Sprawl puts Florida's future at risk
A Times EditorialPublished December 27, 2006
If you think Florida is too crowded now, just wait a few years. Over the next five decades, separate cities from St. Petersburg to Daytona Beach are expected to be joined in one big development girdle across the center of the state. By 2060, today's state population of 18-million will double, as will the problems of traffic congestion and resource depletion.
That sobering picture is being painted by 1000 Friends of Florida, an influential group dedicated to responsible growth management. With help from the University of Florida's GeoPlan Center, 1000 Friends mapped the inevitable consequences of unrestrained population growth at currents rates. The maps can be viewed at www. 1000friendsofflorida.org.
The study, "Florida in 2060," concludes that "soon, the ultimate footprint and pattern of development will be set. Without immediate proactive initiatives, the result will be sprawling disconnected subdivisions spread from coast to coast that surround a few isolated wetlands."
Those who have lived in Florida even a few years can't doubt it. And the standard justification for unrestrained growth - that it pays for itself through increased tax revenues - is easily refuted. Urban sprawl is actually a Ponzi scheme that has ultimately led to higher costs for property taxes and insurance, drinking water, environmental remediation and commuting.
Unfortunately, those who profit from development are more motivated to influence growth management decisions. That needs to change, says 1000 Friends. An effective response to the challenge will take leadership from "a broad cross section of Floridians who believe that our future is far too important to just let it happen."
The group has also come up with some effective steps to address the growth challenge. The Legislature and governor should expand Florida Forever, a program that buys preservation land using documentary stamp revenues. Adding agricultural and natural land to the purchase list could be the only way to protect large areas from development.
Also, 1000 Friends would like to see the state create a 100-year Legacy Plan that would identify, well ahead of time, land that is inappropriate for development. Growth in rural areas should be allowed only in return for preservation of open space, discouraging urban sprawl.
Florida 2060 provides residents with a rare opportunity to accurately foresee the future. Now it is up to each Floridian - elected officials and those who just enjoy the state's irreplaceable quality of life - to act on that warning.