These ecosystems with leafy trees rarely burn. They generally make shady, fire-safe home sites. This ecosystem thrives with frequent fires, and is ideal for prescribed burning compatible with development. Flatwoods fires are of medium intensity and can move quickly if not maintained with periodic fire. The hot fires in scrub are less compatible with development.
Development can successfully border periodically burned wetlands.
If you are building in an undeveloped ecosystem that experiences frequent fire, you will want to include the option of prescribed fire as a management tool and you will want to design the development to be easily defended from wildfire. To protect developments from wildfire, it helps to understand how fire behaves. Ground-level fuels are the primary means by which wildfire spreads through a forest. These fuels include dead materials such as dried grasses, weeds, and pine needles. Ground-level fuels in Florida also include living green vegetation like palmettos, shrubs, grasses, plants and small trees.