Analysis of coastal ownership for Broward, Dade, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie Counties Draft

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Coastal Zone
Information
Center

ANALYSIS OF. COASTAL OWNERSHIP

FOR

BROWARD, DADE, MARTIN, PAIIM BEACH

AND ST. LUCIE COUNTIES

,UU

.-Prepared as part of the Coastal Zone Management Study for the Bureau
of Coastal Zone Planning, Florida Department of Natural Resources.

December, 1975

(Revised April, f976)

by the

SOUTH FLORIDA REGIONAL PLAINNING COUNCIL
IL

This publication is financed in part through Coastal Zone
Management Program Development Grai@t No. 04-6-158-44030
from the Office of Coastal Zone Management, NOAA, under
the provision of Section 305 of the Coastal Zone Manage-
ment Act of 1972 (Public Law 92,-583).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Historical Notes on ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Legal Issues of Tidal Lands . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 3

.Ownership Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

REGIONAL OVERVIEW . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . ... . . 9

Conclusions and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . ... 11

BROWARD COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

DADE COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

MARTIN COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . 31

PALM BEACH COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

ST. LUCIE COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o . . . . . . 48

BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o . . . 56

INTRODUCTION

The origins of title to ownership of Florida land date back several

hundred years. During the first Spanish efforts at settlement in the

17th century, most of the land occupied was for military installations,

but the few civilians did own some private properties.

The British enjoyed a brief period of control in Florida in the mid-18th

century, and to encourage permanent settlement the Crow n made two types

of land grants available.

The privy Council in England made grants up to 20,000 acres to be
settled at the owner's expense with white Protestant families,
at least one person to each one hundred acres. The governor and
council in the colonies granted family or head rights, one hundred
acres for the head of the family.and fifty acres for each
additional person. (Tebeau, 197,1)

In eastern Florida, 1,440,000 acres were deeded to 114 persons. Holders of

large grants often discouraged settlement by preempting large tracts and

holding them for speculation.

An application for the survey and the acquisition process had to be made

in person at the capital. Another aspect that discouraged some prospective

settlers was the capital necessary to start a homesteading enterprise

($400-2,500). Lack of roads limited settlement to areas accessible by

water, and fraud aimed at unwary immigrants was also a problem.

The council for West Florida took a step most unusual in a
frontier community at its first meeting at Pensacola in
November 1764 by planning for the orderly settlement of
towns in the colony. They began by declaring void all
titles purchased from the departing Spaniards and ordered

surveyor Elias Durnford to present a plan for a town.
After setting aside sections for public buildings, he
proposed to divide the remainder into town building
lots 80 feet by 160 feet and assign each a garden
bordering on a small stream flowing by the north side
of the settlement. Purchasers of Spanish claims
received first choice of lots, holders of government
positions second, and others according to the likeli-
hood that they could meet the requirements that the
property be developed for use. (Tebeau, 1971)

After the American Revolution, the treaty of Paris returned Florida

to Spain, but the Spanish were not as strong internationally, nor in

their efforts to re-settle Florida as in the first Spanish Era. Their

occupation was to last only about 40 years (1784-1821). On the eve of

cession to the United States, the Spaniards made spectacularly large

land grants in last minute efforts at strengthening their colonial

presence. Some of these were close to 50,000 acres, and were to create

title problems for the new Florida territory. Several of the larger

Spanish land grants would remain in litigation for years.

The establishment of private claims and locating themwhen
the land had not been surveyed hampered orderly settlement,
particularly in East Florida where such claims were more
numerous. The treaty of cession provided that titles to
land granted or conveyed to private ownership before January
24, 1818, were to be confirmed by the United States. This
proved to be a gigantic task. Records were often nonexistent
and usually were in Spanish when available. Some claims
originated in the British period, were confirmed in the
second Spanish era and recorded in that language, and
another translation of the document might render it somewhat
different from the original. The United States dealt
reasonably with claimants, many of whose documents were
fraudulent as to origin, location, and extent, a circumstance
not unusual in the United States where land was so plentiful
and claimants so few. (Tebeau, 1971)

The first official surveys in the Territory of Floridawere begun in 1824,

establishing base and meridian lines at Tallahassee-from which a rectangular

system of surveys could be extended over all public lands. The Tallahassee

area had the most new growth, and land sales there between 1825 and state-

hood, in 1845, totalled approximately 797,000 acres. (Tebeau, 1971)

The initial survey did not make land available in all areas where people

desired to settle. A federal bill was passed in 1826 to grant a settler

preemption on the purchase of public land on which'he had established a
home before it.was surveyed and offered for'sale. The settler could acquire

the land at a price of $1.25 an acre, which the buyer would usually pay

when the land would normally be offered for sale at a public auction;

otherwise the pioneer might be forced to buy improvements he himself had

already made in order to retain the property. (Tebeau, 1971)

The transitional zone along the coast, where land and sea meet, is of

particular concern in terms of conflicting public interests and claims

to private ownership. "In few areas is the pressure of so many actual

and potential uses felt within such a constricted space. ...The main

segment of the land-sea interface is the tideland, flushed daily by the

ebb an d flow of the tides." (Garretson, et al, 1968) The principle of

state ownership of the tidelands is derived from English common law -

these areas are held in trust for the people for certain purposes, basically

navigation and fisheries. This concept has protected tidelands in the

past and has been adapted to newer uses and public interests. It has worked

as both a restriction on the powers of the states and as a means of public

control over private owners.

In Florida, title to tideland areas was a "legislative giveaway" until

190, when those not yet disposed of were given to the Trustees of the

Internal improvement Fund. The Trustees were empowered to sell such land

to the owner 'of the adjacent upland, down to a bulkhead line set by local

authorities. Criteria for the location of bulkhead lines included

conservation of marine life and natural resources, natural beauty, and

recreational advantages. (Garretson, et al, 1968)

After a decade of excessive sales to development interests, the Florida

Attorney-General's office established clearer and more consistent policies.

The new guidelines for sale of tidelands, effective in July, 1967, required

a determination,' through biological, ecological and hydrographic studies,

of the extent to which such sale

... would interfere with the conservation of fish, marine
and wildlife or other natural resources, including beaches
and shores, and would result in destruction of oyster beds,
or marine productivity, including, but not limited to,
destruction of marine habitats, grass flats suitable as
nursery or feeding grounds for marine life, and established
marine soils suitable for producing plapt growth of a type
useful as nursery or feeding grounds for marine life, and
if so, in what respect and to what extent, and they shall
consider any other factors affecting the public interests.
(Section 253.12(2)(A), Florida Statutes)

The scale of property ownership and some of the problems involved have

varied since the days of Florida's early settlement, but the basic issues

remain very similar. These include the acquisition of public land for

community purposes, questions of private versus public title, the

responsibilities of land proprietorship, questions of just-compensation

for taking of land, and even speculation and resulting inflated land prices.

in the South Florida coastal zone today, understanding the existing patterns

of land ownership is vital to planning for future development. Growth has

been rapid in recent dacades, and competition for land as a lithited

resource has been intense. There are few remaining undeveloped areas

without environmental limitations. Those served by transportation access

and other public facilities are even fewer. Large scale developmentf

with its associated extensive impacts, has been a trend. Public access

to the dwindling natural and recreational areas, such as beaches, has been

an increasing issue.

Inventorying-and mapping land ownership can identify areas of potential

future growth as well as areas where there is little chance of large scale
development. Tax assessment data@ may indicate directions of future growth

as valuations change. Geographic patterns of ownership, when compared

'with current land uses and environmental quality information, can also

show possible patterns and directions of future growth. Analysis of these

indicators can guide planning for future public and private land use and

programming of capital improvements.

METHODOLOGY

Land ownership in the South Florida coastal zone has been divided'into

four major categories: publicly owned land, platted land, unplatted land,

and claimed submerged land. These categories were mapped at a scale of

1:24,000, on maps corresponding to U.S.G.S. 7 1/2" quadrangle sheets. The

information was gathered by 20 and 40 acre grids, based on data from tax

rolls in County assessor's offices.

Publicly owned land is further classified according to the level of govern-

ment which controls it. Public ownership isusually constant over a long

period-of time,, and present or future uses are'generally planned for or

known. Examples of federally owned land are wildlife refuges and military

sites. State lands include parks, highway construction borrow pits, and

educational facilities; county-owned airports, parks, and sanitary landfills;

city land generally includes park land and utilities. Government owned

land is not likely to be sold in parcels large enough to affect ownership or

land use patterns in the coastal zone, and can be considered to be permanently

out of the private market.

Platted land is a parcel of land that has been subdivided into small units,

surveyed for the determination of property lines, and recorded with the

appropriate local authority. This category is further broken down according

to whether or not it has been developed. Undeveloped platted land may

have good potential for future growth, and can be an indicator of where

development may already be planned to some degree, but not yet carried out.

Much of the land subdivided in the past in South Florida, however, was

never intended for immediate development, but was rather part of a

speculative land sales operation. The subdivision of large parcels may

introduce problems of land assembly under multiple owners if the subdivided

lots are too small for a future developer's purpose. ownership data for

undeveloped platted land was not available for this study, so this land

must be analyzed with the possible restrictions of multiple ownership in

mind.

Developed platted land has already been altered for development. Alteration

ranges from dirt roads or drainage canals with no buildings, to a completely

urbanized area such as downtown Miami. It is important to take these areas

into consideration when analyzing ownership patterns since undeveloped,areas

must rely on support from, and interaction with, developed sections,

especially in the initial phases of growth.

Unplatted land in the coastal zone, under 20 acres per parcel or in

multiple ownerships, is mapped according to the number of owners per

40 acre section, ranging from less than five owners to over 15 owners

per 40 acres. Unplatted land loses potential for large-scale future

development as parcel size falls below 20 acres and the number of owners

increase. Small lots (under 20 acres) and multiple ownership.of large

tracts of unplatted land act as barriers to land assembly for large

scale development. These smaller parcels of land generally do not

precipitate.growth,-rather, they are developed after some growth has

occurred near the area.

individuals or companies owning over 20 contiguous acres are listed

separately on the maps and on a corresponding computer printout listing

the name of the owner, address, map location acreage, assessed and

tax value of the land. Large single-owner parcels are generally easier

to develop because these parcels have not been platted or subdivided.

Large acreage (20+ acres) allows for more diversity in future development,

and the problem of acquiring land from multiple owners is eliminated.

Geographic patterns of large single-owner parcels can show, in conjunction

with land use and environmental data, the pattern and direction that

future growth is likely to take in the next decade.

Claimed,submerged land includes portions of the coastal waterways

or Atlantic Ocean that have been specifically purchased by a person or

group. This land accounts for no,more than 3 percent of the coastal

zone-in any county. The land is still underwater in most cases, but

represents an interest in future development in that area. It is most

often contiguous with land area in the 'coastal zone, the exception being

places like stiltsville in Dade County, where claimed submerged land

is a section isolated in deeper water just off.the coast.

A brief analysis was made of tax assessment value from assessor's rolls

and its correlation with factors such as location, access, and environmental

conditions. The conclusions from this analysis are limited because tax

and ownership data were only obtained for large single-owner parcels.

REGIONAL OVERVIEW

'The geographic patterns of land ownership in the South Florida Region-are

characterized by linear configurations of development, characterized as

developed platted land, along the coastline and along major north-south

transportation corridors, primarily Interstate 95, the Sunshine State

Parkway and U.S. 1. This linear strip of developed land extends-almost

uninterrupted from central Dade County north through Palm Beach County,

with smaller nod6s of development in Martin and St. Lucie counties.

Tax assessment of large single-owner parcels in these areas reveals the

development pressure on areas with transportation access, and those

adjacent to the Atlantic Coast.

The western portions of the coastal zone exhibit much less development,

with unplatted large single-owner parcels and undeveloped platted land

the categories with most growth potential - more concentrated in these

areas. There are more acres of agricultural and natural lands in the

western coastal zone, and tax values were generally lower in this area4

For the SoUth Florida coastal zone as a whole, land in public ownership

accounts for 30.8 percent of the coastal zone, as illustrated in Table 1.

This public land includes many acres in parks and recreational facilities;

especially in the category of federal ownership, which includes almost

400,000 acres of Everglades National Park in Dade County.

Private sector ownership for the coastal zone in the Region is approximately

69 percent of the total acreage. It includes undeveloped platted land, at 11.8

percent, and developed platted land totalling 27.9 percent. Unplatted

land in large single-owner parcels, a category with much development

.potential, makes up 24.2 percent of the South Florida 'coastal zone.

TABLE 1 OWNERSHIP DATA - REGIONAL TOTALS

Acres Percentage

Federal 408,745 25.7
State 22,210 1.4
County 29,165 1.8
Municipal 30,792 1.9

Undeveloped platted 188,329 11.8
Developed platted 445,352 27.9

Less than 5 owners
per 40 acres 27,381 1.7
5-15 owners 39,475 2.5
more than 15 owners 17,215 1.1
Large Single-owner
parcels (20 + over) 385,180- 24.2

TOTAL 1,593,844 100.0
Claimed submerged land 9,568

In general, natural limitations to development, such as mangroves, flood

prone characteristics, or marshes did not seem to significantly affect

assessed land value unless the conditions were extreme. This is perhaps

attributable to the fact that most of the land Area of the Region where

such limitations do not exist was previously developed. This consists

primarily of the narrow coastal ridge which runs north-south through the

South Florida Region. As referenced in this report, flood prone areas are

those designated by the U.S. Geological Survey on its Maps of Flood Prone

Areas. These were estimated from information on past floods, and indicat6

where there is, on the average, one chance in 100 that a designated area

will be inundated in any one year. These are areas where precautions in
I
building design and elevation must be observedi but are not necessarily

restrictive of development.

Developed land uses, such as residential, industrial and commercial uses,

greatly increased land assessments, as did proximity to such development.

Transportation access seemed to result in major land value increases.

Vacant versus agricultural uses seemed to exhibit no pattern of differ-

entiation; although in some cases, citrus groves were more highly valued

than other agricultural uses. Therefore, the ability of agricultural

lands to withstand development pressures cannot be predicted from this

information.

Total assessed tax value for large single-owner parcels in the South

Florida coastal zone is $1,227,749,762. Table 2 shows these assessment

totals by county.

TABLE 2

County Total Assessment

Brow'ard 232,091,716
Dade 585,911,523
Martin 88,681,373
Palm Beach 267,763,325
St. Lucie 53,301,825

This compares to collected tax revenues from large single-owner parcels

totalling approximately $13,000,000 annually.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The extent of existing urbanization and planned developments in Broward

County results in a relative lack of unplatted land, specifically large

single-owner parcels; and in Dade County, urbanization limits unplatted

land and large single-owner parcels to the far southern portions of the

-county. Palm Beach County has the highest percentage of large single-

owner unplatted parcels in the Region. Martin and St. Lucie counties

also have much less platted land than the more urban counties, and a

relatively high percentage of large single-owner parcels. These patterns

of large single-owner land parcels indicate the potential for extensive

growth to move increasingly into the northern counties in the Region. As

previously indicated, existing deve-lopment,patterns may increasingly force

growth into the valuable agricultural land and natural areas of the

western parts of the coastal zone where patterns of private land owner-

ship, much unplatted and in large single-owner parcels, predominate.

Tax valuation information shows the strong competition for development

of undeveloped areas along the coastline, particularly where large

single-owner parcels occur. Development pressure on these areas with

access to the water makes the problems of conservation of natural areas

and public access to recreation and beaches even mo re serious concerns.

In discussions of land ownership at a meeting on February 18, 1976,

members of the Coastal Areas Advisory Committee, debated the conflicts

inherent in management and controls that would be adequate to ensure

protection of both private and public property owners in the coastal

zone., The general goals outlined by the Committee were concerned with

preservation of natural systems, particularly beach and estuarine areas,

with recognition of pertinent economic factors and rights of property

Owners.

A variety of possible development and conservation management mechanisms

are available. Among the strongest reconunendations was provision of

flexibility for imaginative and environmentally compatible land uses,

while providing consideration of the public'interest in private ownership.

The management techniques which might be utilized include zoning, tax

structures, transfer of development rights, and more efficient permitting

processes. Acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands by the public,

through eminent domain power, or by private parties, for example, the

Trust for the Public Lands or the Nature Conservancy, was'recommended.

Broward County

There are 270,032 acres of coastal zone land in Broward County, as well as

roughly 6,000 acres of submerged lands, and approximately 53,000 acres of

coastal waters. Public or government ownership accounts for approximately

12,500 acres (4.7 percent) of the land total, and the remaining 95 percent

is in private ownership. Table 3 shows the breakdown for all ownership

categories. Approximately 47 percent of the land in the coastal zone is

developed platted, and another 30 percent is undeveloped platted. Only

13.5 percent of the land area is unplatted large sinqle-owner parcels,

with the remaining 4.5 percent being unplatted parcels in multi-ownership.

TABLE 3: OWNERSHIP DATA

Acres Percentage

Federal 1,615 .6
State 1,205 .5
County 5,665 2.1
Municipal 4,070 1.5

Undeveloped platted 80,850 30.4
Developed platted 127,425 47.9

Less than 5 owners
per 40 acres 4,250 1.6
5-15 owners 6,535 2.5
More*-than 15 owners 1,915 .7
Large,single owners 36,502 13.7
(20+ ac.)

Totals 270,032

Submerged 6,440

These acreages do not include road rights-of-way.

Adjacen t to Conservation Area 2A is a mix of undeveloped platted land and

single-owner parcels of considerable size (in the 300-800 acre range).

Current use is mainly cropland and pasture, with some vacant land. Most

of the large owners are banks or development corporations, rather than

either individuals or ranch and farm operations. Several very extensive

developments are already planned in this area, covering approximately

23,000 acres. There are scattered marshes in this area which is flood

prone.

In the north central portion of the County, along a strip abutting the

Florida Turnpike, is an area of large single-owner parcels. There are

roughly 2,500 acres adjacent to the Florida Turnpike, and another 1,600

acres just to the east. The area is largely agricultural and extractive,

with some vacant land and single-family residential sections. It is a

flood prone area with scattered marshes, but because of its adjacency to

the Turnpike, proximity to the urbanized coastline, and advantages of the

ownership patterns, it may be an area of development in the near future.

Developed platted land covers much of the coastal zone, beginning with

a strip along the northeast coast, and expanding throughout the central

portion of the County to the southern boundary. This urbanized area

includes, among-others, the cities of Lighthouse Point, Pompano Beach,

Oakland Park, Ft-. Lauderdale, Dania and Hollywood. Most of this develop-.

ment is in flood prone areas. The land uses include residential, commercial,

industrial, transportation facilities, and open spaces.@ The Hugh Taylor

Birch State Park is an area of 180 acres in State ownership within this

urbanized area, just north of Port tverglades, on the Atlantic Ocean-front.

This park can be expected to remain a smaller public open space. Another

significant open area is a dense, extensive mangrove forest just south of

Port Everglades. It remains currently vacant, but has been platted.

This privately owned tract is Almost surrounded by development, and will

probably be subject to extreme pressure for development in the near future.

The southwestern extension of the coastal zone (far to the west of the

Florida Turnpike and S.R. 823) is a mix of mostly undeveloped platted

land and large single-owner parcels. The uses of this flood prone area,

which abuts Conservation Areas 2B and 2A, are mainly pasture and citrus

groves. Several residential communities occur as relatively small

developed platted portions within this area, including Plantation Acres

and Rolling Oaks. To the west of Cooper City and Pembroke Pines the area

remains largely agricultural and undeveloped. There are some major

developments planned for this area despite its environmental constraints

and far-westerly location.

The owners of large single-owner parcels in Broward County are almost

totally from within the South Florida Region, with 50 percent from

Broward County and another 40 percent from the rest of the Region.

Only some 7.6 percent of this land is held by out-of-state individuals

or corporations.

,As shown in Table 5, the land held in large single ownership parcels

generates approximately $2,500,000 in annual tax revenues for Broward

County.

The land valuation patterns in Broward County do not exhibit a pattern

which can be readily analyzed because of the relative lack of unplatted

large single-owner parcels, for which tax data was available. Where data

allowed examination of example parcels, the tax assessments were sometimes

contradictoryand inconsistent with what would be predicted from other

factors, such as location, land use, transportation and natural environ-

mental characteristics. This might be explained by unusually'strong

development pressure resulting in erratic assessed values; zoning patterns,

which were not included in this analysis; or local variations in assessment

of market value.

The urbanized area, mostly developed platted land, makes up a large portion

of the coastal zone.in Broward County. This area is along the coastline

and through the central portions of the coastal zone. The undeveloped

areas are vast acres of mixed undeveloped platted land and large

,single-owner parcels in the western portions of the coastal zone. Where

platting has been done it appears in a checker-board alternating pattern.

TABLE, 4: IARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCEL DATA

Percent
of total
land in Percent of Percent
large Coastal Zone Total of
Location of Owner Owners Acres ownership land Tax Revenue Total

Within Broward County 129 18,406 so 6.8 $1,509,560 60.9

Within Region
(Dade & Palm Beach) 39 .14,604- 40 5.4 689,076 27.8

within State 7 697 2.0 0.2 50,064 2.0

Out of State 19 2,768 8.0 1.0 229,531 9.2

TOTAL 194 36,475 100.0 13.4 $2,478,233 100.0

TABLE 5: SAMPLE LARGE SINGLY-OWNED PARCELS

DISTINGUISHING FEATURE PER ACRE
ACREAGE' LOCATION OR CHARACTERISTIC LAND USE @TAX VALUATiON VALUATION

640 far northwestern location cropland $3,540,140 $ 5,531
section of agricultural area (proposed residential
coastal zone; (flood prone) development area)
near conserva-
tion area

81 on US 441 agricultural area,- cropland 326,480 4,031
between 1-95 & between major trans-
Florida Turn- portation networks
pike, we,st of Ft. (flood prone)
Lauderdale

150 adjacent to turn- adjacent to turnpike cropland 1,893,900 -12,626
pike north- (flood prone)
central county

-700 adjacent to turn- turnpike access open and other 387,449 553
pike north surrounded by vacant
central county agriculture
(flood prone)

30 Central county near developed area, industrial and 91,310 3,043
on 1-95 uncom- proposed transportation vacant
pleted corridor access
just outside (flood prone)
developed area

433 far western location, vacant area vacant' 323,120 746
coastal zone on (flood prone) (proposed major
SR 84 near con- develop@nent)
servation area 2B

313 southwestern location; agricultural area, cropland and other 251,160 802
coastal zone just undeveloped platted area agriculture
east of US 27; near (flood prone)
conservation Area 3

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BROWARD COUNTY
OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES

ate .5
County 2.1
Federal .6
city 1. 5

Private 95

Public 4.7

L rge
Single
Owner 13.5.

'MUlti70wner 4.5
Undeveloped
Platted 29.9

Developed
Platted 47.2
a

Dade County

There are 762,240 acres of land in the coastal zone of Dade County, plus

some 2,400 acres of claimed submerged land and roughly 277,000 acres of

coastal water. Roughly 56 percent ofthis acreage is publicly owned,

including part of Everglades National Park in the western extension of

the coastal zone. The remaining 44 percent of the land is privately owned,

with 18 percent developed platted land, 5 percent undeveloped platted and

16 percent in,large single-owner unplatted parcels. Table 6 shows the

breakdown for all ownership categories.

TABLE 6: OWNERSHIP DATA

Acres Percentage

Federal 404,500 53.07
State 8,545 1.12
County 11,740 1.54
City 4,065 .53

Undeveloped platted 38,530 5.05
Developed platted 136,790 17.95

Less than 5 owners
per 40 acres 10,304 1.35
5-15 owners 19,780 2.59
over 15 owners 6,040 .80
Large single owner 121,946 16.00-
(20+ acres)

Totals 762,240 100.00

Submerged 2,428

Along the northern boundary between Dade and Broward counties is an area

with several large single-owner and multi-owner parcels. The predominant

pattern is developed platted land, extending throughout the central

portion of Dade County, including the cities of North Miami, Miami, Hialeah,

Opa Locka, Coral Gables, and extending to the coastline, including

the Miami Beach area. This urbanized area encompasses a mixture of.

land uses, including residential, commercial, industrial, some open

spaces, transportation, and limited crop and pastureland north of the:

Palmetto Expressway. All of this lies in a flood prone area. Miami

International Airport, a major county-owned facility, and federally-

owned Opa Locka Airport are also located in this developed area.

of special note within the urbanized area are the mangrove forest of the

Interama site (on the inland waterway Biscayne Bay, U.S. 1 and S.R. 826)

and, further south, a mangrove area in Matheson Hammock County Park in

Coral Gables. Several large areas of park space and public beach

Crandon County Park, and Cape Florida State Park, including about 500

acres of submerged land - are loc ated on Key Biscayne.

Beyond the urbanized area the west central portion of the coastal zone

between the Palmetto Expressway (826) and SR 821 includes undeveloped platted

land and large single-owner parcels. This is a flood prone area, and the uses

are mainly agricultural, vacant, and mining. Just south of this, an urbanized

area and its pattern of developed platted land extend to the western

boundary of the coastal zone, in the West-Miami area.

In the southeastern portions of Dade County, the Perrine and Goulds area,

the ownership patterns begin to shift to much more unplatted lands, in

multi-owned and large single-owner parcels. Land use in the area is

extensively crop and pasture land and groves, with limited urban uses

near Perrine. Except for a few ridges, this area is flood prone.

Along the coa stal edge are extensive mangroves, which remain vacant

and in relatively large single-owner parcels.

The Homestead Air Force Base is a large tract of Federally-owned land in

this area. Adjacent to it is the city of Homestead, a small urban area of

developed platted land. To the south, between US 1 and Biscayne

Bayf.are extensive acres of undeveloped platted land. All of this

undeveloped platted area is flood prone, and most is vacant or

agricultural land.

On the extreme southern edge of the Dade County coastal zone, and extending

on to the western boundary with Everglades National Park, is a vast area

of large single-owner parcels. The easterly portions of this area is

held by.Florida Power and Light Company in land adjoining its Turkey

Point Power Plant. A large tract on the Bayfront is owned by the State of

Florida. This flood prone-area is all vacant, and most of it is covered

by marshes.

The western extension of the coastal zone is the Federally-owned Everglades

National Park, which is maintained as an open space, wildlife, and recreation

area.

Large single-owner parcels are a smaller percentage of the Dade

County coastal zone than in some other counties of the Region because of

the extent of urbanization. Excluding for,a moment the 404,500 acres of

Federal lands (contained primarily in military facilities and National

Parks), about 34 percent of the remaining land area is large single-owner

parcels. The distribution of this ownership category is noteworthy

since almost all of it is concentrated in the western and southern portions

of the coastal zone. Roughly 39 percent of the remaining coastal zone

area (excluding Federal Parks) is developed platted land, most of it

within the metropolitan Miami area in the northeastern and central

parts of the County.

Land in large single-owner parcels is almost all owned by Dade County

residents, with 89 percent held by owners from within the County. Only

1.4 percent is owned by residents from the rest of the Region, another

1.3 percent by owners from the rest of Florida, and about 8 percent by

out-of-State residents.

The large single-owner parcels in Dade County generate approximately

$6,036,942 of annual tax revenues to Dade County. An examination of

some sample parcels throughout the County reveals informative differences

in tax valuations in the different areas. Because of the relative

lack of single-owner large parcels within the urbanized area,

'determination of tax,value patterns was almost impossible for

this area. Generally, transportation access seemed to increase

valuation, as did proximity to developed area. Vacant parcels along

the northern County boundary seemed to be more highly valued than those

in the western portions (west of the Palmetto Expressway). In the

southeastern portions of the County, the value of waterfront property

seemed relatively low, perhaps because of development limitations from

mangroves, or perhaps due to limited access or lack of development

pressure in the-area. Agricultural and grove lands in the southern

parts of Dade County seem relatively highly valued compared to such

uses in other parts of the Region, perhaps due to their productivity

as agricultural land or because of development pressure. The flood

prone character of most of the area seemed to have little influence

on valuations, unless there were extreme limitations due to extensive

mangroves or marshes.

TABLE 7: LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCEL DATA

Percent of
total land Percent of Percent
in large coastal Total Tax of
Location of Owner Owners Acres Ownership zone land revenues Total

Within Dade County 538 108,907 89 14 4,924,633 81.6

Within Region 15 11810 1.5 0.2 162,992 3

(Broward) (10)

Within State 11 1,594 1.5 0.2 24,187 0.4

Out of State 67 9,635 8.0 1.2 925,130 15

TOTAL 631 121,946 100 15.6 6,036,942 100

8
Assessed Valuation: TABLE
SAMPLE LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCELS

ACREAGE LOCATION DISTINGUISHING FEATURE LAND USE TAX PER ACRE
OR 6HAI@ACTERISTIC VALUATION VALUATION

i88 Northern Dade County Turnpike access; surrounded by single- Open and $1,598,680 $ 8,504
on Florida Turnpike family residential and open (flood prone) other

616 West-central portion Western location; surrounded by extrac-. Vacant 3,695,640 5,999
(West of Palmetto Exp.) tive and agricultural-uses
(flood prone)

35 central Miami area Within developed area Commercial 11,458,510 327,386
on Rt. 9 (flood prone)

20 S. Miami/Kendall area Location; within developed area Single-. 403,200 20,160
(flood rone) family resid.

1 140 Perrine area; Water access; southeastern Vacant 840,000 6,000
waterfront location
(flood prone; mangroves)

'22 Southern coastal zone,- Adjacent to US 1; agricultural and Vacant 277,430 12,610
in Goulds/Perrine area grove area
adjacent to US 1 (flood prone)

36 Southwestern coastal Location; agricultural area Mixed crop- 207,383 5,184
zone. Goulds area (flood prone) land and citrus
groves

158 Extreme southern Marsh area, very limited access Vacant 137,926 872
coastal zone, on USI (flood prone)

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OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES

Private 44 Federal 53

City .5
County 1.5 State 1.1

arge
Single
owner 16
-Multi.-Owner 4.7.

Public 56 Developed.
Platted 18

Undeveloped Platted 5
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Martin County

Land ownership patterns in Martin County demonstrate a relatively large

proportion of large (20 acres or more) single owner parcels. This category

comprises approximately 35 percent of the total 84,000 acres in the coastal

zone. There are 202,000 acres of coastal water i4 Martin County. Table 9

shows the breakdown of all the ownership categories.

TABLE 9: OWNERSHIP DATA

Acres Percentage

Federal 850 1.0
State .9,820 11.7
County 1,770 2.1
Municipal 255 .3

Undeveloped platted 13,415 15.9
Developed platted 22,655 26.9

Less than 5 owners 1,565 1.9
per 40 acres
5-15 owners 3,080 3.6
More than 15 owners 770 '.9.
Large single owner 30,112 35.7
(20 + acres)
TOTALS 84,292 100.0

SUBMERGED 90

The State of Florida owns 11.6 percent of the coastal zone land, with

approximately 9,800 acres in two parks - St. Lucie Inlet Park (as yet

unopened) and Jonathan Dickinson State Park. About 27 percent of the

land area is developed platted, which includes the city of Stuart.

Much of the remainder of this category is'limited in its current

developed status, with roadways extended and some housing built, but-

largely remaining vacant or in agricultural use. These portions could absorb

some of the development pressure of immediate future growth.

Sixteen percent of the land area is undeveloped platted.land. These

13,400 acres, which are currently vacant or used for crop land and pasture,

should also be considered as exhibiting strong development potential,

and may indicate patterns of growth which are already planned.

The southern end of Hutchinson Island, just north of St. Lucie Inlet, has

several large single-owner parcels, at least two of which have residential

communities currently planned. There are also some multi-owner parcels,

but presently all remain vacant. There are some mangroves in this area.

North of the St. Lucie River, on the western edge of the coastal zone,

a large undeveloped platted tract lies adjacent to U.S. Highway 1.

Approximately 220 acres are part of the Port St. Lucie development,

currently planned in Martin and St. Lucie counties.

To the south of this, are several large single-owner parcels, with a

contiguous area of'approximately 1,200 acres, currently remaining

vacant. Some of the area is flood prone and in marginal'lands, as

classified by the Coastal Zone Management Atlas (CCC, 1972). To the

east, along the Indian River, the area is a mixture of developed and

undeveloped platted land in single family residential use.

@The city of Stuart, with its adjacent airport, is primarily an area of

developed platted lafid. A majority is in'single-family residential use,

with some commercial use and some remaining open. Development is

concentrated along the edge of the inlet and the forks of the St. Lucie

River, taking advantage of the waterfront.

West of the St. Lucie River South Fork and the city of Stuart, abuttincr

the Sunshine State Parkway, an area of approximately 6,500 acres is in large

single-owner parcels, currently vacant or crop land. Just to the south,

a large developed platted area remains mostly in crop land and pasture.

South of these areas, and adjacent to the turnpike-J. is an area of I

approximately 2,450 acres of large single-owner parcels, currently vacant

and crop land. Much of this acreage is flood prone.

Just outside of the urbanized area of the City of Stuart to the southwest

is a large vacant undeveloped platted area. South of the City of Stuart

are vast areas of large single-owner parcels. Currently vacant,

scattered with numerous lakes and marshes, and largely classified as

flood prone and marginal land, this area contains approximately 17,800

acres of land in large single-owner parcels. This very significant area,

which may feel growth pressure from both Stuart and from Palm Beach County

to the south, comprises almost 20 percent of the total coastal zone land

in the County. While the natural physical limitations might raise costs,,

they would probably not prohibit development.

The developed platted, residential area of Hobe Sound lies just north of

Jonathan Dickinson State Park. To the east, on Jupiter Island, is a

stretch of already developed platted land, mostly single-family residential.

Just west of the Turnpike in this area are-approximately 3,200 acres of

undeveloped platted land currently in agricultural use. A relatively

small stretch on the southeastern County border, just south of the State

park, contains several large single-ownership parcels as well as developed

platted land. This area remains mostly vacant or in agricultural use, with

only limited single-family residences.

The 30,000 acres of unplatted large single-owner parcels in the Martin

County coastal zone are especially significant in terms of future growth,

because the parcel size allows more diversity in type and scale of

development, without problems of assembly due to multiple-ownership.

Approximately twenty percent of the land in large single-owner parcels

is controlled by residents from outside the Region and some eighteen

percent is owned by non-Florida residents. Thirty-three percent is owned

by Martin County residents and approximately forty-seven percent by

residents from the rest of the Region.

Large parcel single-owner land in Martin County accounts for $958,000

in taxes annually, or roughly thirty-two dollars per acre. as shown in

Table 11.

TABLE 10: LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCEL DATA

Percent of Percent of Total Percent
Location of -Large Coastal Tax of
Owner Owners Acres Owner Total Zone Land Value Total

Within Martin
County 57 10,001 33.2 11.9 $360,126 37.6

Within-Region 45 14,274 47.4 16.9 392,706 40.9
(Dade & Broward) (30)
(Palm Beach) (14)

Within State 4 371 .1.2 0.4 20,680 2 .2

Out of State 21 5,466 18.2 6.5 184,666 19.3

TOTAL 127 30,112 100.0 35.7 $958,180 100.0

TABLE 11:

Assessed Valuation:
SAMPLE LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCELS

Distinguishing Feature Total Per Acre
Acres Location or Characteristic Land Use Assessment Assessment

71 South of and adjacent Location adjacent to Vacant-single $ 286,620 4,039
to Stuart (US 1) developed area family resi-
dential

63 North of St. Lucie Small coastline on Mixed: open & 1,127,722 17,900
River on SR 707 inland waterway other; feed-lot;
ltd. single-
family residen-
tial

67 Northern part of Turnpike access; in Vacant 646,900 9,655
County on St. Lucie platted area (part
County line; abutting of major planned
turnpike development)

145 Northwestern portion Agriculture use; Crop and .217,836 1,504
of County MW location pasture land

640 Southwestern portion Agriculture use; Crop and 120,DOO 750
of coastal zone SW location pasture land
parcel size

58 Adjacent to Hobe Coastline on inland Vacant 887,294 15,298
Sound; SE part waterway
of coastal zone

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MARTIN COUNTY
OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES

City 0.3
County 1.8

- Federal 0.9
State 'Z
10.4

Private 86.4

Public
13.5 Large
Single
owner 41.7
Undeveloped
Platted 14.3

Developed
Platted 24.7

Multi-Owner 5.7

Palm Beach

Approximately.six percent of the 380,350 acre coastal zone in Palm

Beach County is in public ownership; and the remaining 94 percent is

privately owned, as illustrated in Table 12.. Developed platted land accounts

for about 33 percent of this privately owned acreage, and undeveloped platted

land another 7 percent. Coastal'waters in Palm Beach County occupy an additional

109,570 acres. Approximately 45 percent of the coastal zone land area is unplatted

and in large parcels (20 acres or more) held by one owner - the category with the

most development potential. Approximately 6 percent is in multi-owned parcels.

TABLE 12: OWNERSHIP DATA

Acres Percentage

Federal 1,740 .46
State 780 .20
County 8,050 2.12
city 21,292 5.60

Undeveloped platted 30,854 8.11
Developed platted 126,517 33.27

Less than 5 owners 5,722 1.50
per 40 acres
5-15 owners 6,210 1.63
More than 15 owners 7,560 1.99
Large single-owner 171,625 45.12
(20+ acres)
TOTALS 380,350 100

In the northern portions of the County, developed platted land is concen-

trated around the Loxahatchee River - Lake Worth Creek area, which is a

State aquatic preserve. most of this is single-family residential develop-

ment, including the southern tip of Jupiter Island, which is a mangrove

area.

Just adjacent, to the south (south of S.R. 706), is an area of mostly

large single-owner parcels encompassing more than 60,000 acres. It

extends to the west, beyond the turnpike to the edge of the coastal zone

boundary. Mostly vacant, with some scattered agricultural use,

this land is almost all flood prone and includes the northern portions

of the Loxahatchee Slough. The owners in this area are predominately

companies or corporations rather than private individuals. Because

of this ownership pattern, the area may face development pressure in

the future, although some limitations will.be imposed by its marginal

and flood prone characteristics.

One particularly interesting feature in the Loxahatchee Slough, which

extends through the north central part of the County, is a tract of more

than 12,000 acres owned by the City of West Palm Beach as a water

catchment area. This area will probably be maintained as a conservation

and open use area.

Beginning in the Lake Worth, North Palm Beach area, a strip of developed

platted land extends along the coast southward to the County boundary.

With a mix of uses (single-family and multi-family residential, and

commercial) this strip is on the coastal ridge and the oceanfront.

peninsula. For the most part, it is above the level of flood prone

areas (the eastern-most edge is in the hurricane zone). There are a very

few small mangrove areas scattered in this coastal section.

Another strip of developed platted land extends along the Florida Turnpike

from around Lake Worth,to the County line. This is still largely

agricultural and mostly in a flood prone area, but there are large

single-family and multi-family residential developments recently constructed

-or now being developed. Access to the turnpike is probably a major

attractive feature of this area.

Between the turnpike and the urbanized area on the coast are scattered

large single-owner parcels. Agriculture and citrus groves (with some

vacant land) are the current uses, but the owners are primarily real estate

and land development corporations. This area might be expected to face

very strong growth pressure because of the ownership advantages and the

development advancing from both sides. There will be some restrictions

to development, probably in the form of increased costs, due to the

flood prone characteristics and the presence of some marsh areas.

To'the west of the turnpike.and Highway 441, an extensive unplatted

area is in large single-owner parcels. This land, adjacent to the

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, is currently used for pasture and

crop land, and is flood prone, characterized by marshes. The owners

tend to be ranch operators or private individuals.

More than half of the land in large single-owner parcels is held by

companies or individuals from within the County. Another 34 percent

is owned by people from the rest of the Region, and 12 percent by

out-of-state owners. Only 2 percent is held by owners from the rest

of the state. Table 13 shows the data for large single-owner parcels.

This land generates more than three million dollars in annual tax revenues

for Palm Beach County.

TABLE 13: LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCEL DATA

Percent of
total land Percent of Percent
Location of No. of in large coastal Total Tax of
Owner Owners Acres ownership zone land Revenues Total

Within Palm 331 87,570 51 23 $1,686,751 53.6
Beach County

Within Region 118 59,506 34.7 15.6 999,221 31.7

Within State 11 2,993 1_7 0.8 80,587 2.6

Out of State 86 21,556 12.6 5.6 381,724 12.1

TOTAL 546 171,625 100.0 45.0 $3,148,284 100.0

A look at sample parcels f rom dif f er'en t areas in the County reveals

some informative patterns of assessed tax value. In general, the highest

valued properties are in or adjacent to the urbanized area, especially

near the coastline. The northern and western portions of the County exhibit

generally lower assessed values. The differences between agricultural and

vacant uses show no definite pattern, but citrus grove areas seem to be

assessed more highly than other crop land. One interesting point is the

fact that the developed strip along the turnpike has not seemed to

significantly raise the assessed values of adjacent large single-owner
parcels to any appreciable extent. (See Table 14)

In summary, coastal zone ownership patterns in Palm Beach County

are characterized by areas of developed platted land in linear extensions

along the coastline and along the Florida Turnpike (south from

around the city of Palm Beach to the County boundary) and by a large

percentage (45%) of large single-owner parcels between these areas and

in the far western portions of the coastal zone. A notable character-

istic is the relative lack of undeveloped platted land, indicating

versatility in terms of the types and sizes of developments

which may be initiated in the future.

The pressures on lands with access to water (river, waterway, or

oceanfront) and those with transportation access is exhibited in the

ownership patterns of Palm Beach County, and also in the assessed tax

values of the several sample parcels.

The vast majority of the land remaining unplatted and undeveloped is

marginal land, flood prone, or in marsh areas. Therefore, if future

growth demands expansion beyond the developed area,it will have to

extend into these more environmentally sensitive areas.

TABLE 14 -

Assessed Valuation:
SAMPLE LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCELS

Distinguishing Total Per Acre
Acreage Location Feature of Characteristic Land Use Assessed Value Assessment

80 Far Nw corner of coastal timited access; extreme NW vacant $ 24,000 300
zone location (flood prone)

40 Northern part of County; on Adjacent to developed area, Vacant 160,000 4,000
Loxahatchee River surrounded by single-family
residential; river-front
(flood-prone)

81 Northern part of County on ocean-fron 't; surrounded by Vacant 994,649 12,279
AlA; Atlantic Ocean mostly vacant areas

596 Far western part of coastal Parcel size; surrounded by
zone agriculture; western location Citrus groves 357,534 599

418 Far western part of coastal Parcel size; surrounded by Crop land & 125,400 300
zone agriculture; western location pasture

so West Palm Beach developed area Location in developed area Vacant 191,910 3,838

20 Palm Beach area, on AlAt oceanfront; developed area Single-family 1,763,353
Atlantic Ocean residential

640 Southcentral Country; adjacent Surrounded by developed Agriculture 238,000 371
to Turnpike platted area (in agricultur-
al use); Turnpike (flood
prone)

105 South of Boca Raton, in Surrounded by single-family Open + other 1,320,000 12,571
developed area on Broward residential development category
County line (flood prone; marshes)

49 Soutli of Boynton Beach, Surrounded by developed Single-family .247,500 5,000
West of U.S. 1 platted residential
and open

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OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES

State .2

Federal .5
County 2.4

City 5.6

Private 91.6

Public 8.4 Multi-Owner 5.1

Undeveloped
Platted 8.1

Large
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Platted 33.3 owner 45.1

St. Lucie County

St. Lucie County land ownership patterns are strongly dominated

by large single-owner parcels and undeveloped platted land, each

comprising approximately 25 percent of the land area in the coastal

zone. These two categories are very important in determining the

availability and distribution of land for future growth. The coastal

zone includes 97,540 acres of land area (26 percefit of the total land
I
area of the County), as well as 67,780 acres of coastal water.

Table 15 shows the breakdown of ownership categories.

Government owned lands account for approximately 5,000 acres, or 5

percent of the coastal zone. Another .6 percent (610 acres) is

reclaimed submerged land; the remaining 94 percent is in private

ownership.

TABLE 15: OWNERSHIP DATA

Acres Percentage

Federal 40 .04
State 1,860 1.92
County 1,940 2.00
city 1,110 1.15

Undeveloped Platted 24,680 25.46
Developed Platted 31,965 32.98
Less than 5 owners 5,540 5.72
per 40 acres
5 - 15 3,870 3.99
More than 15 owners 930 . .95
Large single-owner 24,995 25.79
(20+ acres)

TOTALS 96,930 100.00

SUBMERGED 610

North of the city of Ft. Pierce, privately-owned land is mostly

in parcels of 20 acres or more in single-ownership. This land is

currently in groves or other agricultural uses, with some vacant

areas. Hutchinson Island, north of the inlet, is in unplatted

multiple ownership parcels. These lands are in the hurricane flood

zone, and the western edge of the island contains mangrove areas

which combined with the ownership patterns, could be significant

restrictions on large scale development.

The area adjacent to the airport is in vacant large single-owner

parcels, and therefore has strong'development potential. The Ft.

Pierce urbanized area is classified as developed platted land,

extending roughly 2.5 miles north and south, and 2 miles east and

west.

A significant pattern of large single-owner parcels is scattered in

a crescent-shape, ringing the western side of the city of Ft. Pierce.

There is a total of approximately 3000 acres in the area-remaining

primarily in citrus groves and other agricultural uses. Platting has not

yet extended beyond the residential areas of the city, but because of this

ownership pattern and the adjacency to the already urbanized area, this

section provides a natural extension of development.

State-owned Pepper Park (including Jack Island), east of Ft. Pierce

on Hutchinson Island, comprises about 675 acres. South of the Ft. Pierce

Inlet, Hutchinson Island is largely unplatted, vacant and in mangroves.

Just due east of the urbanized area there is a predominance of large

single-owner parcels, totalling about 1500 acres.

In the south central portion of the County are large concentrations

of platted land, both developed and undeveloped.

South of Ft. Pierce and east of U.S. 1, a large area of approximately

2500 acres is categorized developed platted, but remains mostly vacant

with only scattered single-family residences. This is part of the

Indian River Estates development, ultimately planned to encompass 7900

acres.

To the southwest, bordering the Turnpike, is an extremely large

tract of developed platted land, which as yet remains largely vacant.

This area is part of the Port St. Lucie development, planned to have a

total of 46,300 acres in St. Lucie County, with a very small portion beyond

the coastal zone boundary. This total comprises almost one@half the land

area of the coastal zone in St. Lucie County.

There are 24,995 acres of land held in parcels of 20 acres.or larger

by single owners, and over 75 percent of this land is owned by persons

or companies located outside St. Lucie County. Over 13,000 acres, or

half of this land in large single ownerships is owned by persons who

live outside the County, but within the Region. Approximately 14 percent

(3464 acres) of the acreage in large.single ownerships is held by people

from outside Plori da, as shown in Table 16.

A brief analysis of tax assessment values in St. Lucie County indicates

higher values of land with waterfront access. Assessed values on

.agricultural land are relatively low and decrease with distance from

Ft. Pierce. (See Table 17)

The significant percentages of large single-owner and undeveloped

platted parcels shows the relative lack of current development or

subdivision in St. Lucie County, but at the same time indicates the

potential for growth because of ownership characteristics. The distribution

of these ownership patterns surrounding the urbanized Ft. Pierce area and

along the coastal edge extending to the south is significant, as the

developed strip along the South Florida Region's eastern side begins

to close into a continuous urbanized corridor.

TABLE 16: LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCEL DATA

Percent of
total land Percent of Total Percent
Location of in large of coastal tax of
Owner owners Acres ownershi2 zone land value total

Within St. 101 6,107.08 24.4 6.3 $189,049 .26.2
Lucie County

Within Region 60 13,07.2.67 52.3 13.3 297,746 41.2
(Dade and
Broward) (39) (10,813.39) (43.3) (11.1) (235,874) (32.6)

Within State 23 2,3S1.88 9.4 2.5 44,961 6.2

Out of State 33 3,463.54 13.9 3.6 191,302 26.5

TOTAL 217 24,995.17 100 25.6 $723,060 100

TABLE 17:

Assessed Valuation:
SAMPLE LARGE SINGLE-OWNER PARCELS

Distinguishing.Feature Total Per Acre
Acres Location or Characteristic Land Use Assessment Assessment

97 North of Ft. Pierce Adjacent to developed Vacant $ 217,650 $ 2,244
area

as Hutchinson Island Coastline location Vacant 3,203,250 36,bl9
coastline on AIA (mangrove area)

99 West of Ft. Pierce, Agriculture use; west Crop land & 377,520 3,783
Route 70 of developed area pasture

121 Southern part of County Turnpike access; in Vacant 52,620 435
on Martin County line; platted area (part of
abutting turnpike major planned development)

281 Central portion of Location; turnpike Agriculture 490,490 1,745
County adjacent to access (flood prone)
turnpike

180 West of current Surrounded by develop- Agriculture 261,100 1,450
single family resi- ment
dential area, central
portion

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FLORIDA'S@ TURNPIKE
@11j FORT

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St Lucie County li'..J] FORT PIERCE,'
locat ion map'---:
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Co@Lstal Zone Boundary

ST. LUCIE COUNTY
OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES

State 1.9
County 1.9
Feder.al .04 City 1."l

Private 95.1

Public 5.07

Large
Single
Owner 25.6
Undeveloped
Platted 25.3

Developed
Platted 32.8 Multi-Owner 10.5

55-

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Coastal Coordinating Council. 1972. Florida coastal zone management
atlas: a preliminary survey and analysis. Florida Coastal Coordinating
Council.

Garretson, Albert, et al. 1968. The land-sea interface of the coastal
zone of the United States. Washington, D.C.: National Council on
Marine Resource and Engineering Development.

Tebeau, Charlton. 1971. A history of Florida. Coral Gables, Florida:
University of Miami Press.

Statutes

Title to Tidal Lands Vested in State. Section 253.12(2)(A), Florida
Statutes.

NOAA COASTAL SERVICES, CTR LIBRARY
3 6668 14112726 8