Alternative Text Description for Legacy Pollution

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays areas identified as Legacy Pollution within the state of Florida. The map highlights geographic regions that meet specific criteria related to pollution burden and environmental justice concerns. Areas shown in gray represent locations where legacy pollution conditions exist according to the applied data filters.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, extending from the northern border near cities like Dothan, Albany, and Savannah in the south Georgia region, down through the Florida peninsula to Miami and the Florida Keys. Major cities labeled on the map include Jacksonville on the northeast coast, Tallahassee in the panhandle region, Gainesville in north-central Florida, Orlando in central Florida, Tampa and St. Petersburg on the west coast, and Miami on the southeast coast. The map shows Florida bordered by the Gulf of America to the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Portions of southern Georgia and Alabama are visible at the northern edge of the map.

KEY INSIGHTS

Legacy pollution areas are concentrated along Florida's coastlines and in portions of the panhandle region. The most extensive coverage appears along the Gulf of America coast in the panhandle area, extending from the Pensacola region eastward toward Tallahassee. Additional concentrations are visible along portions of the Atlantic coast, particularly in the northern coastal areas and scattered sections of the southeast coast. The Tampa Bay metropolitan area shows notable coverage on the west coast. Central and interior portions of the Florida peninsula show significantly less coverage, with large areas appearing to have no identified legacy pollution sites meeting the specified criteria.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Legacy Pollution

This layer represents census tracts that meet multiple environmental and demographic criteria related to legacy pollution burdens and environmental justice indicators.

Legacy Pollution Areas (shown in gray)

Appearance:

Areas are displayed as solid gray polygons representing census tract boundaries where the definition query criteria are met.

Distribution:

Gray shaded areas appear primarily along coastal regions, with the heaviest concentration in the Florida panhandle along the Gulf of America coast. Additional distributions occur along portions of the Atlantic coast, around the Tampa Bay area, and in scattered coastal locations throughout the peninsula.

Notable locations:

The most prominent concentration extends across multiple counties in the western panhandle region. The Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area shows significant coverage. Portions of the Jacksonville area and scattered sections of the southeast Florida coast, including areas near Miami, also contain legacy pollution zones.

Spatial patterns:

Legacy pollution areas follow a predominantly coastal distribution pattern, with most identified tracts located within proximity to major water bodies. The pattern suggests correlation with coastal urbanization and industrial development. Interior portions of the state show minimal coverage, indicating that legacy pollution burden meeting these specific criteria is largely concentrated in coastal and urbanized regions.

Overlapping Patterns

The gray shaded areas represent census tracts where multiple environmental burden indicators overlap with demographic vulnerability factors, as specified in the definition query filtering criteria.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents a filtered subset of environmental justice data, showing only those census tracts that meet all specified criteria in the definition query. Areas not shaded in gray either do not meet the filtering criteria or lack sufficient data. The map focuses on legacy pollution burden areas rather than showing all environmental concern areas in Florida. The visualization emphasizes census tract-level analysis for environmental justice screening purposes.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

The data is derived from environmental justice screening indicators that combine pollution proximity measures with demographic and health vulnerability factors. The source dataset is JUSTICE_40_TRACT_JUN22.

Definition Query:

This map displays only census tracts meeting the following combined criteria: hazardous waste proximity indicator (HWLI=1) OR superfund site proximity indicator (SFLI=1) OR risk management plan facility proximity indicator (RMPLI=1) AND median energy burden indicator (M_EBSI=1) AND percent low life expectancy indicator (CA_LT20=1). This filtering identifies areas with legacy pollution sources that also experience energy burden and reduced life expectancy.

Scale Information:

The map is displayed at a statewide scale appropriate for viewing regional patterns across Florida. This zoom level is suitable for understanding broad geographic distribution of legacy pollution areas but may not show fine-grained details within individual census tracts.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content:

The data is dated June 2022 based on the source layer name.

Limitations:

The map shows only areas meeting all specified filtering criteria simultaneously. Census tracts with pollution concerns that do not meet all criteria are not displayed. Data accuracy depends on the underlying datasets used to calculate each indicator. Some areas may lack complete data coverage.

Map Coverage:

The map extent covers the entire state of Florida and portions of adjacent states including southern Georgia and Alabama. The primary focus is Florida's census tracts, with neighboring areas shown for geographic context.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.