Franklin Sheen
Franklin Sheen came to West Palm Beach in 1893, started as an engineer for the Model Land Company, and left his mark in many places in Palm Beach County. Sheen became city engineer for West Palm Beach, county surveyor for ten years, and then opened a real estate office on Flagler Drive. The early roads of West Palm Beach were built under his direction, including Okeechobee Boulevard in 1909. Though Sheen became ill in 1909, he remained in charge of building roads until his death from tuberculosis in 1917. Sheen also gave the town of Pompano Beach its name, because he caught so many pompano there.
Excerpt from Palm Beach County History Online, “The Other Side of Lake Worth”
