. The community began as summer beach bungalows, in the "early 1900s", according to the
New York Times although this is impossible because at the time the shoreline was further east until landfill extended the Rockaways. The construction of apartment buildings commenced in the late 1960s and was halted by City ordinance. The Silver Gull Beach Club, located in Breezy Point, doubled as the El Flamingo Beach Club in the 1984 film
The Flamingo Kid. Breezy Point is patrolled by its own private security force that restricts access to owners, renters and their guests. It also features three of New York City's nine remaining volunteer fire departments. On September 8, 2012, the community was struck by a
tornado shortly before 11 a.m. that started as a waterspout over the Atlantic Ocean and came ashore at the Breezy Point Surf Club.
Hurricane Sandy and subsequent fire On October 29, 2012, Breezy Point was hit hard by
Hurricane Sandy.
Jamaica Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean flooded the land between these bodies of water. Most Breezy Point homes were damaged or destroyed by high water, and basements and vehicles were ruined. The hurricane also damaged nearly half of the cabanas at Silver Gull Beach Club. Nearby, another 50 homes were damaged by the fire.
Historical note A
New York Times 1940 headline said: New Coast Guard Station: Work starts on $119,975 unit on Rockaway Point In actuality, this marked work on what was named "Station Rockaway Point, New York". Closure was announced May 2003. == Ecology ==