Business View Magazine September 2018

308 309 AT A GLANCE SUNRISE, FLORIDA WHAT: A city of 93,000 WHERE: Broward County, southern Florida WEBSITE: www.sunrisefl.gov SUNRISE, FLORIDA A VERY BUSY YEAR I n 1960, Iowa-born developer,Norman Johnson, paid $9 million for 2,650 acres of land in west- ern Broward County, Florida. In order to lure prospective buyers–mainly retirees from the northeastern U.S.–to the community he called Sunrise Golf Village, Johnson and his partners built an “upside-down house.”The home was completely furnished, and the carport featured an upside-down automobile.The structure became a national at- traction that drew thousands and was featured in LIFE Magazine. People came to stand on the ceil- ing–and many stayed to make their home in the community. In 1961, Johnson was appointed by Florida Governor, Farris Bryant, as the first mayor of Sunrise Golf Village, and in 1967 it became a chartered city,with a 1.75 square-mile footprint. The city changed its name to Sunrise