[TXRyan23]

I think of " Old Florida " as being a time when education meant something, people could find decent work, and crime wasn't so widespread that it was affecting even the small rural towns...

oh, this was also on most cars...

[xlabel]

Old Florida to me is when you could go to Cleawater Beach and the meters were 10 cents for a 1/2 hour and there were always plenty of spots available. The rock shops and souvenier shops up and down US 19. The old Aquatarium on St Pete Beach. When you drove up US 19 the last traffic light was pretty much Tarpon Springs. Only had one pro sports team back then ,the Miami Dolphins. I-4 was 2 lanes either way and thier was hardly anything between Tampa and Disney. Busch Gardens had one brand new thrill ride, the Python. You could still swim in all the lakes. You stand on any bridge, pier, seawall and catch lots of big fish. Waking up to Salty Sal who gave the fishing report at 6 Am every morning. That was the good old Florida days for me.

[Nomadicus]

For me the old Florida was pre AC. When the schools had windows that opened. It was a time when we went to the beach and could look in any direction without seeing any one we didn't know. It was a time when the doors were never locked whether we were sleeping or out of town. We could leave guns leaning in the closet (hunting shot guns and rifles) with ammo on the dresser and still not lock a door. Most roads were two lane and still not a lot of traffic. Two lanes from Tampa to Daytona and it was a peaceful drive. Orlando was there but not really noticed. It was when Florida ranked third in the national in beef cattle prodution. It was a time when we all carried pocket knives to school and they stayed in our pockets until we went to the lab plot to cut cabbage or broccoli in AG class or we were cutting rope to learn how to make halters for our steers. We won shotguns as prizes at school (I did in the 8th grade and was presented with it at school). I could go on but I think this decribes old FL pretty well. I suspect the same could be said about a lot of places back in their day.

Suggested Reading: A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith

[TANaples]

The first time I lived in Florida was back in 1970. I guess that would be considered OLD Florida. Certainly makes ME old.

[big mean bear]

How do I get tallrick to notice this post? I want him to answer this...

Quote:
Originally Posted by tallrick
Old florida was the time when Floridians could live off of the land without relying on foreign funny money. I hope that time returns in the future.

Quote:
Originally Posted by big mean bear
Florida was built on 'boom speculation'. Ever heard of Flagler's Folly? The 1920's real estate boom and ensuing 1926 crash on Miami Beach? Hell, even Key West, the largest city in Florida until the mid 1800's, was built on speculative ship 'wreckers' (funny money).

What about the jet-port they started building in the Everglades in between Miami and Naples? It was supposed to be for supersonic jets. Again, another speculative project that was abandoned. I could go on an on about the number of 'funny money' stories w/ Florida...

[BornInFL]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I think most folks think of "old Florida" as being pre-Disney. Disney pretty much changed things around here. That and the interstates. In the old days people traveled via the main highways and there would be all sorts of neat, smaller attractions and parks, shops, restaurants. It was a simpler time back then.

Now most of those are gone and replaced by the big chain shopping/restaurants, and of course Disney and the mega-attractions around.

For me as a native, I don't consider all of the changes bad necessarily but I do feel that a lot of Florida's charm has been lost for good due to wiping out a lot of our wildlife habitat and other resources.

Very well put.

[BornInFL]

When people waived to one another, and almost everyone spoke english.

[big mean bear]

Originally Posted by BornInFL

When people waived to one another, and almost everyone spoke english.

Before Romance culture speculators from NY, NJ, and especially South America took over South Florida...

[Margel]

You know reading this, I realized that we all have our "old" states. Same thing where I came from. I remember the old Pennsylvania before all the road construction and traffic jams that never end. I especially remember the old Philadelphia that was clean and safe and so family oriented. I wish I could have given my children the same.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by big mean bear

How do I get tallrick to notice this post? I want him to answer this...

Quote:
Originally Posted by tallrick
Old florida was the time when Floridians could live off of the land without relying on foreign funny money. I hope that time returns in the future.

Quote:
Originally Posted by big mean bear
Florida was built on 'boom speculation'. Ever heard of Flagler's Folly? The 1920's real estate boom and ensuing 1926 crash on Miami Beach? Hell, even Key West, the largest city in Florida until the mid 1800's, was built on speculative ship 'wreckers' (funny money).

What about the jet-port they started building in the Everglades in between Miami and Naples? It was supposed to be for supersonic jets. Again, another speculative project that was abandoned. I could go on an on about the number of 'funny money' stories w/ Florida...

Yes but that was domestic funny money not foreign funny money. While those follys were being built the day-to-day business of working folks continued. Starting with the downfall of the dollar in the 70's rich arabs and venezuelans began contaminating the southern part of the state with surplus money. The subsequent dumping of refugees and criminals by Castro in the 80's reinforced an illicit drug trade that drove the Miami real estate boom of the 80's. In the past shots of money built booms that busted, but the continuous flow of money diverted from countries of origin is the reason why south Florida is completely dysfunctional. Northeastern and california money was a side effect of this same process and therefore adds to the misery of current Florida economics.