Florida's Unique Geography

Starting around the mouth of the St Johns River and running diagonally southwest through Starke and Perry and on to the Gulf of Mexico is the line that marks the northern edge of the peninsula of Florida. It's that unique feature, bounded by two great bodies of water that help make Florida the subtropical paradise we know it to be. It makes it the wettest state with the most amazing skies and full of lakes and streams. And as it reaches south it becomes, in the keys, an extension of the Caribbean region. The climate is moderated by the seas as well, allowing us to grow oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and other citrus better than anywhere else on earth. The agricultural bounty doesn't stop there. Sugar cane, winter vegetables, strawberries and blueberries as well as many tropical fruits help round out the rich harvest. Of course everyone is aware of the contribution that climate, a rich and luxuriant plant life, beautiful beaches and other attractions have made towards ranking Florida as the most popular place on the planet to visit.

North of the diagonal line lies mainland Florida, culturally and geographically much tied to it's neighbors across the border, Alabama and most particularly Georgia. The weather, crops and dialect have a real connection to the old south and prior to the civil war, very few people lived below this line. Railroads, and later, superhighways, jets and air conditioning made the peninsula boom so that today ninety percent of the population lives there.


As the son of a native Floridian architect and grandson and great nephew to two of the pillars of the citrus industry, my attachment to this place runs deep. In my work as a landscape designer, I travel extensively, particularly from Orlando to Miami, in search of the best plants. I went to college at Eckerd in St Petersburg and have spent considerable time in many of the cities of the peninsula, particularly Miami Beach, Jacksonville and Tampa. And my hometowns of Orlando and Winter Park have been my center of operation for a combined total of over forty years. As an artist, I have come to appreciate the architects and artists who have a particular Florida connection-Tiffany,Homer, Dali, Lapidus, Wright, Mizner and Rogers. My interest in history, while not restricted to this state, lead me to serve on the board of the Orange County Regional History Museum, one of the premier facilities of its type in the southeast.

Taking advantage of my varied experiences, these writings seek to illuminate all that I know about Florida and perhaps spark an interest in others to learn more about it as well. Next I will write about what contributes to making Orlando such an important city and it's geographical raison d'etre. And I'll cap it off with an article about the feature at the very center of it, Lake Eola Park. You're sure to learn something new and interesting.