Pineda Causeway opened as a toll road, after being proposed in 1969 to help ease traffic from Kennedy Space Center and Patrick Air Force Base. The project was strongly endorsed by the chamber. The same year, the southern tip of Merritt Island is dubbed “Dragon Point” because of the concrete dragon, “Annie,” built there. Explore Our History

With strong advocacy from the chamber, Melbourne and Eau Gallie were consolidated into the contemporary City of Melbourne. The city elected its first black councilman, Julius Montgomery. Explore Our History

The chamber sent a resolution to the State Road Dept. to urge improvements for U.S. Hwy. 192, called “the Worst Road in the State” by the American Automobile Association. Explore Our History

Alan Shepard became the first American to reach space when he launched on a suborbital flight aboard a Mercury Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral. The same year, President John F. Kennedy declared the goal of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth within a decade.” Explore Our History

Florida Institute of Technology was founded. Explore our History

The Eau Gallie Causeway was replaced with a concrete version featuring a swing span drawbridge. Explore Our History

Radiation Incorporated, the precursor to Harris Corporation, now L3 Harris, was founded. Explore Our History

The Melbourne Shopping Center was constructed on Babcock St., the area's first strip mall. Explore Our History

The Melbourne Naval Air Station, located on property that is now part of the Orlando Melbourne International Airport, was commissioned as an operational training unit for Navy and Marine pilots serving in World War II. The base closed in 1946. Explore Our History

The wooden Melbourne Causeway was replaced by an asphalt bridge with a rotating span. That portion of the bridge was once again replaced in 1947 with a swing bridge. Explore Our History