In the 21st century, Cortez remains one of the last working fishing villages on Florida’s Gulf Coast. While development has transformed much of the surrounding area, Cortez’s core retains its authenticity. Fishermen still launch boats from its docks, mullet roe still finds markets overseas, and fish houses still line the waterfront. Yet Cort

In the face of economic hardship, Cortez turned increasingly toward heritage preservation. Residents recognized that their history was not only valuable to themselves but also to Florida as a whole. Florida Maritime Museum Established in the restored 1912 schoolhouse, the Florida Maritime Museum became a centerpiece of cultural preservation. It d

Cortez’s story as a village begins in the early 1880s, when several families from the coastal communities of Carteret County, North Carolina, migrated south in search of better opportunities. They were already seasoned fishermen, familiar with the rhythms of tides, nets, and boats. Florida, with its mild winters and teeming waters, promised year-

When people think of Florida’s history, their minds often leap to the glitz of Miami, the theme parks of Orlando, or the Spanish colonial past of St. Augustine. Yet tucked away on Sarasota Bay, just west of Bradenton, lies Cortez—a small fishing village whose history is as rich, complex, and enduring as any of the Sunshine State’s better-know