Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-02-04

HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE TED SMALLWOOD STORE

TaxesHousing

Context

On 2026-02-04, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE TED SMALLWOOD STORE" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered housing.

Full Text

HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE TED SMALLWOOD STORE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 25 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E109-E110] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE TED SMALLWOOD STORE ______ HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of florida in the house of representatives Wednesday, February 4, 2026 Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Ted Smallwood Store, a singular and enduring landmark of our Florida Everglades, in recognition of its centennial anniversary. Flanked by mangroves among the Ten Thousand Islands and perched south of the southernmost city in Collier County, the Ted Smallwood Store overlooks Chokoloskee Bay as it has for generations. Originally constructed in 1906 by C.S. ``Ted'' Smallwood as a trading outpost and post office on Chokoloskee Island, the store served a remote community that lacked road access until 1956. For decades, it was accessible only by water, standing as a vital hub of commerce, communication, and connection in a rugged and isolated landscape. In 1924, recognizing the mounting threat posed by storm surge and rising waters, Ted Smallwood made a visionary and ultimately life- saving decision: He undertook a major renovation to elevate the structure, completing the project in January 1926 by lifting the store's floor approximately seven feet above ground level. That feat of engineering--remarkable for its time--has preserved the building for a full century, allowing it to withstand at least seven hurricanes, including Hurricanes Donna in 1960 and Irma in 2017, both of which delivered record water levels to the site. Historically, the Ted Smallwood Store had long stood as an outpost of Florida's last frontier. It functioned as a multicultural center where members of the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes traded alligator hides, pottery, and thorn bird feathers for coffee, flour, cloth, and other essential goods. Boats met wagons, cultures engaged in commerce, and the store became a crossroads for people and stories. The store's survival is owed not only to its elevation, but also to the intentional care taken [[Page E110]] by the Smallwood family to preserve its contents. Today, visitors can see artifacts that have remained inside the building for decades. The interior stands as a time capsule from the 1920s through the mid-1970s, housing items such as a land-surveying machine, an 1873-patented coffee grinder, pharmaceuticals, groceries, tools, typewriters, books, Native American artifacts, and more. In fact, in recognition of its historical significance, the Ted Smallwood Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, less than a decade after that designation was first established. Today, it operates as a museum and gift shop under the stewardship of Ted Smallwood's granddaughter, Lynn McMillin, who has spent her entire life on Chokoloskee Island. Today, the Smallwood legacy of service to the community remains as strong as ever. Ted Smallwood's own great-granddaughter, Dottie Smallwood Joiner, serves faithfully as the City Clerk for Everglades City. In her role, Ms. Smallwood Joiner carries forward her family's long-standing commitment to public service, civic stewardship, and the preservation of local history, helping to ensure that the heritage of the Everglades community remains accessible and well-respected for future generations. Mr. Speaker, the Ted Smallwood Store is more than a building. It is a living monument to the resilience, stewardship, and ingenuity of the community that embodies the spirit of Old Florida. At this centennial milestone, we honor not only a structure, but the people, the communities, and the foresight of the founding family that ensured it would endure. I commend the Smallwood family and the people of Chokoloskee for preserving this irreplaceable piece of American history, and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the one-of- its-kind Ted Smallwood Store. ____________________

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HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE TED SMALLWOOD STORE Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 25 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E109-E110] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE TED SMALLWOOD STORE ______ HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of florida in the house of representatives Wednesday, February 4, 2026 Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Ted Smallwood Store, a singular and enduring landmark of our Florida Everglades, in recognition of its centennial anniversary. Flanked by mangroves among the Ten Thousand Islands and perched south of the southernmost city in Collier County, the Ted Smallwood Store overlooks Chokoloskee Bay as it has for generations. Originally constructed in 1906 by C.S. ``Ted'' Smallwood as a trading outpost and post office on Chokoloskee Island, the store served a remote community that lacked road access until 1956. For decades, it was accessible only by water, standing as a vital hub of commerce, communication, and connection in a rugged and isolated landscape. In 1924, recognizing the mounting threat posed by storm surge and rising waters, Ted Smallwood made a visionary and ultimately life- saving decision: He undertook a major renovation to elevate the structure, completing the project in January 1926 by lifting the store's floor approximately seven feet above ground level. That feat of engineering--remarkable for its time--has preserved the building for a full century, allowing it to withstand at least seven hurricanes, including Hurricanes Donna in 1960 and Irma in 2017, both of which delivered record water levels to the site. Historically, the Ted Smallwood Store had long stood as an outpost of Florida's last frontier. It functioned as a multicultural center where members of the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes traded alligator hides, pottery, and thorn bird feathers for coffee, flour, cloth, and other essential goods. Boats met wagons, cultures engaged in commerce, and the store became a crossroads for people and stories. The store's survival is owed not only to its elevation, but also to the intentional care taken [[Page E110]] by the Smallwood family to preserve its contents. Today, visitors can see artifacts that have remained inside the building for decades. The interior stands as a time capsule from the 1920s through the mid-1970s, housing items such as a land-surveying machine, an 1873-patented coffee grinder, pharmaceuticals, groceries, tools, typewriters, books, Native American artifacts, and more. In fact, in recognition of its historical significance, the Ted Smallwood Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, less than a decade after that designation was first established. Today, it operates as a museum and gift shop under the stewardship of Ted Smallwood's granddaughter, Lynn McMillin, who has spent her entire life on Chokoloskee Island. Today, the Smallwood legacy of service to the community remains as strong as ever. Ted Smallwood's own great-granddaughter, Dottie Smallwood Joiner, serves faithfully as the City Clerk for Everglades City. In her role, Ms. Smallwood Joiner carries forward her family's long-standing commitment to public service, civic stewardship, and the preservation of local history, helping to ensure that the heritage of the Everglades community remains accessible and well-respected for future generations. Mr. Speaker, the Ted Smallwood Store is more than a building. It is a living monument to the resilience, stewardship, and ingenuity of the community that embodies the spirit of Old Florida. At this centennial milestone, we honor not only a structure, but the people, the communities, and the foresight of the founding family that ensured it would endure. I commend the Smallwood family and the people of Chokoloskee for preserving this irreplaceable piece of American history, and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the one-of- its-kind Ted Smallwood Store. ____________________