Explanation of Indicator
A growing population and favorable economic conditions have resulted in an increased demand for commercial and residential development along Florida's coast. The complications of increased development are diverse; the effects range from improved economic
health to obstructed public access.
The effects of development are hotly debated; however, the effects of individual development often go unnoticed. This is largely due to the fact that the impact of a single, small development is often relatively minor; however, the cumulative effects of development are quite noticeable. As Rieser states, "cumulative effects or impacts have been defined as the total effect on the environment of a series of related or unrelated land development activities taking place within one region over a period of time.".1
The cumulative effects of development are responsible for the loss of beach access, environmentally sensitive areas, and scenic areas.2 New residential construction is one of the leading forms of incremental development that threatens the coast. If the state does not track construction, it may fail to notice the rapid loss of undeveloped land and the urgency of the pro blem.
Data on the miles of developed coastline would be of great benefit to the state in its efforts to assess the true impacts of development. If the course of development can be tracked, the impacts of small development projects are less likely to go unnotic ed. Thus, the miles of developed coastal properties provide an excellent indication of the overall impacts of multiple small development projects, i.e., the cumulative impacts of development. This information is necessary if the state is to correctly as sess the need to protect undeveloped coastline.
Data Characteristics
SOURCE
Currently these data are not available in summarized form. The most accessible source of available data is the individual property records in the title offices.
ACQUISITION
Not applicable.
COLLECTION
Not applicable.
Recommendations
The usefulness of this information depends on the ability to collect it continuously and update it frequently. At most, the interval between reports should be one year. Thus, a relatively inexpensive method of data collection must be used. The need for
inexpensive collection rules out Landsat for this particular indicator. The best method of collection may be to produce a list of all property identification numbers for properties located along the coast, and then via visual survey (either aerial or by
driving by each property) determine whether each property is developed. The labor-intensive nature of this project dictates that the data collection be conducted by county authorities, preferably county planning departments. These departments would lik
ely need funding; however, once the initial inventory had been recorded in a database, which would include the beach frontage and the size of the lot, the annual updates would be less costly and funding needs would decrease. After the initial survey, the
departments would need to visit only those sites previously recorded as undeveloped to determine whether they were still undeveloped. Finally, the developed coastal properties should always be compared to total coastal property available, and the potent
ial for future development should be considered by studying the future land use map.