This timeline is part of State of Water, a collaborative effort of students in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida ;xNLx;;xNLx;Background photo by Hannah Winston
Ponce de Leon reaches Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth
Florida becomes a state
St. Augustine lawyer Buckingham Smith sent by the government to investigate the marsh in Florida
The California gold rush lowers the already low value for Florida land
Swamp Overflowed Lands Act turns wetlands over to states to drain for development.
Florida's population is 140,423
The waterway was created from Jacksonville to Miami for easier transportation and travel.
“From what I have observed, I should think Florida was nine-tenths water, and the other tenth swamp,” journal entry
Ditch-and-Drain Law - The first water law for Florida. It allowed counties to drain or build water courses so the land could be developed for landowners to use.
President Theodore Roosevelt establishes the first U.S. wildlife refugee in Florida, Pelican Island in Indian River Lagoon.
Population grows to 2.5 million with easier access to trains and cars.
Real estate collapse
Economic growth and recovery
The first mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs, the only spring fed water park in Florida, takes place. The "mermaids" performed synchronized dances underwater while using custom made air hoses so they could stay under water for long periods of time.
Narrated feature on the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs in 1961.
Florida's population grows about 558 people a day during this time period.
A Chevrolet commercial promoting tourism in Florida (1950s)
Miami Seaquarium opens as the largest marine-life attraction in the world. The 38-acre park cost $2.3 million.
"Local governments now had to issue dredge-and-‹ll permits and establish “bulkhead lines” to de‹ne the outer limits of waterfront development. "
By 1960, only one sewage-treatment plant had been built in the entire state of Florida.
Walt Disney buys 27,500 acres of land in central Florida for $200 an acre
Deltona Corporation, a Florida development company, turns Marco Island, a then natural sanctuary, into 5,700 waterfront lots for potential homeowners.
Florida legislation gives Disney governmental power over its own land.
It created a board and permitting process to oversee air and water pollution discharges
The United States Environmental Protection Agency is created.
The Clean Water Act of 1972 makes it illegal to pollute water in the U.S. unless the polluter has a permit to do so by the government.
The Magic Kingdom opens to the public with blue waters surrounding Walt Disney's dream
Florida's Water Resources Act of 1972 establishes water management districts across the state. The state was split up into five water districts: Northwest Florida, Suwannee River, St. Johns River, Southwest Florida and South Florida
Journalist Luther J. Carter reports that more than 60,000 acres of fish and shellfish habitat had been dredged and filled.
The Everglades National Park is established. Today it is the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S.
In the Fort Walton Beach area, Floridan aquifer levels dropped to as low as 100 feet below sea level. Source
The St. Johns River Water Management District released an emergency water shortage declaration.
Surface Water Improvement and Management Act passed.
Disney World gets into dumping and polluting trouble.
The St. Johns Water Management District develops a method to protect water levels.
Category 5 Hurricane Andrew hits South Florida killing 15 people directly, 25 indirectly and causing more than $30 billion in property damage. At the time, it was the costliest disaster in the U.S. history. In comparison, Hurricane Katrina cost $81 billion in 2005.
President George W. Bush works with brother, and Florida Governor, Jeb Bush on $7.8 billion restoration project.
Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant is operational after a five-year delay because of bankruptcy. When functionally fully, the plant is the largest in the United States producing 25 million gallons of drinking water per day. Though with years of problems, it hasn't been able to produce that much.
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