The Landscape of Florida

The Landscape of Florida

Florida’s landscape is relentlessly low-lying, the highest point in the state being just 345 ft (105 m) above sea level. The rare, rolling hills of the Panhandle provide some of the loveliest countryside in the state, whose flat peninsula is otherwise dominated by grassland and swamp, punctuated by forests and thousands of lakes.

Great swathes of the natural landscape have had to surrender to the onslaught of urban development and agriculture – second only to tourism as the state’s main economic resource. However, you can still find areas that are surprisingly wild and unpopulated.

FLORIDA’S SINKHOLES

Many of Florida’s 30,000 lakes and ponds started out as sinkholes, or “sinks.” This curious phenomenon, which occurs mainly in northern Florida, is a result of the natural erosion of the limestone that forms the bedrock of much of the state. Most sinkholes form gradually, as the soil sinks slowly into a depression. Others appear more dramatically, often after heavy rain, when an underground cavern collapses beneath the weight of the ground above. The largest recorded sinkhole occurred in Winter Park in 1981. It swallowed six cars and a house, and formed a crater

more than 300 ft (90 m) in diameter. There is no sure way to predict sinkhole development, and many homeowners take out sinkhole insurance.

Wildlife and Natural Habitats

Florida’s great variety of habitats and wildlife is due in part to the meeting of temperate north Florida with the subtropical south. Other factors include the state’s humidity, sandy soils, low elevation, and proximity to the water. Some plants and animals can live in several habitats, while others can survive only in one. The bird life in Florida is particularly rich in winter, when migratory birds arrive from the colder northern states. Wildlife and Natural Habitats

FRESHWATER SWAMPS

Many swamps have been drained to make way for agriculture or development, but they are

still found all over Florida. They are often dominated by cypress trees, which are well suited

to the watery conditions, requiring little soil to grow. The dwarf cypress is the most common species, the larger giant or bald cypress tree being rare these days.

HARDWOOD FORESTS

These are among the most verdant habitats in the state. Hardwood-dominated forests are

called “hammocks.” Unlike the tropical hard-wood hammocks of southern Florida, those

in the north are dominated by the splendid live oak tree, interspersed with other species such as

hickory and magnolia.

Hurricanes in Florida

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with wind speeds of at least 74 mph (119 km/h). One in ten of the hurricanes to occur in the North Atlantic hits Florida – which means an average of one of these big storms every two years.

The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the greatest threat is from August to October. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, which measures the winds and ocean flooding expected, categorizes hurricanes from one to five; category five is the worst, with winds of over 155 mph (249 km/h). Hurricane names come from a recognized alphabetical list of names, which rotates every six years. Originally, only women’s names were used, but since 1979 men’s and women’s names have been alternated.

THE LIFE OF A HURRICANE

The development of a hurricane is influenced by several factors – primarily heat and wind. First the sun must warm the ocean’s surface enough for water to evaporate. This rises and condenses into

Thunderclouds, which are sent spinning by the earth’s rotation. The hurricane moves forward and can be tracked using satellite images like this one. On hitting land, the storm loses power because it is cut off from its source of energy – the warm ocean.

HURRICANE ANDREW

On August 24, 1992 Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida. It measured only

“4” on the Saffir-Simpson Scale (less than the 1935 hurricane that hit the Florida Keys), but it was the country’s costliest ever natural disaster, causing $25 billion worth of damage.

Astonishingly, only 15 people died in Florida (and 23 in the country as a whole) from the direct effects of Hurricane Andrew.

MONITORING A

HURRICANE

Using satellites, computer models, and radar, the National Hurricane Center in Miami can detect a

hurricane long before it reaches Florida. The most detailed information, however, is provided by

pilots known as Hurricane Hunters, who fly in and out of the hurricane gathering data.

 The damage from a hurricane is greatly reduced by preparedness: television and radio bulletins

keep the public informed, and everyone is encouraged to plan the route of the storm on special

hurricane tracking maps.

Shipwrecks and Salvage

The waters off Florida are littered with thousands of shipwrecks that have accumulated over hundreds of years. Many sank during storms at sea, while others were tossed onto the reefs off the Keys. The salvaged wrecks picked out on the map are those that have had a large amount of their cargo recovered. Spain’s treasure ships are the greatest prize among salvagers, just as they were once the favored target of pirates. In museums all over Florida everyday objects and treasure offer an insight into the lives and riches of the Spanish.

FLORIDA’S VERNACULAR STYLE

The early pioneers of the 1800s built houses whose design was dictated mainly by the climate and the location: the most identifiable common elements are the devices to maximize natural ventilation. Local materials, usually wood, were used. Original “Cracker” homes, so named after the people who built and lived in them , don’t survive in great numbers, but the vernacular style

has influenced Florida’s architecture ever since.

THE GILDED AGE

From the 1880s on, the railroads and tourism brought new wealth and ideas from outside the state. The love affair with Mediterranean Revivalism began and can be seen in Flagler’s brick hotels in St.

Augustine. Wood was still the favored material, though, and was used more decoratively – most famously in Key West. Other concentrations of Victorian houses are found in Fernandina Beach and Mount Dora.

THE FANTASY OF THE BOOM YEARS

The most notable buildings of the period 1920–50 set out to inspire romantic images of faraway places. Each new development had a theme, spawning islands of architectural styles from Moorish to Art Deco – the latter in Miami’s South Beach district. Mediterranean Revivalism dominated, however. Its chief exponents were Addison Mizner in Palm Beach and George Merrick in Coral Gables.

POSTWAR ARCHITECTURE

Many of Florida’s most striking modern buildings are either shopping malls or public buildings, such as theaters or sports stadiums, which are often as impressive for their scale as for their design. More of a curiosity are the new towns of Seaside and Disney’s Celebration (see p154), which have arisen out of nostalgia for small-town America and as a reaction to the impersonal nature of the modern city.

THE HIGHWAY

In the 20th century, the flood of visitors and settlers speeding south along Florida’s high- ways has spawned buildings unique to the road. Alongside the drive-in banks and restaurants are buildings shaped like ice-cream cones or alligators – designed to catch the eye of the motorist driving past at speed. Such outlandishness, aided too by colorful neon signs, breaks up the monotonous strips of motels and fast food outlets.