Airport Blvd. renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. during ceremony in Melbourne

After an emotionally divisive 32-year political debate, green Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard road signs now mark one of the key routes around Orlando Melbourne International Airport.

"It is my prayer that every time we ride down this Martin Luther King Boulevard, that we are reminded of the life and legacy of a man who brought hope — a man that brought healing — to America," Rev. Lorenzo Laws of Greater Allen Chapel AME Church said during Thursday's road-renaming ceremony, drawing cries of "Yes!" 

"I pray that we also remember, as we ride these streets, the timeless values he taught us. Through his positive example. The values of courage. The values of truth. The value of justice. The value of character," Laws said.

More than 100 people gathered at the northeast corner of NASA Boulevard and the former Airport Boulevard for the event. Back in July, the Melbourne City Council voted 6-1 to rename Airport Boulevard for the slain civil rights leader.

Estimated cost is $7,425 to install new street signs at 13 intersections along the 1.7-mile road, which extends from U.S. 192 northward to Apollo Boulevard. The final signs will be installed "very soon," Vice Mayor Debbie Thomas said.

More:Melbourne stirs debate with proposal to rename Airport Boulevard for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

More:Final votes on renaming Airport Boulevard for MLK will occur at the Melbourne Auditorium

Melbourne's often-bitter debate on naming a street for King was one of the longest-running in the nation, said Derek Alderman, a University of Tennessee geography professor and past president of the American Association of Geographers.

On July 14, 1987, Rev. Carol Williams Glanton asked council members to rename University Boulevard in King's honor — without success. Other potential streets surfaced as decades passed, including Apollo and Airport boulevards. But all were rejected after landowners complained, citing negative stigma, address-change costs and declining property values.

Glanton, a longtime Brevard County civil rights activist, died in 2009 at age 71. She was pastor of Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ in Melbourne and Titusville.

"The residents of Melbourne lingered in the wilderness for 32 years, awaiting change," Joe McNeil, past president of the Melbourne Police Community Relations Council, told the crowd.

"I can envision Rev. Glanton rejoicing with the saints of Melbourne in heaven — especially Bennie Hopkins, Peter Frink — claiming a victory so richly they deserved," McNeil said.

Speakers praised Councilman Tim Thomas for championing the road renaming proposal — which drew hundreds of people to rare, large-venue council meetings at Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place and the Melbourne Auditorium.

Saying community leaders "displayed the patience of Job," Thomas said other American cities have historically named roads for King in areas of town that were blighted and crime-ridden. Airport Boulevard in Melbourne is different, he said.

"This has always been about having a major arterial road renamed after Dr. King that's close to the downtown area, that's surrounded by diversity and economic development," Thomas said, garnering applause.

Leonard Ross, former president of Melbourne's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition, delivered a rousing oration of King's 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., during Thursday's event.

"You all named this street," Councilwoman Julie Sanders told the crowd. "It was your perseverance and your dedication that made us as a council see how important this was — to not only you, but the entire city of Melbourne."

King renaming history

A recap of significant Melbourne City Council actions:

• August 1987: University Boulevard rejected.

• February 1991: Portion of University Boulevard (between Babcock Street and Riverview Drive) rejected.

• January 1994: Portion of University Boulevard (east of Babcock Street), Lipscomb Street, the new library or Melbourne Auditorium rejected.

• October 2001: Resolution sent to Brevard Metropolitan Planning Organization supporting naming the future Palm Bay parkway for King. Instead, the road was later named the St. Johns Heritage Parkway.

• April 2005: Apollo Boulevard rejected.

• January 2006: Airport Boulevard, a city committee's No. 1-ranked candidate, rejected.

• April 2006: Airport Boulevard rejected again.

• May 2006: Melbourne Auditorium rejected.

• June: Airport Boulevard approved on first reading at Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place.

• July: Airport Boulevard approved on second, final reading at Melbourne Auditorium.

Neale is the South Brevard watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. 

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1