by Cathy Brown
Bruce Brown passed away on June 23, 2025, at the age of 82, after a
month of struggles from a heart attack. Bruce loved his life, and he enjoyed directing television shows, music euents, and being around creative people. During his last days he would listen to musicians he had worked with during his life and smile and
smile and smile. He would still direct from his bedside!
After retiring, Bruce created B.B. Brown’s Gardens and The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail, where he spent the next 28 years working to restore the Florida Scrub-Jay habitat and preserve
an important ecological area.
One of the things about the development of The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail that most delighted Bruce was that he was able to make the area available to the Scouts, and he enjoyed giving children the opportunity to be outdoors in nature. Bruce grew up in Scouts. His father was a Scout executive in Philadelphia, so scouting was in his blood.
Bruce made daily walks on the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail, and after every walk he would tell me “love those benches!” referring to the Eagle Scout projects that supplied the benches as well as every other hardscape landmark on The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail.
For the past 28 years the property has welcomed the community to come and enjoy. Bruce wishes you will continue to do so. Life will go on and YOU will become the new stewards of the property. I hope you cherish it and contribute to it as much as he did for the next
generations. That would be his wish!
