Occasional freezing temperatures prevent the establishment of tropical plants and have moved citrus growers farther south on the Ridge. However, the typical mild winter temperatures, averaging 50 degrees with sunny skies, are inviting to northern tourists and offer a reprieve for local residents. The Ridge is dotted with numerous sinkhole lakes. Naturally acidic rains and groundwater percolate through the Ridge sands into the underlying limestone, gradually creating cavities. When these cavities collapse the sands above subside creating valleys and sinkholes that fill with the groundwater in the Ridge sands.
Shallower depressions collect rain water seasonally.
The Ridge's sandy soils allow rain to drain into the deep Floridian aquifer, a primary source of drinking water. The Southwest Florida Water Management District estimates a 40-foot drop in water levels of the underground Floridian aquifer just west of the Ridge in Polk County since the 1940s. Protection of natural upland communities along the Ridge contributes to the recharge of Florida's deep aquifer.