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through the state. To alleviate the problem, the government adopted the U.S. Highway numbering
system in 1926 (Weingroff 2015).
Since the mid-20th century, turnpikes and interstate highways have been constructed
throughout the state. Florida’s Turnpike system began in the mid-1950s and is comprised of a
number of toll roads. The main line runs from Wildwood through Orlando to Miami. Another
line, the Suncoast Parkway runs north-south through Hernando and Pasco counties into Tampa.
Shorter routes are located near Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa. Florida is still
considering additional toll road projects including a new highway between Orlando and
Melbourne, Tampa to Jacksonville, and across parts of the Florida Panhandle. However, these
56 • MICHAEL I. VOLK ET AL.
projects are controversial as development patterns begin to change, transportation infrastructure
costs increase, and the social and environmental impacts are considered (Warren 2016).
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 legislated a federal-state partnership to build interstate
highways. These highways followed transportation corridors in the state similar to those of earlier
highways and railways. I-95 runs along the East Coast. I-75 enters Florida near Jasper and runs
north-south through the center of the state before turning westward to Tampa. Tampa was the
initial terminus for I-75, but the route was extended down the Gulf Coast and across the
Everglades to Miami. I-4 connects Tampa to Daytona Beach, and I-10 traverses east-west along
the Panhandle to Jacksonville. The Interstate System connected Florida’s major cities and
facilitated development along its corridors. These multi-lane, high-speed roads also created
barriers for wildlife and fragmented habitat, though some recent wildlife crossing structure
projects have attempted to mitigate these impacts (Buford 2015; Land and Lotz n.d.). One of the
last sections to be completed was the I-75 extension across the Everglades. This section of
highway was designed with extensive bridges to provide for hydrologic flow through the
Everglades, and it included wildlife underpasses in an attempt to reduce the number of animals
killed, particularly the Florida Panther.
Tourism
Tourism in Florida began growing in the 1870s and remained strong until the Great Depression
(Youngs 2005). Early tourists were often invalids that came to Florida for the salubrious climate
and springs. The state’s natural attractions also drew tourists to hunt, fish, and stroll. Steam
boating along the rivers was one of the main modes of travel and a favorite pastime until the
1890s, and tourists often killed native wildlife from the boats (Noll 2004).
At the turn of the century, Henry Flagler and Henry Plant built luxury hotels along their
railroad lines that drew wealthy tourists to Florida to spend the winter season. Flagler’s eight
hotels were located along the East Coast in Atlantic Beach, St. Augustine, Ormond Beach, Palm
Beach, and Miami (Braden 2002). Plant built or acquired nine hotels in the center of the state and
near the West Coast. His two main luxury hotels were the Tampa Bay Hotel (now part of the
University of Tampa) and the Bellview-Biltmore in Clearwater, of which only a small portion
remains (Braden 2002).
As the Depression waned in the late 1930s, developers built roadside attractions to draw
visitors back to the state. Many early attractions focused on the state’s ‘natural’ elements. These
attractions entertained visitors with water shows, animal acts, and lush gardens. Some of the
earlier parks included Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, and
Marineland near St. Augustine. While some attractions retained more natural features, others
made significant changes to the landscape. For example, the ‘natural’ beauty of Cypress Gardens
was created by digging canals and planting thousands of flowering plants (Branch 2002).
In 1971, one of the world’s most visited attractions opened in Orlando – Walt Disney World.
This changed Florida forever, including changing Orlando from a small town into a massive
FLORIDA LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGE IN THE PAST 100 YEARS • 57
metropolitan area. During the 1960s, Walt Disney purchased over 40 square miles of land in
Central Florida, just south of Orlando, to build his East Coast theme park. Disney World also
drew many new tourists to Florida, which increased the state’s exposure to a new wave of
immigrants attracted to the climate and the economy. Other large attractions, such as Sea World
and Universal Studios, were developed near Walt Disney World making Orlando the largest
tourist destination in the U.S. Hotels, restaurants, shopping, and smaller attractions were also
built nearby contributing to the area’s sprawl and congestion with suburbs and populations
expanding to support the tourist industry. In 2014, Orlando became the first U.S. city to have
over 60 million total visitors in one year, a number which includes in-state visitors (Dineen 2016).
Agricultural Development
Agriculture is Florida’s second largest industry, and it has helped shape land use patterns and
influence natural land cover. Some of the major crops include tung oil, citrus, and sugarcane.
Livestock and timber are also significant industries.
Timber for logging and naval stores became a major industry in Florida in the 1830s with
Florida as the world’s leading producer of naval store in the early 1900s. However, the industry’s
practice of abandoning deforested land without replanting depleted most of the forests’ old
growth by 1930. As a result, mills closed down, towns were deserted, and the deforested land
was abandoned. Around the same time, the Florida Forest Service began to promote reforestation
with faster growing trees that could be used for pulp, such as loblolly and slash pines. Most of
Florida’s timber land is in the northern half of the state, and many of those counties have at least
50%of their land covered in pine forests (Florida Forestry Association 2016).
After the longleaf pine forests had been cut down, locals began looking for new industries.
They tried satsuma oranges (Citrus unshiu), but freezes and fungus decimated the groves. Tung
oil seemed like a good option with trees brought to the United States from China. The oil is used
in products such as paint, ink, and linoleum, and it is used for waterproofing. The tree was
introduced in Florida in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, 90% of the tung oil produced in the U.S.
came from Alachua County (Robb and Travis 2013). However, one problem with tung oil is that
the tree is invasive, and its leaves and seeds are poisonous. Due to alternative products and a
series of hard freezes in the late 1960s, the tung oil industry is now nearly gone in Florida.
The Spanish brought sugarcane to St. Augustine, however, early attempts to grow it at a large
scale in St. Augustine and New Smyrna failed due to freezes and soil conditions. In the 1920s,
growers planted sugarcane in South Florida, and the industry grew after the U.S. embargoed
Cuban sugar. Sugarcane is grown commercially south of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach,
Hendry, Martin, and Glades counties. Florida is now the largest producer of sugarcane in the
U.S., and it produces over 50% of the nation’s cane sugar (Baucum and Rice 2009). However,
the crop has significant impacts on surrounding land cover and water regimes because it requires
water management to control seasonal flooding of the fields. Also, run-off from fertilizers
58 • MICHAEL I. VOLK ET AL.
contributes to algae blooms and the growth of invasive aquatic species, which choke out other
native plants and grasses.
Spanish settlers also brought oranges to Florida in the 16th century. These plants eventually
became naturalized to Florida and could be found growing amidst other trees. The citrus industry
boomed in the l870s with many groves along the St. Johns River. Yet, the freeze of 1895-96
destroyed groves and farmers moved further south. Additional freezes have occurred during the
20th century, and the industry continues to move further south (Davis 1937).
The Spanish settlers also brought cattle, with early cattle ranches located near Tallahassee,
Gainesville, St. Augustine, and the St Johns River. The industry declined during the Civil War
and did not recover until the 1920s due to problems with ticks and nutrition. After decades of
research on nutrition, ranchers started relying more upon improved pastures versus pastures
seeded with native grasses. Ranchers also began to depend more on maintenance of their own
pastures after Florida passed a fence law in 1949 that ended open grazing.

through the state. To alleviate the problem, the government adopted the U.S. Highway numbering

system in 1926 (Weingroff 2015).

Since the mid-20th century, turnpikes and interstate highways have been constructed

throughout the state. Florida’s Turnpike system began in the mid-1950s and is comprised of a

number of toll roads. The main line runs from Wildwood through Orlando to Miami. Another

line, the Suncoast Parkway runs north-south through Hernando and Pasco counties into Tampa.

Shorter routes are located near Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa. Florida is still

considering additional toll road projects including a new highway between Orlando and

Melbourne, Tampa to Jacksonville, and across parts of the Florida Panhandle. However, these

56 • MICHAEL I. VOLK ET AL.

projects are controversial as development patterns begin to change, transportation infrastructure

costs increase, and the social and environmental impacts are considered (Warren 2016).

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 legislated a federal-state partnership to build interstate

highways. These highways followed transportation corridors in the state similar to those of earlier

highways and railways. I-95 runs along the East Coast. I-75 enters Florida near Jasper and runs

north-south through the center of the state before turning westward to Tampa. Tampa was the

initial terminus for I-75, but the route was extended down the Gulf Coast and across the

Everglades to Miami. I-4 connects Tampa to Daytona Beach, and I-10 traverses east-west along

the Panhandle to Jacksonville. The Interstate System connected Florida’s major cities and

facilitated development along its corridors. These multi-lane, high-speed roads also created

barriers for wildlife and fragmented habitat, though some recent wildlife crossing structure

projects have attempted to mitigate these impacts (Buford 2015; Land and Lotz n.d.). One of the

last sections to be completed was the I-75 extension across the Everglades. This section of

highway was designed with extensive bridges to provide for hydrologic flow through the

Everglades, and it included wildlife underpasses in an attempt to reduce the number of animals

killed, particularly the Florida Panther.

Tourism

Tourism in Florida began growing in the 1870s and remained strong until the Great Depression

(Youngs 2005). Early tourists were often invalids that came to Florida for the salubrious climate

and springs. The state’s natural attractions also drew tourists to hunt, fish, and stroll. Steam

boating along the rivers was one of the main modes of travel and a favorite pastime until the

1890s, and tourists often killed native wildlife from the boats (Noll 2004).

At the turn of the century, Henry Flagler and Henry Plant built luxury hotels along their

railroad lines that drew wealthy tourists to Florida to spend the winter season. Flagler’s eight

hotels were located along the East Coast in Atlantic Beach, St. Augustine, Ormond Beach, Palm

Beach, and Miami (Braden 2002). Plant built or acquired nine hotels in the center of the state and

near the West Coast. His two main luxury hotels were the Tampa Bay Hotel (now part of the

University of Tampa) and the Bellview-Biltmore in Clearwater, of which only a small portion

remains (Braden 2002).

As the Depression waned in the late 1930s, developers built roadside attractions to draw

visitors back to the state. Many early attractions focused on the state’s ‘natural’ elements. These

attractions entertained visitors with water shows, animal acts, and lush gardens. Some of the

earlier parks included Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Jungle Gardens in Sarasota, and

Marineland near St. Augustine. While some attractions retained more natural features, others

made significant changes to the landscape. For example, the ‘natural’ beauty of Cypress Gardens

was created by digging canals and planting thousands of flowering plants (Branch 2002).

In 1971, one of the world’s most visited attractions opened in Orlando – Walt Disney World.

This changed Florida forever, including changing Orlando from a small town into a massive

FLORIDA LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGE IN THE PAST 100 YEARS • 57

metropolitan area. During the 1960s, Walt Disney purchased over 40 square miles of land in

Central Florida, just south of Orlando, to build his East Coast theme park. Disney World also

drew many new tourists to Florida, which increased the state’s exposure to a new wave of

immigrants attracted to the climate and the economy. Other large attractions, such as Sea World

and Universal Studios, were developed near Walt Disney World making Orlando the largest

tourist destination in the U.S. Hotels, restaurants, shopping, and smaller attractions were also

built nearby contributing to the area’s sprawl and congestion with suburbs and populations

expanding to support the tourist industry. In 2014, Orlando became the first U.S. city to have

over 60 million total visitors in one year, a number which includes in-state visitors (Dineen 2016).

Agricultural Development

Agriculture is Florida’s second largest industry, and it has helped shape land use patterns and

influence natural land cover. Some of the major crops include tung oil, citrus, and sugarcane.

Livestock and timber are also significant industries.

Timber for logging and naval stores became a major industry in Florida in the 1830s with

Florida as the world’s leading producer of naval store in the early 1900s. However, the industry’s

practice of abandoning deforested land without replanting depleted most of the forests’ old

growth by 1930. As a result, mills closed down, towns were deserted, and the deforested land

was abandoned. Around the same time, the Florida Forest Service began to promote reforestation

with faster growing trees that could be used for pulp, such as loblolly and slash pines. Most of

Florida’s timber land is in the northern half of the state, and many of those counties have at least

50%of their land covered in pine forests (Florida Forestry Association 2016).

After the longleaf pine forests had been cut down, locals began looking for new industries.

They tried satsuma oranges (Citrus unshiu), but freezes and fungus decimated the groves. Tung

oil seemed like a good option with trees brought to the United States from China. The oil is used

in products such as paint, ink, and linoleum, and it is used for waterproofing. The tree was

introduced in Florida in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, 90% of the tung oil produced in the U.S.

came from Alachua County (Robb and Travis 2013). However, one problem with tung oil is that

the tree is invasive, and its leaves and seeds are poisonous. Due to alternative products and a

series of hard freezes in the late 1960s, the tung oil industry is now nearly gone in Florida.

The Spanish brought sugarcane to St. Augustine, however, early attempts to grow it at a large

scale in St. Augustine and New Smyrna failed due to freezes and soil conditions. In the 1920s,

growers planted sugarcane in South Florida, and the industry grew after the U.S. embargoed

Cuban sugar. Sugarcane is grown commercially south of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach,

Hendry, Martin, and Glades counties. Florida is now the largest producer of sugarcane in the

U.S., and it produces over 50% of the nation’s cane sugar (Baucum and Rice 2009). However,

the crop has significant impacts on surrounding land cover and water regimes because it requires

water management to control seasonal flooding of the fields. Also, run-off from fertilizers

58 • MICHAEL I. VOLK ET AL.

contributes to algae blooms and the growth of invasive aquatic species, which choke out other

native plants and grasses.

Spanish settlers also brought oranges to Florida in the 16th century. These plants eventually

became naturalized to Florida and could be found growing amidst other trees. The citrus industry

boomed in the l870s with many groves along the St. Johns River. Yet, the freeze of 1895-96

destroyed groves and farmers moved further south. Additional freezes have occurred during the

20th century, and the industry continues to move further south (Davis 1937).

The Spanish settlers also brought cattle, with early cattle ranches located near Tallahassee,

Gainesville, St. Augustine, and the St Johns River. The industry declined during the Civil War

and did not recover until the 1920s due to problems with ticks and nutrition. After decades of

research on nutrition, ranchers started relying more upon improved pastures versus pastures

seeded with native grasses. Ranchers also began to depend more on maintenance of their own

pastures after Florida passed a fence law in 1949 that ended open grazing.