[vaniq]

People keep moving into Florida. The states population has tripled since I started visiting.

For those of you living there, do you feel it is overpopulated? How far can the states resources be pushed?
Has living there become a hellhole?

I realize that the Panhandle, North, Central, South, East and West Florida can have different outlooks.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by vaniq

People keep moving into Florida. The states population has tripled since I started visiting.

For those of you living there, do you feel it is overpopulated? How far can the states resources be pushed?
Has living there become a hellhole?

I realize that the Panhandle, North, Central, South, East and West Florida can have different outlooks.

YES!

The main problem is most of the population in FL is crammed into the coastal areas though.

Lots of vacant land for miles inland and the big bend areas of FL as well but they're all protected areas either state or Federal.

Other than the Orlando area most of the spine of FL is farms. Most of the population leaves within 20 miles of the coast except for Orlando.

BUT if you were to develop the inland parts of FL I think it would alter the climate of the region. If most of the state became just buildings and pavement it would make our weather drier due to the urban heat island effect. We would have a lot less rainfall due to being less humid and our temps will be about 2 degrees warmer but less humidity.

Watch major cities like St. Louis, Atlanta, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Memphis. I'm from St. Louis and when those big thunderstorms over the ozarks or central Missouri plowed our way typically when they're about 30 miles from St. Louis they start to weaken and dry out. Then right when they cross the river into the rural southern IL farmlands and cornfields they explode again and become tornadic due to the air being more moist over there due to being more rural. Oklahoma City same way. Those big tornadoes always seem to happen south of town and rarely over the actual inner city.

It would also cause major hurricanes to possibly weaken on approach too due to the drier area of the pavement of FL if FL ever became one big parking lot. Like you see in the northern Gulf when major hurricanes suck in that dry air hours before landfall off the continental US. Like Katrina did for example. Even though the waters right at the coast will be hot, the air will be drier. Hurricanes hate dry air. You can have 100 degree water but if the air is dry it doesn't matter.

Someone on here also posted how in Tampa it seems to rain less now during rainy season due to all the building up. The storms form more inland now. I believe that.

I moved back to FL 6 years ago. I too notice the thunderstorms like to develop more inland now while the coast scorches.

[fleebs]

Yes there's a lot of people but those who tend to complain about that stuff will find a way to be unhappy anywhere. With more people comes more social opportunities. It's all about what you make of it. Most people move here for weather or especially in recent times for political reasons. Having more people around doesn't really take away an individual's enjoyment of either. To those that move here to escape cold weather, 89 vs 91 degrees really doesn't matter.

As far as the state's natural resources, eventually every place that has a desirable natural environment is going to get destroyed. That's just inevitable when people have the freedom and resources to relocate. Florida just has the disadvantage of being discovered early and being closer to the population centers of the Northeast than other areas in that respect. This is my perspective living in South Florida all my life.

[cfenn006]

Absolutely, and getting worse every day.


People who moved down recently dont see it, people who have lived here for decades do. its become increasingly worse every year, and if you are unfortunate enough to live in a tourist trap region, you get to live in seasonal hell with traffic and overcrowding.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by fleebs

Yes there's a lot of people but those who tend to complain about that stuff will find a way to be unhappy anywhere. With more people comes more social opportunities. It's all about what you make of it. Most people move here for weather or especially in recent times for political reasons. Having more people around doesn't really take away an individual's enjoyment of either. To those that move here to escape cold weather, 89 vs 91 degrees really doesn't matter.

As far as the state's natural resources, eventually every place that has a desirable natural environment is going to get destroyed. That's just inevitable when people have the freedom and resources to relocate. Florida just has the disadvantage of being discovered early and being closer to the population centers of the Northeast than other areas in that respect. This is my perspective living in South Florida all my life.

But you have places like Eastern Kentucky, Southern Missouri Ozarks, Northern Arkansas Ozarks, West Texas, etc. that will never see big population booms. Only place in the Ozarks that have seen increase in population is places like Fayettville Arkansas, Branson Missouri and Springfield Missouri areas have seen a lot of growth, especially just south of Springfield. People go there to retire. I still see most regions in the upper south like I listed being pretty rural still.

[LKJ1988]

Very much so. Would love to see 80% of the people move away ray. Maybe start taxing them to death would help move em out.

[masssachoicetts]

Too much urban sprawl coupled with plopping up cookie cutter homes and shopping centers with limited walkability were the worst about Florida.

If Florida built up nicely, it would be fine.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by vaniq

People keep moving into Florida. The states population has tripled since I started visiting.

For those of you living there, do you feel it is overpopulated? How far can the states resources be pushed?
Has living there become a hellhole?

I realize that the Panhandle, North, Central, South, East and West Florida can have different outlooks.

According to recent statistics, Florida is number 13 on the list of most densely populated States. As mentioned, concentrated mainly on the coasts.

Personally, I live in the most densely populated County, but I don't find it an overpopulated hell hole. However, I have been working at home since the modem became available to me in the late 1990s. So, on the other hand, if I had to commute in rush-hour traffic everyday I might feel differently.

How far can the State's resources be pushed? You mean water, heat, and agricultural production?

I am not an expert, but I think Florida's agricultural production could be increased, made more productive, and higher quality.

I also think we could take greater advantage of current technology and encourage more people to work and study from home, but much better if voluntary, not forced, as we have seen over the past 12 months or so.

I also hope that upcoming technologies, like battery-operated vehicles, driverless vehicles and drone-delivery of goods will help keep cars off the road to a significant extent. Also smarter traffic-signalling could help.

I don't think railways and public transportation are the way to go, no matter how cute they sound.

Obviously affordable housing, equipped with connections to the latest technologies, is a big challenge.

The way forward will not be seamless, but a messy slog with lots of casualties, as usual in human history.

Good Luck!

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by bale002

I am not an expert, but I think Florida's agricultural production could be increased, made more productive, and higher quality.


I also hope that upcoming technologies, like battery-operated vehicles, driverless vehicles and drone-delivery of goods will help keep cars off the road to a significant extent. Also smarter traffic-signalling could help.

Agriculture has been working on better productivity for a while- farmers want to keep their farms going and hopefully pass them on to their kids and figuring out more productions/ better profitability per acre helps them justify keeping the land agricultural instead of selling out to developers.

Climate change will bring a mixed bag- slightly longer winter growing seasons, but also higher odds for the occasional cold snap down the peninsula that can damage crops and less favorable growing conditions for summer crops that are already somewhat limited because what Americans like to eat often doesn't do well in areas where overnnight lows can hit 80F.

Florida has long been an early adapter when it comes to traffic management; it's far cheaper to finesse traffic flow for all it's worth than to add lanes to handle vehicle count growth. Driverless and drone will likely be a slower adaptation than a lot of places because they currently struggle with even moderate rain events and it's going to take longer to figure out how to get the technology to handle the inch an hour storms that are common in pretty much all parts of the state.

[Huasho]

Over populated ? ? Yep and Nope .... There is nothinn I enjoy more than visiting family in the Indian Rocks Area of Pinellas County driving there and back from SW Miami...Just did that almost a week ago and driving the back roads between A and B is so much better doinn the trip on the back roads. I will use I-75 ONLY at Night or on Weekends.

There are so many cool country areas such as Immokalee, Arcadia goinn N and sometimes coming home Moore Haven, Clewiston and South Bay all places super close to both crowded Coasts and there in no time.

Me living in SW Miami under a mile from the Agricultural Areas that Feed Us..I never miss a lick without putting up with people and traffic, so even in Miami..I have the peace and quiet of the slow life with ALL the luxuries that the Crowed Cities in Florida offer.

BTW...Baptist Hospital is under 2 mls from home !!!