Changing Nature of Florida's Coastal Geography

Florida has undergone dramatic changes in the last few decades, from a state with low population density and a primarily rural economy to a relatively densely populated state whose economy depends heavily on tourism and services. Some of the most profound transformations have occurred in the coastal zone, creating needs for resource management that reflect the new geographic and demographic realities.

Florida's coastal population has seen an increase from 4.8 million in 1960 to 12.8 million in 1990 (University of Floria Bureau of Economic & Business Research, 1994). This rate of growth is four times that of the U.S. in general, and is largely due to immigration from other U.S. states. Most of the immigrants prefer to settle close to the shore: seventy-nine percent of Florida's population live within the coastal zone (Culliton et al., 1990). While the coastal population of the U. S. during this period has increased by 38% nationwide, Florida's coastal counties have grown by 169% (University of Floria Bureau of Economic & Business Research, 1994). Florida's coastal population increase has not been uniform: the Atlantic coast counties have seen a 175% increase, while the Gulf has experienced a 160% increase (Antonini and Box, 1996). Important demographic changes have accompanied this growth. Large numbers of Florida residents are retired: they are older, generally wealthier, and have more available leisure time than earlier populations. There is a very large demand for services and recreation.

Rapid population growth affects the physical, ecologic, and social environments. Florida's economy depends heavily on marine recreation, and boating is an important part of this phenomenon. The estimated 1995 economic contribution of boating, adjusted for inflation, according to Adams and Milon (1985), was $2.04 billion. Saltwater recreational fishing contributed some $2.6 billion (Florida Sea Grant, 1993). With some overlap allowed between the categories, it is estimated that recreational boating contributes some $4 billion annually (Antonini et al., 1997).

Florida's coastline has been fundamentally changed, from natural wetland and beach-front to residential, commercial, and recreational use. Sarasota Bay, in Southwest Florida (figures 1.1 and 1.2), is a good example of the processes that are transforming many of the world's residential coastlines. For example, before World War II, most of Sarasota Bay's shoreline was undeveloped. By 1990, only 22% of Sarasota Bay's shoreline was in its natural state (Roat and Alderson, 1990). Figure 1.3 shows a comparison of the shoreline for that area for 1860 and 1996. With the exception of natural longshore drift on the barrier islands' gulf shore, shoreline change within the bay is due largely to dredging associated with landfill. A chronology of the dredging history is presented in figure 1.4. In some areas there have been measurable increases in shoreline due to the networks of borrow pits and finger canals; Sarasota Bay has seen an addition of 83 miles in local canals (Antonini and Box, 1996), and some 400 miles of Charlotte County's shoreline is currently developed as artificial finger canals, virtually all of which have been created in the last few decades (Antonini et al., 1995).

  

Figure 1.1: Location of Sarasota Bay, Florida

  

Figure 1.2: Sarasota Bay, Florida

 

 

Seagrass beds in Sarasota Bay have declined significantly in area, and the remaining beds suffer from boat propeller scarring and pollution (Folit and Morris, 1992). Other changes include the conversion of many shallow water biologically active seagrass beds to deep, relatively sterile channels that serve only for boat access (Milleman, 1990), an increase in pollutants and turbidity causing a reduction in seagrass area (Heyl, 1992; Roat et al., 1993), and a general decline in the health of bay waters (Alderson, 1993). Turner (1990) described how many factors associated with shoreline development and population increase have contributed to wetland loss along the U.S. Gulf Coast; this holds true for Sarasota Bay, where 39% of its tidal wetlands have disappeared since 1950 (Alderson, 1993).

Social adjustments include adjustments in attitudes by residents and users of coastal areas that accompany urbanization. These include social changes that come from reduction of public access to shore-front areas, conversion of pristine areas to residential and commercial uses, general crowding, deterioration of environments, and a general reduction in the ability to participate in activities that are associated with pristine environments. Examples of such changes in attitudes for recreational users of Florida's coastal environments have been documented in recent studies (Antonini and Box, 1996; Antonini and Sidman, 1994; Antonini et al., 1990; Sidman, 1996).

Other impacts are changes in the economic realities of urbanized and sub-urbanized shorelines. These include competition for limited resources, including privacy and the ability to use resources with no consideration of the impacts of the use. Economic factors and property ownership limit the number of people who can access the waterfront, and legal restrictions limit what kinds of resources may be extracted from or released into the environment. Legal forces and social pressures place some limits on individuals for practices that are detrimental to the health of the environment and the safety of other users.

In short, when a coastal area is populated and developed, individuals are restricted from using the area's resources in ways that would be possible in underdeveloped and uninhabited areas. Many of these restrictions are legal, but arguably the greatest modifications to individuals' behaviors comes from the self-imposed restrictions that they would place upon themselves to follow what they perceive to be responsible behavior.