peterson and financed by Fisher with the help of John B. Orr and James A. Allison,

Representing industry, a man in a Roman toga stands facing due north, holding a scroll and a small building. The statue suffers from considerable erosion damage to its face, scroll, and left foot. A female figure faces due east, wearing a dress and a cape. She holds a pile of books and reaches out with her left hand in a welcoming gesture. Cracks have exposed metal rebar in her hand and a crack in her cape may soon lead to further extensive damage.