Coastal infrastructureSouth Florida wants to secede from Florida over sea level rise
When people talk of “secession” in the United States they typically have Texas, Vermont, or the former Confederate states in mind, and the reasons for driving secession typically have to do with politics or money. Not anymore. The city of South Miami earlier this month passed a resolution which called for southern Florida to secede from the rest of the state, citing climate change as the reason. There are many differences between north and south Florida: South Florida is largely urban and politically tends to lean left, while the north is mostly rural and much more conservative. If south Florida reminds people of New York, the Florida panhandle resembles Alabama. Then there is this: The northern part of the state is, on average, 120 feet above sea level, but much of the southern section averages only fifteen feet above sea level. South Floridian say that the state government in Tallahassee ignores the perils of sea level rise, which are particularly acute in south Florida, so the time has come to separate from the aloof north.
South Florida considering secession from Florida // Source: unabg.org
Rising sea levels now appear to have political consequences. When people talk of “secession” in the United States they typically have Texas, Vermont, or the former Confederate states in mind, and the reasons for driving secession typically have to do with politics or money. Not anymore.
The National Journal reports that the city of South Miami earlier this month passed a resolution which called for southern Florida to secede from the rest of the state, citing climate change as the reason.
Walter Harris, vice mayor of South Miami, told the Journal that south and north Florida have had their differences for a long time, which is understandable: South Florida is largely urban and politically tends to lean left, while the north is mostly rural and much more conservative. If south Florida reminds people of New York, the Florida panhandle resembles Alabama.
Observers note that in addition to the political and cultural differences, there is also an economic imbalance between Florida’s north and south: The resolution calling for south Florida independence notes that 69 percent of Florida’s $22 billion in tax revenue comes from the twenty-four counties in the southern part of the state.
Harris says that what has finally driven him and others in the south to seek to separate from the north was the acceleration of climate change.
Economic and political divisions “would be reason enough” to split, says Harris, “but now you add the reality of global warming.” The rising sea level is of particular concern.
The northern part of the state is, on average, 120 feet above sea level, but much of the southern section averages only fifteen feet above sea level, the resolution states (see “Miami ‘Ground Zero’ for risks associated with sea level rise,” HSNW, 7 May 2014; “Florida moves to protect coastal roads from sea level rise,” HSNW, 29 April 2014; “Florida Keys preparing for rising sea levels,” HWNW, 10 September 2014; and Harold R. Wanless, “Rising sea levels will be too much, too fast for Florida,” HSNW,30 May 2014).
Harris notes that the Everglades are in danger of drowning, as are two nuclear reactors at the southern tip of Florida, which is situated fewer than five feet above sea level. He adds that more than 2.5 million pounds of nuclear waste are buried at the site.
Harris told the Journal that what complicating matters even more is the fact that much of southern Florida is built on limestone. Rising sea level thus affects more than just the coastal areas, as water rises up through the permeable bedrock and affects drainage inland.
Tallahassee, the state’s capital located in the Florida panhandle, would not take action to address these problems, Harris says. “We need to be able to deal with this situation with a government that recognizes that we’re not North Florida,” he says.
Harris, a Democrat, is particularly angry at Republican governor Rick Scott. “This [sea level rise] is a reality, even though our present governor doesn’t think so,” he says. “Other than the governor of this state, it’s an issue that everyone recognizes.”
The governor’s spokesman responded by highlighting a comment Scott made at a gubernatorial debate Tuesday night. Scott refuses to acknowledge that human activity is contributing to climate change, but he said that he had spent $350 million to address sea-level rise in the Miami area, and mentioned other large spending programs aimed at protecting Florida’s coral reefs and springs.
Harris admits that secession is an uphill battle. “I’m called Don Quixote about the whole thing,” he says. “But I believe it will happen because, basically, it has to. This is unprecedented in man’s existence.”
