Urban Sprawl in NE Florida

Since 1973 huge tracts of rural land have changed hands to become sprawling urban development. If the same rate of expansion is maintained parts of north east Florida may become unrecognizable as once being rural.

In response to this growth, various private and governmental organizations now identify and protect ecologically sensitive, recreationally important, or globally significant lands.

However, the rural heart lands that form the matrix of Florida – ranches, farms, or timberlands often in family ownership for several generations – receive little if any protection. These lands are highly vulnerable to sale and development as owners pass on and new generatons do not or cannot continue the traditional lifestyles.