The Greek American community of Tarpon Springs in Florida celebrated “OXI” Day on Tuesday. Mayor John Koulianos presented a proclamation at Craig Park, highlighting Greece’s defiant rejection of an ultimatum from Fascist Italy in 1940 during World War II.
The strong Greek identity of Tarpon Springs, FL, which leads to prominent celebrations like OXI Day, stems from a major wave of Greek immigration tied to the sponge industry in the early 20th century.
Mayor Koulianos was elected without opposition for his second term and took office on April 8, 2025. He was first elected as a City Commissioner and was sworn into office on April 11, 2023. He has a long history of volunteerism in all facets throughout the community.
A few Greek immigrants began to arrive in the 1880s and 1890s to work in the nascent sponge industry.
The history of the Greeks in Tarpon Springs
In 1905, John Cocoris revolutionized the local sponge business by introducing the technique of sponge diving using pressurized suits. He recruited skilled divers and crew members, primarily from the Dodecanese Islands of Greece (especially Kalymnos, Symi, and Halki), where sponge diving was an established maritime tradition.
This influx of Greek immigrants and their expertise turned Tarpon Springs into the world center of the sponge industry. The city experienced significant prosperity, and by 1940, an estimated three-quarters of the residents were of Greek heritage, making it a unique Hellenic enclave.
Due to the concentration of immigrants from the same regions, they successfully maintained their language, family structure, the Greek Orthodox religion (with St. Nicholas Cathedral being a central institution), and foodways, contributing to the city’s distinct ethnic character.
Today, Tarpon Springs continues to have the highest percentage of Greek-Americans of any city in the U.S.
The heart of the community remains around the Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard and the celebration of Greek Orthodox traditions. The annual Epiphany Festival, where young men dive for a cross, is the largest such celebration in the U.S.
The celebration of OXI Day, marking Greece’s defiant “No” in WWII, is a natural and important expression of this enduring national pride and cultural heritage in a city so deeply connected to Greece.
