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Modern Florida
Florida
in a New Century
Transportation
Land
Boom and Bust
The
Great Depression
World
War II
Florida's
Camps and Bases
The
War Comes to Florida
The
Space Age
Growth
and Change
Growth
Creates Challenges
Problems
of Sprawl
Florida's
Hispanic Americans
Latino
Groups
Political
Leaders
Native
Americans of Florida
Florida in a New Century
By 1900, Florida had a population
of 528,000. Nearly one of every four Floridians
lived in one of the four most populous counties:
Duval, Hillsborough, Alachua, and Escambia. Only
12 Florida cities had a population of more than
2,500. The most populous city, Jacksonville with
28,429 residents, did not rank among the nation's
100 largest cities.
By 1920 Florida had about 970,000 residents. Just
five years later, the population had reached 1,263,000.
What triggered such great growth?
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Transportation
Innovation in transportation
was one reason. In 1906, there were only 300 cars
in Florida and a small number of paved roads. In
America, very few people could afford cars before
Henry Ford began mass-producing the Model T. By
1919 more than 7 million cars were on American roads.
The car gave Americans the freedom to travel where
and when they wanted. For many Americans, Florida
was the perfect destination. By the early 1920s,
roads connecting Florida cities were linked to highways
stretching to northern cities. By 1930, tourists
could travel north and south along the Dixie Trail
and east and west along the Tamiami Trail.
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Land Boom and Bust
Vacationers flocked to Florida.
Many Americans moved to the state to enjoy the mild
climate year-round. Many others came in the hopes
of new and better ways to make money. Because the
economy was thriving, money was easy to borrow.
Many people borrowed money to buy land in Florida.
The demand was so great that farming lands were
divided and wetlands were drained to create more
parcels of land for homes, hotels, and businesses.
Many resorts and cities were born during the land
boom. Carl Fisher and John Collin bought and developed
the mangrove island off the coast of Miami. A bridge
linking the island to the mainland opened in 1913.
Miami Beach began to develop into the world-famous
resort that it is today. Subdivisions were created
around a theme. Coral Gables, incorporated in 1921,
had a Mediterranean style. By 1926, the city covered
10,000 acres. Other nearby cities also developed
during the land boom, including Hialeah, Boca Raton,
and Opa-Locka.
As the demand for land reached a fever pitch, prices
kept going up, and property was bought and resold
almost overnight. Men and women who buy land on
credit are called speculators. They hoped to sell
the land at a profit before the balance of the payment
was due. Many sellers used dishonest means. Buyers
found that the "ideal building plots" they had bought
were located in swampland. One real estate developer
changed the name of Casey Key to Treasure Island.
Rumors spread that treasure was buried at the northern
end of the key.
As governor during the land boom, John Wellborn
Martin encouraged construction and development.
Martin promoted the building of highways throughout
the state, financing public schools by direct state
appropriations, and supplying free textbooks to
all pupils through the sixth grade. In 1924 the
Florida legislature passed laws prohibiting state
income taxes and inheritance taxes to attract people
to move to Florida. Then, just as quickly, the land
boom was over. The magazine the Nation reported
in its July 1926 issue that
"The world's greatest poker game, played with
lots instead of chips, is over. And the players
are now . paying up."
The demand had driven land prices too high. The
sale of land came to a stop. Construction slowed
to a trickle. An unusually cold winter in 1925 frightened
away many buyers. A devastating hurricane in 1926
killed more than 200 people, damaged many areas,
and cut the flow of tourists. By the time the Great
Depression began in the rest of the nation, Florida
had already experienced difficult economic times.
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was the
worst economic slump ever in the United States.
The depression began in late 1929 and lasted for
more than a decade. Property values declined. Many
businesses and banks failed. Many Americans lost
their jobs.
Tourism and innovation had helped Florida grow.
Still, by 1940 it remained the Southern state with
the smallest population. Its total of 1.9 million
residents ranked 27th among the 48 states. Only
with the beginning of World War II did Florida and
the nation emerge from the depths of the Great Depression.
World War
II
Florida and its citizens played
an important role in the nation's efforts during
World War II. More than 250,000 Floridians served
in the armed forces. About 4,600 died during the
war, Several Floridians received the Medal of Honor,
the nation's highest award for soldiers, sailors,
airmen, and marines. Among the recipients are Alexander
Nininger, Jr., of Gainesville, Robert McTureous
of Altoona, and James Mills of Fort Meade.
Several native-born or adopted Floridians rose to
high ranks in the military. General Joseph Stillwell
helped organize Allied forces in the Pacific Theater.
Lieutenant General Roy Geiger of the Marines commanded
Pacific Theater air units and amphibious corps at
Guam and Okinawa. General James Van Fleet commanded
troops that landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, then
fought at the Battle of the Bulge, the last major
offensive by the Germans in World War II.
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Florida's Camps and Bases
Because of its flat topography
and mild climate, Florida was an ideal place to
build military bases and train soldiers. Florida
played an important role in the defense of the nation.
Planes and ships from Florida bases helped protect
sea lanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico,
and the Caribbean. Camp Blanding, Florida, located
east of Starke in the northwest part of the state,
became one of the largest training sites in the
nation. By 1942, nearly 60,000 troops were stationed
there. Camp Blanding also served as a prisoner of
war camp. Today, Camp Blanding serves as the main
training site for troops of the Florida National
Guard.
Located in northwest Florida, Eglin Air Force Base
near Valparaiso served as a major testing center
for fighter pilots. In March 1942, the base served
as one of the sites for Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy
Doolittle to prepare his B-25 crews for their air
strikes against Tokyo. Doolittle's raids marked
the first time American bombs had been dropped on
Japan.
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The War Comes to Florida
Few states were as directly
affected by the war as Florida. German U-boats sank
more than 300 American and Allied vessels along
the eastern coast of the United States. Dozens of
ships were torpedoed off the Gulf of Mexico and
Florida's Atlantic Coast. On February 19, 1942,
a U-boat sank the SS Pan Massachusetts
40 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral; there were
18 survivors and 20 lost at sea. Two months later,
U-boats sank the SS Gulfamerica, and it
exploded into flames just four miles off Jacksonville
Beach. The efforts of the Civil Air Patrol and antisubmarine
patrols provided some protection, but U-boat attacks
remained fairly common until the end of the war.
Spessard Holland of Bartow served as Florida's governor
during World War II. He managed the state's defense
efforts. He set taxes on cigarettes and gasoline
to raise money. With these funds he was able to
eliminate the $4 million government debt incurred
during the Great Depression.
The war helped Florida's economy recover from the
Great Depression. Defense and business contracts
helped to rebuild Florida's manufacturing and agricultural
businesses. Construction of MacDill Air Field and
the establishment of shipbuilding companies revitalized
Tampa, providing jobs with good wages for many workers.
To meet the growing demand for labor, many women
worked in shipyards and military bases. War contracts
aided the recovery of many Florida cities, including
Miami, Pensacola, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
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The Space Age
After World War II, the United States Defense
Department wanted to open a missile testing center
in an isolated location far from centers of population.
Cape Canaveral in Brevard County was the choice.
It was the nation's first long-range test center
for all three branches of the military. The region,
now known as the Space Coast, is the site of the
Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station. Most of our nation's spacecraft are
launched from one of these sites.
The space industry transformed east and central
Florida in the 1950s and 1960s. Thousands of engineers
and scientists moved into the area. Nearby communities
such as Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, and Titusville grew
and prospered. The economy of the region is boosted
by visitors from many parts of the world who gather
to see the spectacular shuttle launches.
In addition to advances in aerospace and aviation,
Florida stands at the forefront of other technological
advances. In 1981, IBM released their new computer,
the IBM PC, designed by a group of engineers working
in Boca Raton.
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Growth and Change
Many soldiers, sailors, and marines who served
in Florida during the war later returned to the
state to live. Many moved to Florida to work in
agriculture. Technological advances such as air
conditioning and mosquito control made living in
Florida more comfortable, and drew more residents
and visitors. Florida is one of the fastest-growing
states. Its population grew from 2.8 million in
1950 to more than 16 million today. Today, Florida
is the fourth most populous state.
Growth Creates Challenges
Florida has benefited from a growing population.
The job market is large and the economy continues
to grow. However, such massive population growth
also creates serious challenges. With more people
moving to Florida came the need for more homes,
schools, roads, and other social services. If current
trends continue, Florida will increase its population
by 5.5 million by 2025 and the state's population
will double to more than 32 million by 2050.
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Problems of Sprawl
When populations grow, communities must find
places to house, educate, and provide jobs for new
residents. This can create sprawl. Sprawl is the
spreading out of a city and its suburbs over more
and more rural land. With growth, sprawling cities
have replaced the state's wild habitats, wetlands,
and farmland. South Florida, especially, has felt
the effects of sprawl. In 1900, only 5 percent of
Florida's residents lived in the southern part of
the state. Today, more than 50 percent live in South
Florida.
Florida's growth puts pressure on its most important
resource, water. Even though water is plentiful
in some parts of the state, the underground water
supply is not spread evenly across Florida. The
places with the largest populations have the least
amount of water. Maintaining good water quality
and an adequate water supply are critical challenges.
In 1972 the state of Florida created five water
management districts to improve water resource management.
Recent programs have been established to protect
and manage groundwater, which provides most of Florida's
drinking water.
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Florida's Hispanic Americans
Florida's population and economic
growth is accompanied with one of the largest migrations
in American history. Nearly 3 million of Florida's
16 million people are foreign-born.
A new era in Florida history began in 1959. Fidel
Castro's communist revolution took over the island
nation of Cuba. Many Cubans who opposed communism
fled the island and moved to the United States in
the early 1960s. Many more followed in the late
1960s and early 1970s. Between 1966 and 1973, planes
called Freedom Flights brought approximately 300,000
Cubans to the United States. A third wave of 125,000
Cuban exiles came by sea by means of the Mariel
boat lift in 1980. Between 1960 and 1980, at least
one million Cubans, or 10 percent of the nation's
people-emigrated to the United States or to Puerto
Rico. Cities with large Cuban populations are New
York City, Los Angeles, and several Florida cities,
including Hialeah and Tampa.
The largest concentration of Cuban emigrants settled
in the Greater Miami area. Today, about two of every
three of the nation's 1.2 million Cubans live in
Florida. More than 800,000 live in Miami-Dade County.
To keep family ties strong, the early emigrants
held on to traditional moral values and insisted
on them for their children. Although the Cuban exiles
have adopted American customs over the years, they
maintain their sense of community through their
traditions and their language.
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Latino Groups
Cubans make up the largest Hispanic population
in Florida, but other Latino groups are growing
at a faster rate. The Puerto Rican population nearly
doubled between 1990 and 2000 to more than 480,000.
The Mexican population more than doubled to more
than 360,000.
Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans are not the
only immigrants to make an enduring impact on Florida.
Many people have come from other parts of the Caribbean
and Latin America. Thousands of Haitians, Jamaicans,
Nicaraguans, and Peruvians have arrived since the
1980s. Many more have come from Venezuela, Colombia,
and the Dominican Republic. They bring with them
their blends of Spanish, Portuguese, African, and
Native American cultures.
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Political Leaders
Many Hispanic Americans make important contributions
in government. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was the first
Hispanic woman and the first Cuban American to be
elected to the United States Congress. Born in 1952,
Ileana and her family fled Cuba in 1959. After completing
her studies, she began her career as an educator
and then entered politics. She has represented the
18th district since 1989. Ros-Lehtinen has been
a leading voice in defending human rights and democracy.
Two brothers, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart,
also represent Greater Miami in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Tampa native Bob Martinez became the first Hispanic
to be elected governor of Florida. Martinez was
raised in West Tampa and started his career as a
teacher in Hillsborough County. He became mayor
of Tampa in 1979, a post he held until his run for
governor in 1986. In 1991, President George H.W.
Bush named Martinez the director of National Drug
Control Policy.
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Native Americans of Florida
The Seminole people live on
six reservations in Florida located in Hollywood,
Big Cypress, Immokalee, Tampa, Brighton, and Ft.
Pierce. In 1957, the Seminole voted in favor of
a constitution which established the federally recognized
Seminole Tribe of Florida. In the early 1900s, the
Seminole survived by farming and selling crafts.
Today, they are involved in a number of different
business endeavors. Citrus production, cattle, tourism,
and bingo are important revenue sources. Another
major source of revenue for the Seminole people
are their casino and hotel complexes.
In 1967, Betty Mae Tiger was elected leader of the
Seminole tribe, the first woman to hold that position.
She worked to improve social, educational and housing
conditions for Seminoles. Tiger uses her talents
as a storyteller and writer to help others learn
about the Seminole way of life.
The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida was incorporated
in 1962 by leaders who wanted their people to preserve
their way of life in the Everglades. They were granted
reservation land adjoining the Tamiami Trail some
forty miles west of Miami, where their tribal offices
are located. Back to Top |
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