4/5 Ariel W. 2 years ago on Google
I
have
passed
this
park
many
times
while
visiting
the
Miami
Airport
Convention
Center
and
was
curious
about
what
kind
of
park
this
was
in
the
middle
of
the
city.
After
a
recent
event
at
the
convention
center
I
stopped
by
to
check
it
out.
It
turns
out
it
is
a
hidden
gem
with
a
surprise
you
don't
often
find
in
the
city.
This
park
in
Miami
is
named
in
honor
of
Robert
King
High
(April
9,
1924
-
August
30,
1967).
King
was
an
attorney
and
politician.
He
was
born
in
Tennessee
and
moved
to
Florida
after
serving
in
WWII
where
he
became
an
active
in
the
democratic
party.
He
was
mayor
of
Miami
for
10
years
before
running
for
governor
in
1966
but
he
was
defeated
by
Republican
Claude
Kirk.
Robert
King
High
he
died
of
a
heart
attack
less
than
a
year
after
losing
the
election.
Robert
King
High
Park
is
located
next
to
Lake
Maha
and
dates
to
the
1970's
but
It
was
extensively
remodeled
in
2011
when
a
building
was
added
for
classes.
The
park
is
divided
into
two
sections,
a
1.5
acre
day
use
recreational
area
in
the
south
front
of
the
park
that
includes
six
basketball
courts,
softball/
baseball
field,
a
sand
volleyball
court,
and
a
playground.
The
back
north
end
of
the
park
contains
the
surprise,
the
5.24
acre
Carlos
Arboleya
campground.
Arboleya
was
born
in
Cuba.
He
was
the
former
president
of
Barnett
Bank
and
a
presence
in
South
Florida's
Cuban-American
business
community.
He
volunteered
for
60
years
with
the
youth
of
Miami
and
was
the
former
president
of
the
South
Florida
Council
of
the
Boy
Scouts
of
America.
In
1978
in
honor
of
his
long
and
dedicated
service
to
the
youth
of
Miami
and
the
Boy
Scouts,
the
campground
in
the
park
was
named
in
his
honor.
Arboleya
waged
a
one
man
campaign
to
keep
the
area
that
is
now
the
campground
from
being
turned
into
a
velodrome.
The
velodrome
was
built
elsewhere
in
the
city
and
this
area
was
preserved
so
that
the
scouts
of
Miami
could
experience
camping
in
a
city
that
had
very
little
places
for
this
activity.
In
this
area
of
the
park
is
a
lake
for
fishing,
a
pool.
and
hiking
trails.
The
campground
is
such
an
amazing
resource
for
the
Miami
community.
Kids
who
live
in
the
city
and
who
might
not
be
able
to
experience
the
joy
of
camping
out
have
the
perfect
place
to
experience
sleeping
outdoors
thanks
to
the
foresight
of
Carlos
Arboleya.
Even
though
he
has
since
passed
away
he
is
still
positively
impacting
the
youth
of
Miami.
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