The Youngest Mayor in Florida
BY Ken Marotte, Citrus County Historical Society
A family tragedy called a man back to his home in Inverness. Little did he know that in a year’s time his supporters would hail him as “the Youngest Mayor in Florida.”
Conrad and Morris
R.C. Conrad and Frank Morris were well-known figures in Inverness. For eight years, they were owners of a successful Funeral Home on North Pine Ave (the site today of Brannen Bank’s parking lot – across the street from the Subway Restaurant). In addition, the duo served as law enforcement officers for the City. The Sheriff Deputies patrolled the City, but were augmented by City Marshall / Police Chief Morris . His business partner, R.C. Conrad, was the nighttime police officer. He was also active in the local Masonic Lodge. Conrad had three children who grew up in Inverness. “Coy” Conrad Jr. was the oldest son and had followed his father’s footsteps into the funeral profession. After High School, the younger Conrad had set out to work for another Funeral Director in Port St. Lucie to learn the trade as an apprentice.
Tragedy stuck in May, 1940. R.C. Conrad Sr. passed away after a brief illness. Coy Jr. traveled home to Inverness to help his family cope with the loss. Since he had become familiar with the mortuary field, he stepped in and assumed the role of business partner in his deceased father’s firm. He had become conversant in the practices and nuances of the funeral industry and the firm remained strong.
An Entrepreneurial Spirit
Coy Conrad found that he had time for other pursuits. He decided to rent a small building down the street from the Funeral Home and open “Coy’s Soda Shop” in August, 1940. (The building is occupied by another Ice Cream shop on Pine Ave today). Opening day featured free ice cream cones for all visitors. The shop served many customers who suggested that they also wanted to have something more substantial to eat. Accordingly, Coy built a separate deli counter and expanded his menu to include Cuban Sandwiches .
Conrad hit upon an exciting way to promote his new shop. He purchased an alarm clock for the store that was set to ring at random times throughout the day. Each time the alarm rang, every customer in the store would receive their purchase for free. The clock would be reset and no one (even Conrad) would know when the next alarm would ring.
The business expanded into more diverse fields later that year. Conrad added radio sales and repair services to his menu. In the pre-television world, radios were a key entertainment and information resource in every home and Conrad worked hard to make sure that their equipment was functioning properly (hopefully while they were enjoying a Cuban sandwich and soda fountain special). Perhaps automobile repair would be the next world to conquer for the imaginative Mr. Conrad.
Mr. Mayor
The incumbent Inverness mayor, M.C. Scofield, announced that he would not seek re-election in February, 1941. Several candidates took out papers to run for the vacant seat. Coy Conrad jumped into the race at the last minute. He reasoned that he knew quite a few residents through his high school connections and his myriad businesses. Some of the other aspirants withdrew from the race prior to Election Day. By February 18, 1941, only Coy Conrad and George Condrey Jr. remained as mayoral candidates. Voter turnout was heavy that day – almost 80% of registered voters cast ballots in this race. Participation was reported to be the largest in recent memory for Inverness elections.
In the end, 22-year-old Coy Conrad defeated Condrey by 43 votes. Inverness had elected the “Youngest Mayor In Florida”.
Inverness Controversies
It did not take long for two controversies to arise during Conrad’s tenure. Everyone was surprised when Conrad’s business partner, Frank Morris, abruptly resigned from his position as City Marshall. After 14 years on the job, he stated that exercising his authority as a law enforcement officer was starting to hurt his business. While it may seem strange today, the Inverness Marshall/Chief was also responsible for supervising the city’s water pump system, reading city water meters and making sure that the residents were not delinquent on their water bills. Morris said that he had grown weary of the insults that were hurled at him by hard-pressed residents and knew that the situation was only going to get worse when planned water rate hikes went into effect. He resigned “effective immediately”.
A second issue divided the City into two warring camps. An Inverness Public Works driver had apparently drawn the ire of one of the City Council members, who engineered the driver’s dismissal from the job. At the next Council meeting, the popular driver produced a petition with over 150 names demanding that he be reinstated. The Council meeting was filled to the doors with supporters and detractors – each side blasting the other during the hours long session. Temporary peace was restored when the driver was offered his job back with stipulations.
All was forgotten when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and America joined World War II a few months later.
Mr. Mayor Goes to War
Coy Conrad was temporarily deferred from military service until his term of office expired in 1943. Former Mayor M.C. Scofield once again took the reigns of Inverness government and Conrad prepared to serve in the Armed Forces. In late January, Coy Conrad took the oath as a US Navy seaman. After basic training, he was assigned duty as a Dental Technician. He occupied this rating through the duration of the conflict.
Frank Morris assumed full control of the Inverness funeral home in 1944. After being released from the Navy, Coy Conrad eventually moved to the Kissimmee FL area where he enjoyed a long career as a respected Funeral Director. There is no update whether or not he opened a Soda Fountain / Cuban Sandwich / Radio Repair shop there. Coy Conrad – once Florida’s Youngest Mayor – passed away in 1980 at the age of 63.