2—1 

Chapter 2 - Florida’s Outdoor Recreation Setting 

in the number of school-age children (ages 5 

- 17) in the nation between 2000 and 2002. 

This rapid population growth and the increasing diversity of the population will create complex challenges and opportunities 

that affect many aspects of the state’s social 

and economic framework.

According to the report Florida Population 

Growth: Past, Present and Future, written 

by state demographer Stanley K. Smith in 

2005, population aging, shifts in the racial 

and ethnic composition of the population, 

changes in household and family structures, 

and the overall impacts of population growth 

are four demographic trends that will have 

an impact on government and businesses in 

the years ahead. If current trends continue, 

most of the new population will concentrate 

in relatively unpopulated counties adjacent 

to the heavily developed metropolitan areas, 

particularly along the coast. As these areas 

become more crowded, problems such as 

loss of open space and natural areas, 

crowded infrastructure, and a higher cost of 

living will provide an impetus for further expansion into more rural areas. This sprawling pattern of growth, which characterizes 

many communities in Florida, increasingly 

limits the availability of outdoor recreation 

lands. A major challenge facing outdoor recreation planning and programming efforts in 

Florida is to anticipate and meet the recreation demands of a growing and changing 

population, and to ensure that an adequate 

natural resource and funding base is maintained to accommodate future needs while 

preserving a quality environment. 

To ensure a continued high quality of life in 

Florida, the amenities provided by the state 

outdoor recreation program must be coupled 

with a healthy social and economic climate. 

This chapter provides an overview of the social and physical setting for outdoor recreation in Florida. As Florida moves through 

the 21st century, it’s astonishing rate of population growth continues. 

Florida’s People and Economy 

Florida’s population was 16 million in 2000 

according to the U.S. Census. By April 

2007, it had grown to 18.6 million, an increase of nearly 17 percent. Today, Florida 

is the fourth most-populated state in the nation and its population is projected to reach 

nearly 22.5 million by 2020 (see Figure 2.1). 

Florida has gained an average of 900 residents each day since 2000, roughly onethird of whom were migrating from other 

countries, particularly those in Latin America 

and the Caribbean. In addition to becoming 

more culturally diverse, Florida’s population 

is getting older. In 2000, 18 percent of Floridians were aged 65 or older, compared to 

the national average of 12.4 percent. Florida’s median age of 38.7 was second highest only to West Virginia’s of 38.9. At the 

other end of the age spectrum, however, 

Florida’s population had the largest increase 

Lovers Key State Park, Lee County 
2—2 

Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008 

Figure 2.1 

Florida’s Population, 1960 to 2030 

Physical Situation 

Florida is an elongated peninsula with a total 

land area of 65,755 square miles, including 

4,672 square miles of interior water. The 

state stretches 450 miles from north to south 

and 470 miles from east to west. This size 

makes Florida the second largest state east 

of the Mississippi River (Georgia being 

slightly larger). Despite its size, no point in 

Florida is more than 70 miles from either the 

Atlantic or Gulf coast. Florida’s highly diverse coastline stretches 1,350 miles around 

the peninsula. To the north, Florida shares 

common boundaries with Alabama and 

Georgia. 

Climate 

Florida’s climate is one of its primary assets 

and perhaps the single, most important factor contributing to the love of outdoor recreation by residents and visitors. Florida lies 

completely within the temperate zone, yet its 

climate, particularly in the lower peninsula, is 

subtropical, with wet, humid summers and 

Among socio-economic variables, income is 

a major factor in determining the ability of 

people to participate in many kinds of recreational activity. During the past five years, 

most non-agricultural segments of Florida’s 

economy experienced substantial growth. 

The per capita income of Florida residents 

climbed from $28,508 in 2000 to an estimated $36,720 in 2006. 

Tourism-based activities support a major 

share of Florida’s economy. Taxable spending in the tourism and recreation category 

during 2007 totaled a record $65.5 billion, 

according to data from VISIT FLORIDA, the 

official tourism marketing organization of the 

State of Florida. Many tourism leaders are 

cautiously optimistic that Florida will remain 

a preferred destination for both domestic 

and international travelers. However, increased competition from other vacation 

destinations, record gasoline costs and increases in other travel prices are major concerns. 

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 

2008 

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030
2—3 

Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008 

clearer that carbon emissions are affecting 

global climate, the state’s outdoor recreation 

resources may be more vulnerable to the 

effects of climate change than many other 

states. Changes in climate can affect water 

temperatures and salinity, disrupting natural 

conditions in sensitive areas such as coastal 

wetlands and coral reefs. Rising sea levels 

and coastal erosion have also compromised 

many of the state’s important saltwater 

beaches, necessitating costly restoration 

and stabilization efforts to protect this vital 

component of Florida’s economy and culture. 

Geology 

Florida occupies only about half of a larger 

geological unit, the Floridian Plateau. This 

plateau is a partly submerged platform 

nearly 500 miles long and 250 to 400 miles 

wide. It separates the deep waters of the 

Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The 

submerged portions of the plateau are called 

the continental shelf, extending out to an 

ocean depth of about 300 feet. The plateau 

has been in existence for millions of years, 

during which time it has been alternately dry 

land or shallow sea. It consists of a core of 

metamorphic rocks buried under layers of 

sedimentary rocks (chiefly limestone) which 

vary in thickness from a little less than a mile 

to upwards of four miles. 

Physiography 

Five physical or natural regions are commonly identified in the state. They are the 

Western Highlands, the Marianna Lowlands, 

the Tallahassee Hills, the Central Highlands, 

and the Coastal Lowlands (see Figure 2.3). 

relatively dry, cool winters. The influence of 

the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the west 

and the Atlantic Ocean on the east tends to 

moderate seasonal temperature extremes. 

Most of the state enjoys a long, warm summer, relatively minor seasonal transitions, 

and a short, mild winter. The mean annual 

temperature ranges from the upper 60s in 

the northern portions of the state to the upper 70s in the south. Florida's abundant 

rainfall is seasonal. Most of the state's average annual rainfall of 53 inches consists of 

short summer showers. In the winter 

months, when sunshine is so conducive to 

outdoor activity, Florida enjoys the greatest 

average percentage of seasonal sunshine in 

the eastern United States. 

Florida’s geography makes it extremely vulnerable to tropical storms. These cyclonic 

weather systems have always been a part of 

Florida’s natural climatic patterns, but in 

2004, one tropical storm and four major hurricanes made landfall along Florida’s coastline, impacting nearly 85 percent of the 

state’s beaches. As the science surrounding 

global warming and climate change makes it 

Table 2.1 

Visitor Estimates for Florida 

2000-2007 

Year 

Annual Visitors 

(millions) 

Percent 

Change 

2000 72.8 n/a

2001 69.5 -4.6

2002 73.9 6.4

2003 74.6 1.0

2004 79.7 6.9

2005 83.6 4.8

2006 83.9 0.3 

Source: VISIT FLORIDA, February, 2008 

2007 82.4 -1.7 

 
2—4 

Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008 

the highest measured elevation in the state345 feet. 

The Marianna Lowlands, west of the Apalachicola River, is a low, rolling hill and sinkhole region, with numerous small lakes. 

This region occupies a roughly quadrilateral 

area, with its southern and western limits 

The Western Highlands includes most of the 

Florida Panhandle between the Perdido and 

Apalachicola Rivers, north of the Coastal 

Lowlands. It is a southward-sloping plateau, 

hilly in the northern part and trenched by 

narrow steep-walled stream valleys. The 

higher hills in the northern part of the plateau 

are over 300 feet in elevation and include 

Figure 2.2 

Satellite View of Florida 
2—5 

Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008 

is sinking into the sea. The east coast has 

the appearance of an emergent coast, one 

that is rising from the sea. In fact, sea levels 

on both coasts are rising very gradually as 

the result of changes in global climatic patterns. 

Hydrology 

More than 2.8 million acres of Florida are 

covered by water. This includes some 7,000 

natural and man-made lakes larger than ten 

acres, as well as marshes, swamps and 

seasonal floodplains. 

Most of the defined river systems in Florida 

are in the northern half of the state. South 

Florida’s lack of these systems is due to its 

differing geological history and flatter terrain. 

Drainage in south Florida occurs through 

broad, shallow channels, most of which 

marked by a rise to the Western Highlands. 

The elevation is due to the increasing thickness of sand covering the limestone base 

that lies near the land surface. 

The Tallahassee Hills region, north of the 

Coastal Lowlands, stretches from the Apalachicola River to the northern Withlacoochee 

River. It is approximately 25 miles wide by 

100 miles in length and is characterized by 

long, gentle slopes with rounded summits. 

The Central Highlands region extends from 

the Tallahassee Hills and the Okefenokee 

Swamp in the north almost to Lake Okeechobee in the south. Its length is about 250 

miles. The width tapers from 60 miles in its 

northern portions down to a blunt point at the 

southern boundary. Much of the northern 

part is a nearly level plain approximately 150 

feet above sea level. The western part consists of hills and hollows interspersed with 

broad, low plains. This sub-region ranges in 

altitude from 200 feet to less than 40 feet 

above sea level. Adjoining this sub-region to 

the east and extending southward to the end 

of the Central Highlands is a sub-region 

known as the Lake Region. It is characterized by numerous lakes and high hills of up 

to 325 feet above sea level. 

The Coastal Lowlands forms the entire Florida coastline, including the Florida Keys, and 

reaches inland as much as 60 miles at some 

points. The inner edge generally lies along 

the 100-foot contour line. In recent geologic 

times, these lowlands were marine terraces 

and experienced three or more successive 

inundations by higher sea levels. This is a 

flat region, except where ancient shorelines 

or dune ridges occur or where the surface 

has been modified by stream erosion or underground solution. The Gulf coast has the 

appearance of a drowned coastline, one that 

Figure 2.3 

Physiographic Map 

Source: 

Florida Department of Environmental 

Protection 
2—6 

Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008 

Florida’s natural vegetation is significant 

from the standpoint of outdoor recreation. In 

addition to its obvious aesthetic qualities, it 

utilizes carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, absorbs wastes and maintains water 

quality, provides food and habitat for game 

and other forms of wildlife, and performs a 

host of other environmental functions that 

themselves contribute to outdoor recreation. 

Providing effective management of Florida’s 

diverse native plant communities through 

prescribed burning, exotic plant control, hydrological restoration and other methods is 

critical for maintaining their biological and 

recreational values. 

have been altered extensively by man for 

purposes of reclamation and water management. 

In addition to the thousands of lakes and the 

thousands of miles of streams, wetlands 

comprise a major component of the state’s 

surface waters. It has been estimated that in 

1973, wetlands and their associated openwater areas accounted for approximately 

one-third of Florida’s total area. An overview 

of wetlands in Florida, including a description of wetland protection efforts is contained 

in Appendix H. 

A considerable amount of drainage in Florida goes into and through the underlying 

limestone rock, forming a groundwater reservoir. This underground reservoir, or aquifer, discharges tremendous quantities of 

fresh water to wells and to some of the 

world's largest springs. Florida has 33 first 

magnitude springs, discharging more than 

six billion gallons of water per day. The 

combined flow of all the state's springs is 

estimated to be eight billion gallons per day. 

Between Florida's offshore waters and its 

inland fresh waters are sheltered coastal waters generally referred to as estuaries. Estuaries form where the flow of fresh water from 

inland rivers and streams meets coastal waters. Estuaries are among Florida's most 

biologically productive waters, and are vital 

to the state's commercial and sports fisheries. 

Vegetation and Wildlife 

Vegetation dominates the Florida landscape. 

More than 65 percent of the state is covered 

by a seemingly endless variety of plant associations and natural communities. All of 

America’s Everglades 
2—7 

Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008 

hospitable area and left behind much 

evidence of their way of life. This evidence 

has become a source of wonder and 

curiosity for modern man. The story is still 

unfolding from professional exploration and 

analysis of the data from the many Native 

American mounds, other prehistoric and 

historic archaeological sites, and historic 

structures found throughout the state. 

In 1513, barely 20 years after the first voyage of Columbus, Florida was opened up to 

the western world by Spanish discovery. 

Thus began 450 years of exploration, colonization, settlement and development by 

Spanish, French, British, and American people, which constitute Florida’s long and 

unique modern history. 

Both of these eras, the Prehistoric and the 

Modern, combine to leave rich historical and 

cultural resources. These resources provide 

abundant opportunity for a highly popular 

form of outdoor recreation, visiting historical 

and archaeological sites. 

Florida’s wildlife is as varied as the habitats 

that support it. Species range from those 

common throughout the southeastern United 

States to some that are virtually unknown 

elsewhere in the country such as the Florida 

panther, the Florida manatee and the Florida 

scrub jay. Florida is inhabited by more than 

490 bird species, 135 native, non-marine 

reptiles and amphibians, 250 native freshwater fish and nearly 80 mammals that 

spend all or part of their lives on land. 

These diverse wildlife resources provide a 

major attraction for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Fish, both freshwater and saltwater, 

are exceptionally important to the economy 

and to outdoor recreation in Florida. Numerous game species play an important role as 

well. Non-game species, particularly birdlife, 

support nature observation and appreciation 

and a range of environmental education activities. 

History and Culture 

There is evidence that man has inhabited 

Florida for approximately the last 12,000 

years. Prehistoric cultures thrived in this 

Rookery Bay Aquatic Preserve, 

Collier County 

Dudley Farm Historic State Park, 

Alachua County