Florida, state, United States: The Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries

Florida has been one of the fastest growing states in the country for many decades. During the 1980s it surpassed Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania to become the fourth largest state, and has retained that position. Thousands of retired persons have settled in the state, particularly in St. Petersburg on the west coast and on the eastern coast from West Palm Beach to the vicinity of Miami, nicknamed the “Gold Coast.” The central interior of the state is the fastest growing region, particularly the corridor along Interstate 4, which connects the Tampa Bay–St. Petersburg area through Orlando to Daytona Beach.

Florida is subject to hurricanes, and the extensive development during the late 20th cent. has led to an increase in the damage caused by such storms. Hurricane Andrew devastated much of S Florida in 1992, leaving over 200,000 people homeless and costing property insurers more than $15 billion. In 1995, Hurricane Opal raged along the Panhandle coast. Four hurricanes struck Florida in 2004, resulting in widespread damage, and Hurricane Wilma also caused extensive damage in S Florida the following year. In 2017 Hurricane Irma affected much of Peninsula Florida, and struck the middle and upper Keys especially hard; in 2018 Michael, a category-5 storm and one of the most intense hurricanes to hit the mainland United States since the 1850s, devastated areas in the state's Panhandle.

In 1994 the state approved a $685 million program to restore the deteriorating Everglades ecosystem, and in 1996 the federal government substantially enlarged the Everglades plans. Those plans, however, were complicated by expenses associated with the state's 2008 decision to purchase sizable farmland acreage in the N Everglades, but in 2010 the proposed purchases were scaled back significantly.

In Nov., 2000, Florida became the focus of unlooked-for national attention when George W. Bush and Al Gore found themselves separated by a thin margin in the contest for the state's electoral votes, which both needed to win the presidency. With Bush holding a lead of a few hundred out of several million, the outcome was fought over in the state government, state and federal courts, and the media. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on Bush's side in December, but deficiencies that were exposed in voting systems, recount methods, and even ballot design guaranteed that victory would be tarnished no matter who won (and led to an overhaul of Florida's election system).

Lawton Chiles, elected governor in 1990 and reelected in 1994, was the last Democrat to serve in this office to date. He was succeeded by moderate Republicans John Ellis “Jeb” Bush (1998-2006) and Charlie Crist (2006-10). A more conservative Republican Rick Scott was elected to succeed Christ in 2010. Scott was reelected in 2014, defeating Crist (who ran as a Democrat); he susbequently was elected to the U.S. Senate (2018- ). Scott pursued conservative positions, tightening voter ID laws, opposing legalizing marijuana and restricting its medical use, and opposing Obamacare and the expansion of Medicaid in Florida. In 2018 Ron DeSantis, another conservative Republican, was elected governor. DeSantis gained national attention for his strong opposition to any restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19, becoming a hero to conservative supporters of Trump.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries
• Relations with Latin America and the Caribbean
• From Depression to Postwar Growth
• Land Booms
• Statehood, Civil War, and Reconstruction
• U.S. Occupation
• English Colonization
• Early Spanish and French Exploration
• Government, Politics, and Higher Education
• Economy
• Geography
• Facts and Figures

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