In 1952, Earle B. Lokey first opened the Lokey Oldsmobile dealership on Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater, Florida. In 1959, a few folks called him crazy when he purchased property "in the middle of the orange groves" on Gulf to Bay Boulevard and opened Lokey Motor Co. Lokey Motors was awarded the first Mercedes-Benz franchise in the state of Florida in 1966.
Earle Lokey's twin sons,...