Description of Study Area:
Changes in Land Use and Population Trends

Land-use and land-cover change in southeastern Florida parallels 20th century anthropogenic change observed on a global scale. Land-use and land-cover transformation occurs through a successive conversion of one land class to another use—forests are cleared and wetlands are drained to promote agricultural development, and cultivated lands are converted for urban use in response to an accompanying increase in population (Turner and Meyer, 1994).

Urban and agricultural growth and accompanying land-use change in southeastern Florida have greatly affected the ecological health and stability of the Everglades and Biscayne Bay ecosystems. Land-cover and population data illustrate changes in land use and population density in response to cultivation of drained wetlands and the southward expansion of the Florida East Coast Railroad, the 1920s land boom and subsequent bust, post-World War II development and redevelopment, and large-scale immigration. Population growth has been extraordinarily rapid—in 1900, southeastern Florida included a few small towns with a population of 3,592 people. Today, urban areas of southeastern Florida have grown to more than 5 million residents.

In the early part of the 20th century, southern Florida was a largely pristine environment of marsh wetlands, sawgrass plains, swamp forests, and wet prairies (fig. 13A). Drainage canals were under construction, but the Everglades had not yet been drained. The Florida East Coast Railroad was completed as far south as Miami. In 1900, Miami and Coconut Grove had populations of 1,681 and 850 people, respectively (fig. 13B). Dania became the first incorporated Broward community in 1904, followed by Pompano Beach in 1908, and Fort Lauderdale in 1911 (fig. 13C).

Figure 13. Land-use conditions and population in southeastern Florida during (A, B) 1900 and (C, D) 1920. Compiled from Broward County Department of Land Use; Florida Department of State; Historical Museum of Southern Florida; Miami-Dade Department of Planning and Zoning; Palm Beach County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building; University of Florida; University of Miami; and U.S. Geological Survey topographic map collections. More details are presented in the "Sources of Land-Use and Population Information" section of this report. [larger image]

The transfer of Federal land to the State initiated the “land boom” era from 1903 to 1926, signaled by the construction and completion of the primary drainage canals. The conversion of drained wetlands for tropical farm products, however, proved to be far more difficult than that which had been promoted by optimistic land sales companies and hopeful State officials (McNally, 1999). Efforts to cultivate the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee fell short of expectations due to difficulties associated with clearing land; infertile, copper-deficient muck soils; oxidation and compaction of peat soils; and dry-season muck fires. Cultivation of drained areas proved to be more successful along inland areas west of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, especially near Pompano Beach (fig. 13C).

Inherent design flaws associated with the “Wright drainage plan” (U.S. Congress, 1911; Mead and others, 1912), failure to complete proposed structural improvements outlined in the “Randolph drainage plan” (U.S. Congress, 1913), inadequate funding, and catastrophic climatic events all helped slow the progress of agricultural development during the 1920s (McNally, 1999). Shoreline development during the 1920s resulted in modification of the barrier islands separating Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean due to construction of bridges, coastal channels, shoreline bulkheading, development of artificial islands, and other landfill activities (Cantillo and others, 2000). Urban and agricultural development activities were interrupted considerably by the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes, which devastated Miami and West Palm Beach, flooded the city of Hollywood, damaged structures in Fort Lauderdale, and resulted in the death of more than 2,000 workers south of Lake Okeechobee.

Economic development largely stalled during the 1930s, but was followed by a period of recovery with the end of the Great Depression. Numerous military air-training bases were constructed in the 1940s in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties and were accompanied by the influx of military personnel, who inhabited the area during World War II (fig. 14B).

Figure 14. Land-use conditions and population in southeastern Florida during (A, B) 1940 and (C, D) 1960. The population density distribution for 1940 is partly based on a poorly defined land-use data set that outlines the extent of residential areas. At first glance, its comparison with the 1960 population density falsely implies that the population declined in southern Florida, paralleling an apparent reduction in the extent of residential areas. A closer examination of these maps reveals population density has increased, further substantiated by figure 2. Compiled from Broward County Department of Land Use; Florida Department of State; Historical Museum of Southern Florida; Miami-Dade Department of Planning and Zoning; Palm Beach County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building; University of Florida; University of Miami; and U.S. Geological Survey topographic map collections. More details are presented in the "Sources of Land-Use and Population Information" section of this report. [larger image]

During the 1950s and 1960s, Miami and Fort Lauderdale grew quickly into modern cities (fig. 14C). During that time, growth was not limited to the larger cities. Outlying municipalities expanded and new municipalities were established. From 1940 to 1960, the Fort Lauderdale population increased from about 18,000 to 84,000 people, the Hollywood population increased from about 6,200 to 35,200 people, and the Miami population increased from about 172,000 to more than 290,000 people (fig. 14D). Construction of inland flood protection levees in Broward County contributed to lower ground-water levels, making former cypress and pine forests areas ideal for development in the late 1950s.

A mid-1970s economic recession curtailed the rate of urban development, but development expanded further in the late 1970s and through the 1980s (fig. 15A). As the availability of coastal property and other land diminished, the construction of condominium high rises helped to attract retirees for year-round housing. Urban areas continued to encroach upon and replace agricultural areas. In Broward County, for example, most agricultural areas were displaced entirely by the late 1990s. The 1980s marked the large-scale influx of immigrants from Latin and South America, which continued unabated into the 21st century (fig. 15D). By the close of the 20th century, approximately 65 percent of the historic Everglades area was permanently lost to agricultural and urban development (fig. 15A), with the greatest loss of freshwater marsh areas having occurred in the Everglades Agricultural Area south of Lake Okeechobee (fig. 1).

Figure 15. Land-use conditions and population in southeastern Florida during (A, B) 1980 and (C, D) 2000. Compiled from Broward County Department of Land Use; Florida Department of State; Historical Museum of Southern Florida; Miami-Dade Department of Planning and Zoning; Palm Beach County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building; University of Florida; University of Miami; and U.S. Geological Survey topographic map collections. More details are presented in the "Sources of Land-Use and Population Information" section of this report. [larger image]

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