land boom of the 1920s in South Florida. However, the storm is considered the final blow to end the boom locally. Thousands of newcomers to Florida left the state and cleared their bank accounts, leaving many banks to the brink of bankruptcy. As a result, the Great Depression of 1929 did not make a great impact to Florida unlike the rest of the country. Many planned developments, which had fallen into deadlock due to insufficient resources, were abandoned due to the economic effects of the hurricane. In Boca Raton, for instance, one planned community by Addison Mizner, called Villa Rica, was destroyed by the hurricane and never rebuilt. South Florida did not achieve full economic recovery until the 1940s. The University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, had been founded in 1925 and opened its doors for the first time just days after the hurricane passed. The university's athletic teams were nicknamed the Hurricanes in memory of this catastrophe. The school's mascot is Sebastian, an ibis. The ibis is a small white bird that can be seen around South Florida, including on the UM campus. According to folklore, the ibis is the last bird to leave before a hurricane strikes and the first to return after the storm, hence its selection for the school mascot. See also Hurricane Andrew – caused unprecedented destruction in Greater Miami before striking Louisiana Hurricane Harvey – the costliest tropical cyclone in American history, noted for floods in Greater Houston 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane – intense hurricane whose effects were lessened in southern Florida thanks to improved warning systems 1945 Homestead hurricane – tracked across the Bahamas before curving into Florida and causing extensive damage 1928 Okeechobee hurricane – third-deadliest tropical cyclone in American history, struck nearly two years to date after the 1926 hurricane Notes References Bibliography A first hand account written in 1926. External links List of People Killed in the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 1926 issue of the Monthly Weather Review United States Hurricane History NOAA hurricane lists Historic Images of Florida Hurricanes (Florida State Archives) Miami 1926 Hurricanes in Florida Hurricanes in Alabama 20th century in Miami Miami Hurricane Lake Okeechobee 1926 natural disasters in the United States