The South Florida Study Area

Abstract

South Florida is a popular destination for new residents and tourists, attracting a great deal of residential property investment from other parts of the United States as well as Canada and Latin America. Its flat coastal topography, rarely rising above 10 meters above sea-level, makes it susceptible to both storm surge and tidal flooding. The limestone bedrock underlying many of the urban areas adds to the flood risks. Settlement of Florida followed rail and interstate connection, the draining of former wetlands to create residential property, and the development of air conditioning to facilitate year-round occupation. The specific portions of Florida studied in the research reported here include postal code zones (zip-codes) in the urban areas of Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater, Fort Myers, Key West, Miami-Dade County, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, and Vero Beach. Most of these areas experienced real estate speculation, with accompanying boom-and-bust periods, as well as numerous home sales to non-resident owners who do not have the same connection to the region as owner-occupiers. Despite repeated flooding, Floridians have shown an ambivalence about their susceptibility to sea-level rise.