Customer Reviews

Florida's Megatrends: Critical Issues in Florida

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Florida's Megatrends was picked up by me to understand Florida better and its current state as it stands. The authors did a nice job of presenting a balanced picture of Florida. I liked the book as a way of being up-to-date when it comes to critical areas of concern such as senior citizen population, the growth factor, education, weather, clean, drinking water capacity etc. While reading Florida's Megatrends, I was getting disappointed that the authors failed to mention anything about crime until the very last few pages; too little, too late. Also, the authors did not mention anything about the mental health problem that is prevalent in Florida, especially in Miami, which costs the state millions of dollars and also impacts the court systems to handle those load of cases. Another thing that the authors failed to talk about is the high rate of unemployment. On the environmental issue, they did not really talk about how many beaches are closing down, and the book did not make it in time after the BP Oil Spill happened. So that's a whole another issue facing Florida. Surprisingly, the authors did not bother talking about the mortgage crisis facing Florida and how it is affecting the citizens of the state. Although the authors made a small mention of the professional teams of Florida such as Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, what they failed to mention is that they aren't doing well at all as they never sell out seats and usually have half-filled stadiums. One more issue missing in Florida's Megatrends is the continuing renovation of the infrastructure system including roads. That costs the state a lot of money. There is the issue of global warming which places a big stress on the environment, another one missed by the authors. I could go on and on, but the fact is: the authors missed a trainload of issues in the book. All in all, Florida's Megatrends needs to be redone to include these issues plus the inclusion of what's happening to Florida post-BP Oil Spill, and instead, the authors went overboard in explaining about the history of politics of the state. Interesting, but...zzzzz.

Dr. Colburn earns his reputation as one of Florida's premier scholars in this succincnt but highly informative work on some of the so-called "megatrends" that have fundamentally altered the course of the Sunshine State's development in the last 100 years. Essentially, this book discusses how Florida - at the end of the Civil War the most economically and culturally blighted state of the Deep South - transitioned from a heritage of cotton-based, agrarian despondency into one of today's quintessential "Sunbelt" growth centers, along with states like Texas, Arizona, and California. After two framing introductory chapters - one covering Florida's history up to 1940, and another from 1940 onward - the authors delve into several specific facets of our state's evolving culture, from a population that is increasingly diverse and increasingly old, to the looming fiscal crisis based on the state's antiquated taxation system, to some of the peculiar political problems that have plagued the state recently. A common theme is how the interplay of Northern and Southern elements dominates a variety of elements of life in the state, and how Florida now finds itself in an intermediary state, still somewhat connected to its Deep South past but ready to evolve (out of sheer necessity) toward a radically different future. In the closing chapter, issues ranging from environmental challenges, the lingering history of racial segregation, and staggering challenges facing public education are presented as key obstacles that must be overcome in order to cement Florida's place as a "role model" for other high-growth states.

At only 145 pages, Dr. Colburn's work is an easy read for demographics enthusiasts or more casual students of state history. Perhaps the only downside to the book is the overemphasis on some repetitive themes (i.e., Florida is rapidly evolving, Florida has a Southern past but a Sunbelt future, etc.) at the expense of specific details in places, but this is a minor setback, at best.

I am a resident of Suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and have just returned from my third visit to Florida, the most recent one lasting for a month and which included a four day, 800 mile whirlwind tour of selected Florida locations, guided by a Friend who is a former Pennsylvanian and who has resided in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and vicinity, Florida for then past eleven years or so.

The venues included Miami and environs, including South Beach, Fort Lauderdale and environs, particularly Lauderdale-by-the-Sea,Palm Beach, West Palm Beach,Juno, Vero Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Orlando environs, Fort Myers and environs, Sanibel, Captiva and Tampa. Of course, this whirlwind tour, due to limited time, did not include all of the major Regions of the State and its Major Cities. A previous visit had included a three day visit to the Florida Keys, including Key West.My basic objectives were to visit and socialize with Friends and along with recreation, familiarize myself with the History and Present of Florida. After having completed the visit, I felt the need of an overview of what I had seen, in order to make comprehensive sense of what was essentially a partial mosaic in space and time.

This book has filled the Bill for me. The Authors are Scholars who write in a very readable and authoritative Style and I can heartilly reccomend it to anyone who wishes to understnad the Past, Present and Probable Future of Florida.