Much of what is now Kendall was purchased from the State of Florida in 1883 by the Florida Land and Mortgage Company. It is named after Henry John Broughton Kendall, a director of the company who moved to the area in the 1900s to manage the company's land. As the land was not open to homesteading , development was slow well into the 20th century. A post office opened in 1914, and the first school opened in 1929. After the end of the land boom in 1926, some residents left. Two Seminole camps were in the Kendall area, and Seminoles continued to live there into the 1940s.
. According to the United States Census Bureau , the Kendall region has an approximate total area of 42.3 km² (16.3 mi² ). 41.8 km² (16.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.35%) is water.