A photograph stops time for a fraction of a second. Then, life keeps moving. But what if a photograph could be used to preserve the place you love from changing?
It’s why Sierra Grace spends most of her days off doing what she refers to as “light trespassing” around Hollywood Beach.
Grace is part photographer, part archivist and part activist — raising red flags about development and demolition of historic buildings on her Instagram account LushSuburb. She’s a frequent voice at city meetings around South Florida.
"I have always had a compulsion to take pictures. And pretty pictures help get a point across," she said while guiding WLRN around the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. "That's how I do good work with it, you can catch people's attention and then get them mobilized."
More than a decade ago, Grace started creating an archive of “old Florida” motels and shops that represented the esoteric and art deco architecture around South Florida. She posts the photos on social media where her followers connect with the nostalgic aesthetic.
Then, during the pandemic and the housing crisis that followed, Grace became more politically active — sometimes urging her followers to sign petitions to save historic buildings or speak out against anti-preservation bills like HB 1317.
Preserving the Broadwalk
On a recent afternoon, Grace wore her blonde hair up and tucked under a red baseball hat. She draped her camera over her shoulder and a fanny pack around her waist. And even though she was walking the beach in the middle of the afternoon, she wore construction boots — necessary for visiting certain sites, she said.
“It's not that we're anti-development, it's that we're anti reckless development,” Grace explained. This “reckless development" — according to Grace — threatens the look and feel of Hollywood Beach.
She stopped at the historic Neptune Motel on the Broadwalk — the motel was purchased by a real estate investment group in 2022.
“Could you imagine ... if this was a massive tower now? It would be the beginning of the end of the character of the Broadwalk," Grace said as she walked into the courtyard to take some photos of the beachfront motel.
The Condra Property Group plans on building a 3-story beach club and restaurant over the Neptune. They are also planning an 18-story apartment building with affordable housing units a few blocks away on A1A. They plan to utilize the Live Local Act, which prohibits local officials from weighing in on zoning, density and height restrictions for eligible developments.
Qualifying projects are defined as any residential housing project on commercial, industrial or mixed-use land that allocates at least 40% of units to be affordable for residents earning up to 120% of the area median income.
Restoration vs. redevelopment
Grace tries not to draw too much attention to herself when she’s out photographing — she likes to use her iPhone instead of a larger DSLR camera — but often she’ll run into people curious about what she’s up to.
It happened while she was showing WLRN around — a woman asked Grace what she was taking photos of, and Grace asked how she felt about new development on the beach.
“This is going to make it so much more like Miami Beach, versus the intimacy that we have here right now," the woman told Grace. "And just in general, the comfort. I come here often to avoid tourism.”
But Grace hasn't lost hope for Hollywood. She grew up moving throughout different cities in Broward and Miami-Dade counties which helped shape her appreciation for the unique style of South Florida.
"Every Florida city has its vernacular. Floridians, we're really known for like crazy roadside architecture. We just kind of do what we want freely. So it's unique. There's nowhere else that exists like us," she said.
Grace guides us by the Marlin hotel, a carefully remodeled art deco building complete with Miami-Vice-teal paint and a pink neon sign.
"It's a great example of restoration, she says. "It's perfect. It's painted. People have great experiences. They make good money. It contributes to the look and feel and the character of Hollywood.
Photographing local landmarks
David Paulo is another photographer working to preserve parts of Broward. He started taking photographs of what he calls "Broward County landmarks" last year.
He’s self-taught and uses a FujiFilm point-and-shoot film camera. It’s unobtrusive, light and creates warm images that he shares on his Instagram account ShotByLeather.
We met recently in Sistrunk, a historically Black neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale. It's in neighborhoods like this where Paulo's work has its greatest impact.
"I don't think most people would be comfortable walking down these ways," he told WLRN. "I think it's extremely vital to preserve the history. By me taking these photos, essentially, I'm capturing history."
Whereas most photographers stick to the beaches and downtown areas, Paulo roams the streets of neighborhoods like Lauderhill and Dania Beach to create snapshots of some of the most recognizable buildings in the area.
"It's so important to me because this is where I'm from and I'm seeing it change rapidly with all the development," he told WLRN.
Walking the streets of these neighborhoods is vital for the work that Paulo does. While taking WLRN on a tour, Paulo was stopped multiple times by members of the community who were curious about his camera.
"I connect with the community. It's deeper than just taking pictures. It's also knowing the people in your community, digging deep," he said. "As humans, we're supposed to connect with other humans."
Many of the neighborhoods Paulo photographs are bustling with construction of new apartment buildings and with the new development comes the threat of gentrification.
"Change is good, as long as change comes with equality," he said. "I'm not talking about gentrification and pricing people out. I mean changing the dynamic of the neighborhood."
Photographing buildings before they are torn down
Paulo's photographs are unvarnished and mostly unedited. When he sees something he likes he takes a few steps towards or away from it and fires a few shots with natural instinct. He prefers to shoot during the day when the sun is high and shadows are intense, casting a tropical light on buildings so that they emit a blinding glow that South Floridians are all too familiar with.
There is urgency in the work of both Grace and Paulo. They are both Florida natives who have seen the landscapes of the places they grew up in change rapidly.
"Everything is changing. So I'm trying to preserve as much community as I can through my art," Paulo said.
On a recent afternoon Paulo wanted to photograph one last landmark — the amphitheater at Huizenga Plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
"I know you remember the Broward Performing Arts Field trips?" he said. "And then after we'd go to Subway, we'd have sandwiches and sit at Huizenga Plaza and just chill, enjoy the breeze."
But when he got there, construction tape surrounded the rubble of the former amphitheater. Soon a restaurant will take its place.
"I'm mad I didn't get a picture of it bro," he said. "And look, now it's gone. History's gone."
