The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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South Florida Junior College

South Florida Junior College was established on 7 July 1965 as a multi-county public higher education institution serving Highlands and Hardee counties, beginning instruction in downtown Avon Park in August 1966 before moving to its permanent campus on U.S. 27 in 1970.[sfsc-history][maxwell-1976] Known successively as Highlands-Hardee Junior College (1965), South Florida Junior College (1966), South Florida Community College (1984), and South Florida State College (2011), the institution expanded to serve DeSoto County and grew from 283 inaugural students into a comprehensive four-year state college.[sfsc-history]

Establishment and Master Plan Framework

The college was created under Florida’s 1957 Community Junior College Master Plan, directed by Dr. James L. Wattenbarger of the State Department of Education (enacted through Chapter 57-311, Laws of Florida 1957, codified at Florida Statutes Chapter 230).[wattenbarger-1957] Under this system, regional junior college districts were authorized by the State Board of Education based on local school board petitions and population thresholds, with local county school boards acting as operating fiscal agents.[wattenbarger-1957]

Avon Park municipal leaders actively campaigned for the college site. On 25 April 1960, the Avon Park City Council formally passed a resolution endorsing the creation of an area junior college.[sfsc-history] On 15 August 1960, the Council committed a 35-acre tract of city-owned land east of U.S. 27 south of Wayside Park to secure the institution for Avon Park.[sfsc-history]

Following legislative appropriations and Hardee County’s authorization of local millage contributions under Chapter 65-1603 (approved 1 June 1965), the State Board of Education formally created the district on 7 July 1965 as Highlands-Hardee Junior College.[sfsc-history][laws-65-1603] On 16 September 1965, the State Board appointed a local Advisory Committee chaired by Sebring banker Rex Bond, with Highlands County School Superintendent George Douglass serving as executive secretary and Avon Park representatives Hue E. Nunnallee and G. Franklyn Ward on the board.[sfsc-history]

Dr. Wattenbarger and state administrator James Strawbridge attended the first organizational meeting at Griffin’s Restaurant in Avon Park, instructing the committee to begin immediate operations in temporary municipal quarters while campus land was deeded and developed.[sfsc-history] On 18 November 1965, the board selected Dr. William A. Stallard, former dean of specialized education at Manatee Junior College, as the inaugural president.[sfsc-history]

Opening in Downtown Avon Park (1966–1970)

Because construction on the permanent campus required multiple years, the City of Avon Park renovated downtown commercial properties along Main Street to host the college’s inaugural classes:[sfsc-history][maxwell-1976]

  • The Todd Building: A former downtown supermarket on East Main Street was converted into the college’s primary library and administrative center.[sfsc-history]
  • The Brickell Building (1919): The second floor of the historic two-story Brickell Building was refitted into college classrooms, science laboratories, and student lounge space, funded by a $50,000 state renovation allocation and $10,000 in city funds.[sfsc-history]
  • The Touchton Building: Provided additional instructional rooms and faculty offices at Main Street and Lake Avenue.[sfsc-history]

Classes commenced on 22 August 1966 with 14 full-time faculty and an initial enrollment of 164 full-time and 119 part-time students (283 total).[sfsc-history] While Florida had established twelve segregated Black junior colleges between 1949 and 1962 alongside its white community colleges, the state halted the creation of separate Black colleges after 1962 and closed or merged all twelve into unitary institutions between 1964 and 1966 under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[johnson-2007][fish-2021] Authorized in July 1965 and opened in August 1966, South Florida Junior College was established after the dismantling of the dual junior college system and operated from its opening as an integrated public college.[johnson-2007][fish-2021]

The college celebrated its first commencement on 30 April 1967 in the lobby of the Brickell Building with two graduates.[sfsc-history] On 4 December 1968, South Florida Junior College earned full regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), achieving accreditation in 27 months, the fastest recorded by any Florida junior college to that date.[sfsc-history]

Move to Permanent Campus and Hotel Jacaranda Acquisition

On 9 January 1967, the City of Avon Park officially executed the deed conveying the 35-acre campus tract to the college trustees, followed by additional land acquisitions expanding the campus to over 160 acres.[sfsc-history] Ground was broken in November 1968, and a nine-building permanent campus was formally dedicated on 4 December 1969. Faculty, staff, and classrooms vacated the downtown Main Street storefronts and occupied the permanent campus in January 1970.[sfsc-history]

In 1988, the South Florida Community College Foundation, Inc. entered into an acquisition agreement for the historic 1926 Hotel Jacaranda in downtown Avon Park, placing the landmark in service as residential dormitory housing for college student-athletes and out-of-district students while operating its dining room and kitchens as a live instructional facility for the college’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts programs, and closing fee-simple title from owner Preston B. Weeks by warranty deed on 29 June 1990 (OR Book 1114, Pages 1378–1379) for $600,000.00, followed on 21 March 1994 by a gift deed (OR Book 1252, Page 311) from Sun Bank/Mid-Florida, N.A. (formerly Avon Citrus Bank) donating the adjoining West 120 feet of Lots 10 and 11 in Block 48.[sfsc-history][hcor-1114-1378][hcor-1252-311]

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
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unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
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Sources

  1. South Florida State College, History, and South Florida State College Through the Years (2026)
  2. State of Florida, Chapter 65-1603, Laws of Florida 1965 (H.B. 1381): an act relating to Hardee County, junior colleges (1965)
  3. James L. Wattenbarger and Florida Community College Council, The Community Junior College in Florida's Future (1957)
  4. Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida: 1870–1976 (bundle/references/the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md) (1976)
  5. Tom Fish, Florida's Forgotten Jr College System (2021)
  6. Larry Johnson, Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, and Barbara Shircliffe, African Americans and the Struggle for Opportunity in Florida Public Higher Education, 1947–1977, History of Education Quarterly 47(3), pp. 328–358 (2007)
  7. Highlands County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, Warranty Deed from Preston B. Weeks to South Florida Community College Foundation, Inc., 29 June 1990, Highlands County Official Records Book 1114, Pages 1378–1379 (Instrument #0711070) (1990) · official
  8. Highlands County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, Warranty Deed from Sun Bank/Mid-Florida, N.A. (f/k/a Avon Citrus Bank) to The South Florida Community College Foundation, Inc., dated 21 March 1994, recorded 29 March 1994, Highlands County Official Records Book 1252, Page 311 (Instrument #0832838) (1994) · official

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