Soouth Florida to become its own state?

[Person Man]

That's like what? Two thirds of Florida's population. According to the 2010 census, that would be like 20 EVs for South Florida and 11 EVs for Florida.

I'm guessing Florida would have a PVI very similar to South Carolina or Georgia and South Florida would be very similar to Minnesota or Michigan.

Indian River, Brevard, and Polk Counties are not South Florida. What a random map.

Well, I think that was done for I-4, Cape Canaveral and to make it look less gerrymandered.

[Person Man]

Orlando has more in common with North Florida than South Florida; that applies to pretty much everywhere in the state, to be fair. I'd just break apart everything in the Miami orbit, so everywhere that supports Miami over any other Florida team. That would mean West Palm Beach and down. No reason to stick Tampa and Orlando in a Miami-based state.

Just Broward, Dade, PB and maybe Monroe? Nah... Orange/Osceola is definitely not part of N. Florida. Though the North Orlando metro definitely is. Even East Orlando even feels like S. Florida. Its a looong story how I got to know the area. You could probably take in Tampa without having to take in Pasco, I think. There's NPR, but that's the only metro feeling place in Pasco.

[Person Man]

Northern Pinellas?  Definitely a good fit for Florida. St . Petersburg?  Definitely a fit for South Florida.

[Person Man]

People need to understand that central Florida--the I-4 corridor and adjacent counties at least--are different from both north and south Florida. Culturally, demographically, and politically.

It's more Midwestern than New New York or South Alabama. I mean Tampa is definitely a Midwestern city and even has a building dedicated to the retirees of Dearborn(sp?),  MI. Anything between the Florida State Fairground s and WDW on I4 is definitely North Florida. I think Orlando is pretty northernized.

[Person Man]

People need to understand that central Florida--the I-4 corridor and adjacent counties at least--are different from both north and south Florida. Culturally, demographically, and politically.

It's more Midwestern than New New York or South Alabama. I mean Tampa is definitely a Midwestern city and even has a building dedicated to the retirees of Dearborn(sp?),  MI. Anything between the Florida State Fairground s and WDW on I4 is definitely North Florida. I think Orlando is pretty northernized.

It's by no means the Panhandle, but it's not Miami Beach either. It's prime swing territory, and for a reason.

Well, it gets really conservative pretty damn quick and gets liberal again pretty fast as you approach Orlando.

[Person Man]

The whereas clauses in the South Miami resolution consider tax implications and water management as the main drivers for their support of a split. The tax implication seem like a wash since 67% of the population and 69% of the sales and documentary tax is from the advocated South Florida. The water issues include reference to the South Florida Water Management District, a number of national parks and preserves, Lake Okeechobee, and the relative elevation of the north and south parts of FL.

Here's a map of the FL Water Management districts.


If you look at it none of the Tampa Bay counties are in the SFWMD, yet the major portion of the Tampa metro is in the SF resolution. Similarly the Space Coast counties of Brevard and Indian River aren't in the SFWMD either. Other than the upper reaches of the Kissimmee river there's not much of Polk and Orange is evenly split in the SFWMD. Furthermore, all of the specific natural features are in the SFWMD, so I can find no rationale in the resolution for the inclusion of counties largely outside the SFWMD in South Florida.

States don't usually get built solely on water, and that includes less than perfect control of the water resources going into and out of a state. That puts Orange and, if one considers economic connections, Osceola out as well. Highlands is a borderline call since it looks like most of the population is outside the SFWMD. Charlotte has only some small amount of swamp in the east, and is otherwise economically tied to Sarasota to the north.

Given all that, I can only find justification in the resolution for a much reduced version of South Florida. That would include only 11 counties including Lee, Glades, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, and those to the south. That amounts to only 38% of the current population of FL, compared to 67% in the resolution.

nb, if a mod wants to move this thread to Political Geography, I have no objections.

Well yeah, that's the thing. They have very little representation yet they are almost 70% of the state.