State of South Florida

"The Great State of... South Florida?" by v. johns

Two politicians down in Broward recently pulled some cheap political stunt that called for separating South Florida from the rest of the state and making it into a state all its own (What a disaster THAT would be!). Their claim was that Tallahassee ignores the needs of the state's most populous counties. First of all, that's a no-brainer. Tallahassee does seem to favor the most rural and conservative districts in the state, politically speaking. Second, where these politicians have gone awry in their argument is in apparently not realizing that "South Florida" expands far beyond Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade. If these politicians realized this, there would be no need to posture against Tallahassee in such a whiny, tantrum-like manner. With all due respect.

This stunt, in my opinion, is truly a case in point in the need for regional commitment from all seven of South Florida's counties. I'm not just talking about phone calls and meetings. I'm talking about delegations and conventions, if necessary. Vero Beach is just as prone to hurricanes as Miami is. You give me one good reason why both of these jurisdictions shouldn't be in regular dialogue with eachother. Particularly when Vero Beach is one of the last evacuation points out of South Florida in the event of a landfall further south. Just because Indian River County is far less populated than Miami-Dade doesn't mean that they don't have common ties. If anything, these two counties can promote local tourism between themselves. But getting back to the political landscape, if there's something Miami-Dade needs from Tallahassee, wouldn't it be a good idea for them to take Indian River County and five other generally very wealthy counties along with them to make the point very clear?

The Gold Coast by itself is no match for Tallahassee. But when combined with the generally more conservative districts of the Treasure Coast, we may find that there might actually be some room for negotiational improvement. That is: on some issues we might actually be able to march up to Tally and bully and get some bold results for a change. They can ignore one or two counties, but they can't ignore seven-strong. Which is why it can't be stressed enough how important it is for all seven counties to consolidate whatever resources they can and channel a great deal of their energies toward building and developing regional understanding and solidarity. For jobs and tax dollars, it's not just Tampa, Dallas, L.A. or the mighty Northeast we're competing with. How about: Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo? Uhh... Yeah, it's that important!

It shames me to know that with all the talk and chatter online, on the local news and in the newspapers, about regional planning and increasing economic ties of all of South Florida's counties, we still have people, public officials at that, who appear to have no concept of what we all are dealing with, here. This housing bubble won't last forever. The market will rebound. And people will continue to move to this region in droves. And if that isn't enough, there's now talk of South Florida building out and merging with Tampa Bay (Southwest) and Orlando (Central) to form an immense mega region called the Peninsula or SoFlo (Richard Florida). A region that would rival Southern California (SoCal) and the Northeast in both size and population.

Zooming back in to where we are now: If the Treasure Coast is not included or consulted with (or if thy do not include themselves) on issues that all the counties share - even ones we don't share - Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade are going to find themselves with double and triple the trouble when the growth they've enjoyed (and I use that word lightly) resumes and expands northward at a more rapid pace toward total regional build-out. This isn't a game. The quality of life of this part of Florida is - and has been - deteriorating for quite some time. And something radical must be done so that all seven counties can make progress without sacrificing too much of that quality of life that we were once known for. How do we get even bigger than we already are without losing our livability? That question can only be answered as issues are tackled and solved by all those concerned: residents, businesses, teachers, students, workers, public servants, etc. We can't continue to allow corrupt politicians and greedy corporations to thwart the progress and livelihoods of ordinary citizens...

Now, for those of us who are reasonably informed and follow articles, features and reports such as those featured on SoFlo.org, those of us who have some sense of basic geography... unlike our two friends in Broward... we all know we can't continue to live in a region where the name is there but the actual infrastructure and public commitments to common projects are all but nonexistent. I believe that the concept of South Florida is sinking in with most who are concerned. But just because the name is there doesn't make it so. We can't really call ourselves a region if all our components or districts aren't in play. Our visionaries, who seem to be in the minority these days, realize this. But many people don't. Many, including allegedly informed politicians and other public officials, still seem to have no idea what South Florida is. They stop all discussion on the map at Palm Beach County. As if their economy has absolutely nothing to do with the droves of people in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties who clog up the highways every morning heading south and every afternoon heading north.

One thing I like about our local news outlets, here in our area (WPTV, WFLX, WPBF, WPEC, etc.), is that they literally go out of their way to cover even the most remote parts of our region. They constantly use the phrase, "the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast", to signify the ties and alliances that have been here, in this part of the region, for generations. Too bad the U.S. Census and other news and data sources are still behind the curve on this issue... If we all agree that South Florida is a seven-county powerhouse - and not a three-county "stepchild" - then, quite naturally, from there, shouldn't we all be concerned enough to make sure that the rest of the world sees the same picture that we do?

Miami may be the southern tip of the Florida mainland, but it is not, by itself... South Florida. Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade may be the Gold Coast, but without the Treasure Coast and the Keys, they are not, by themselves... South Florida.

For those of us who have been here all along - or long enough - we know the real story, but it has taken studies compiled by F.A.U. and SoFlo.org to get the concept firmly into the minds of local officials and finally put on paper and on the Web what has always been the case: South Florida does not end in Palm Beach but stretches from the Keys to bottom tip of the Space Coast. The only major cosmetic difference between the region today and the face of South Florida in 70's and 80's is that all the cow pastures, farms and orange groves are mostly gone and many communities have grown to the point where they run right smack into one another. That impact cannot be taken lightly...

So, in addition to getting people to understand exactly where the hell they live and what options are available, within that context, there's gonna have to be some major efforts made, by all of us, to build a strong regional structure around all those options. One that will allow all our residents, institutions and businesses to access them at will. I believe it's called... "mobility."

Furthermore, major cooperation between all seven counties is essential in establishing a fully incorporated, navigable regional interface complete with, but not limited to: a common name, a heavy web and media presence, a strong common commerce, highly-visible common transit, strong political clout and strong residential pride... Not to mention a deep, deep commitment to constant self-investment through education, job training, fully-accessible transit, civics training, character-building programs, sports teams, museums, entertainment, food, a thriving music and arts scene... You name it!

We are all responsible, not only for establishing a deep sense of place, but also, for building the actual public, private and social ties and structures behind that sense of place that will foster - and not reject - a shared commitment to solving our problems and maintaining our livability... Every county, from the most sparse to the most populated, no matter how seemingly independent they may think they are of all the other counties, has a responsibility to contribute to the general welfare of the entire region. Those days of one place being isolated and unto itself are all but over...