Florida

E

Soils

Sandy soils, which are not productive unless fertilized, cover much of the state. Fortunately there are vast local supplies of fertilizer available in the phosphate deposits of the Florida peninsula. Well-drained sandy loams cover most of the lake district and are ideal for citrus groves. The best soils in the state are the muck and peat deposits of the southern peninsula, soil types derived from the decayed vegetation of the marshes and swamp forests. Used for growing vegetables, they can produce very large crop yields when they are properly cultivated. However, they require careful drainage, and in dry periods they need to be irrigated to prevent them from drying out and shrinking due to oxidation. Parts of the dry strip of land along the Atlantic coast and the lower Keys have hardly any topsoil at all.

F

Plant Life

Florida is noted for its variety of trees and other plant life. Some trees and plants are native to the state, but various species have been introduced from other areas of the world, particularly from the tropics. Some of these introduced species, such as melaleuca, cogon grass, and Brazilian pepper, have become serious pests in natural areas and agricultural lands. The northern half of the state lies in the great belt of evergreen forests that occupies much of the Coastal Plain south of Virginia. The southern part of the state, however, is one of the few areas of the United States where subtropical ferns, trees, and flowering plants flourish.

The principal species of pine in Florida are longleaf, loblolly, and slash pines. Florida has some of the largest remaining longleaf pine forests, which once covered large areas of the southeastern Coastal Plain. Palm trees are found throughout the state. The Sabal palm, or cabbage palmetto, is the state tree. Other palms include a number that are imported, such as coconut and date palms. The bald cypress, pond cypress, black gum, or black tupelo, and water oak grow well in swampy, poorly drained areas. The live oak, so named because unlike other oaks it retains its leaves throughout the year, grows throughout the state. Gray-green Spanish moss festoons trees, especially the live oak and cypress, in moist areas throughout Florida. Among the many unusual trees found in Florida, especially in the southern part of the state, are the strangler fig, mahogany, gumbo-limbo, and sausage. The red mangrove is the principal species in the dense thickets of plant life in the swampy lands along the coast.

Native flowering plants of note include the southern magnolia, Jamaica dogwood, Spanish bayonet, and rhododendron. Imported plants such as the hibiscus, royal poinciana, bougainvillea, gardenia, and camellia flourish in the warm southern region. The blossom of the orange tree is the state flower.

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G

Animal Life

The Everglades and cypress swamps of southern Florida provide one of the last refuges in the eastern United States for a number of wild animals. Among the most rarely seen there is the so-called Florida panther; the only cougar found east of the Mississippi today, it is classified as an endangered species and protected by state and federal law. The black bear is numerous in northern forests. The white-tailed deer is common throughout the state. The tiny Key deer, found only in the lower Keys, is protected by state and federal law. Other animals in the state include the gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, marsh rabbit, gray fox, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, and nine-banded armadillo. Wild pigs, descendants of domestic hogs that escaped into the wilderness, are found in some swampy areas. The manatee, or sea cow, a marine animal that was once hunted almost to extinction, is still occasionally seen along the bays and river estuaries of Florida.

Reptiles flourish in Florida. Alligators are numerous in the rivers, lakes, and swamps throughout the state, and occasionally, crocodiles are seen in coastal inlets at the southern tip of the peninsula. Both are protected by law, but a limited harvest of alligators is permitted. Snakes are found in large numbers, but only a few species are poisonous. They are the coral snake, the water moccasin, or cottonmouth, and two species of rattlesnakes. Marine turtles are found along the coast, and land turtles are sometimes seen inland.

An estimated 400 species of birds are native to Florida. Among the water birds found there are the roseate spoonbill, the anhinga, or water turkey, several species of egrets, and herons. The brown pelican is common, and the white pelican is occasionally seen soaring effortlessly in the sky. Florida also has many species of vireos, warblers, hawks, and sparrows. The mockingbird is Florida’s state bird. Among the unusual or rare birds of Florida are the white-crowned pigeon, the mangrove cuckoo, and the Florida jay, which has never been recorded outside of Florida. Major game birds include the turkey, mourning dove, bobwhite quail, and waterfowl such as ducks and geese.

Saltwater fish along Florida’s coasts include the barracuda, sailfish, tarpon, bonefish, pompano, black mullet, red snapper, gray snapper, menhaden, marlin, wahoo, weakfish, amberjack, sea bass, and snook. Most of them are game or food fish. In addition, many brightly colored tropical fish are found in Florida waters, and dolphins and sharks are common along both coasts. Freshwater fish include the black bass, speckled perch, bream, and bluegill. Shellfish include shrimp, crab, spiny lobster, oyster, scallop, conch, and coquina (small clams). The most substantial bed of living corals in the United States outside Hawaii is found along the southern tip of the peninsula and off the Florida Keys.

H

Conservation

The state and federal governments maintain a number of programs for the conservation of Florida’s natural resources, particularly forests, fisheries, wildlife, soils, and water supply. In 1993 the Florida legislature combined the state departments of natural resources and environmental regulation into the Department of Environmental Protection. The new department is responsible for all aspects of protection and conservation. Federal agencies active in the state include the United States Forest Service, which administers the national forests, and the National Park Service. In 2006 the state had 50 hazardous waste sites on a national priority list for cleanup due to their severity or proximity to people. Between 1995 and 2000 the amount of toxic chemicals discharged into the environment increased by 27 percent.

Florida’s extensive pine forests were once seriously depleted by over-cutting and by improper methods for obtaining turpentine from the trees. However, their economic value has been restored through reforestation efforts.

Soil erosion is not a major problem in most of Florida. Only the northwestern corner of the panhandle has suffered serious erosion. However, in the Everglades, hundreds of acres of valuable peat and muck soil have been destroyed by overdraining or burned as a result of accidental fire in drained swamplands.

As one of the wettest states in the nation, Florida has ample supplies of water. Most of the annual rainfall seeps down through the limestone rock, where it makes its way slowly to the sea through deep underground reservoirs. The state’s water supply comes primarily from wells that tap these vast underground reservoirs. In some coastal areas the underground freshwater reserves have been overdrawn and contaminated by intruding salt water. Where excessive amounts of water have been pumped out to supply the rapidly growing urban centers, the level of water in the natural reservoirs has been lowered and salt water from the sea has filtered in. In an effort to prevent this saltwater intrusion, the legislature enacted the 1957 Water Resources Law to develop a system of water rights allocation. The program also included provisions for implementing a number of flood control and drainage projects in the state.

Oil spills and stream pollution by inadequately treated waste have created new concern for preserving a wholesome water supply. Both public and private agencies are now seeking ways of avoiding further pollution of Florida waters, but much remains to be done.

III

Economic Activities

Farming has been important to Florida’s economy ever since the Spanish introduced citrus fruit, sugarcane, and cattle into Florida in the middle of the 18th century. These three industries are still important to the state. Late in the 18th century, the British introduced the plantation system of agriculture to Florida to produce indigo and cotton, but the indigo plant is no longer cultivated and cotton, although still grown, is no longer a significant crop. The state’s vast pine forests have been a source of pitch and tar, called naval stores, as early as the 16th century, and lumbering became important in the 19th century.

In the late 19th century, Florida’s tourist industry began to develop, with the construction of railroads and resort facilities. In the 20th century tourism became the largest single source of income for the state. Manufacturing in Florida developed in the 20th century, and by the beginning of the 21st century it had been greatly diversified and expanded.

The largest contributor to Florida’s economy in 1999 was the services sector, which contributed 77 percent of the state’s gross product. It includes such industries as finance, insurance, real estate, and retail trade. A cornerstone of this commerce is the tourism industry. Much of the service industry is devoted to meeting the needs of tourists; retail outlets cater to tourists for a significant proportion of their sales, and the real estate and finance industries construct developments to entice tourists to stay or at least spend part of the year in Florida.

Florida had a work force of 8,989,000 people in 2006. The largest share of them, 42 percent, were employed in the diverse service sector doing such things as working in restaurants or data processing. Another 22 percent were employed in wholesale or retail trade; 12 percent in federal, state, or local government; 37 percent in finance, insurance, or real estate; 7 percent in manufacturing; 8 percent in construction; 6 percent in transportation or public utilities; and 2 percent in farming (including agricultural services), forestry, or fishing. Just 0.1 percent held jobs in the mining industry. In 2005, 5 percent of Florida’s workers were unionized. The state has a right-to-work law, which prohibits union membership as a condition of employment.

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