Former Miami Gardens Mayor Shirley Gibson dies

MIAMI — Shirley Gibson, the first mayor for the city of Miami Gardens and who played an instrumental role in incorporating the city 20 years ago, has died, a city official said Monday night. She was 79.

Current Mayor Rodney Harris confirmed Gibson’s passing to CBS News Miami. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

“We lost one of our former mayors. Our very first Mayor,” he said. “The entire city’s heartfelt sympathies go out to her family.”

The mayor said flags in Miami Gardens will be at half-staff on Tuesday in honor of Gibson, a former police officers for the Miami-Dade Police Department before she entered politics.

Miami Gardens was established in 2003 after activist residents banned together, saying they were getting short shrift from the county. The city is home to Jazz in the Gardens, which brings nationally known entertainers to the town and was started at the behest of Gibson.  

“She was one of the true pioneers of our city,” Harris said. “Her loss will be felt for a long time.”

Political activists banded together following the construction of what is now Hard Rock Stadium, according to a published report.

The measure went before voters in 1995 but was voted down before residents regrouped and put the matter on the ballot again seven years later.

“It took us years to become a city,” Gibson said to the Miami New Times in August. “We tried in 1995, and it failed, and it took us seven years to come back.”

Gibson served as mayor for the fledgling city before leaving office because of term limits.