Miami Gardens City Hall named for the city’s first mayor

About four years ago, Miami Gardens broke ground on a new municipal complex. Elected officials, staff and developers posed for pictures and among that group was Shirley Gibson, the city’s first mayor.

Now the City Hall building in that complex bears her name.

The city made the change official at a July 20 ceremony. The police department headquarters was named after former Vice Mayor Aaron Campbell.

Gibson said she was grateful for the honor and that her granddaughters, siblings and other friends and supporters were able to attend. She served as mayor from 2003, when the city was incorporated, until 2012.

“I’m happy that I was alive to participate because most of the time when those things happen, the person is no longer with us,” Gibson said.

The complex and City Hall opened in June 2014; the police department portion was completed earlier this year. The city’s recreation complex also bears the name of a longtime Miami Gardens notable, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Betty T. Ferguson.

This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Miami Gardens City Hall named for the city’s first mayor."