Alternative Text Description for Generalized Land Use (2015)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays generalized land use patterns across the state of Florida as of 2015. The dataset consolidates 99 parcel-specific land use classes into 15 generalized categories, providing a comprehensive view of how land is used throughout the state. The map shows the spatial distribution of agricultural, residential, public, commercial, and other land use types across Florida's diverse landscape.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, extending from the panhandle region in the northwest, where Dothan, Alabama, and Albany, Georgia, are visible as neighboring areas, to the Florida Keys in the south near the Straits of Florida. Major cities labeled on the map include Jacksonville on the northeast coast, Orlando in central Florida, Tampa and St. Petersburg on the west-central coast, and Miami in the southeast. The Gulf of America forms Florida's western boundary, while the Atlantic Ocean borders the state to the east. Valdosta, Georgia, is visible to the north of the Florida-Georgia border, and Savannah, Georgia, appears in the northeast corner of the map extent.

KEY INSIGHTS

Agriculture (shown in dark green) dominates large portions of Florida's interior and panhandle regions, forming the most extensive land use category across the state. Public and semi-public lands (shown in bright blue) are distributed throughout the state with notable concentrations in north-central Florida, the Everglades region in south Florida, and scattered large parcels in the panhandle. Urban and developed areas, including centrally assessed, residential, and retail/office properties, appear as smaller, scattered features concentrated around major metropolitan areas including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale. Yellow areas representing acreage not zoned for agriculture appear prominently in the south-central region near Lake Okeechobee and along coastal areas. Water bodies (shown in light blue/gray) are visible as large features including Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida and numerous water features throughout the state.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Generalized Land Use Categories

This layer represents land use classifications derived from parcel data provided to the Florida Department of Transportation. The 15 generalized categories show distinct spatial patterns reflecting Florida's diverse land uses.

Agriculture (dark green)

Appearance: Dark green polygons of varying sizes

Distribution: Extensively distributed throughout the Florida panhandle, north-central Florida, and interior regions of the peninsula. Agricultural lands form large contiguous blocks in rural areas.

Notable locations: Concentrated in the panhandle west of Tallahassee, the area between Gainesville and Jacksonville, central Florida between Tampa and Orlando, and the interior regions south of Lake Okeechobee including areas near the Everglades Agricultural Area.

Spatial patterns: Agriculture forms the predominant rural land use, with large continuous tracts interspersed with other land use categories. Agricultural areas typically occupy interior locations away from coastal development corridors.

Public/Semi-Public (bright blue)

Appearance: Bright blue polygons ranging from small parcels to very large areas

Distribution: Widely distributed across the state with major concentrations in north-central Florida, the Everglades region, scattered locations in the panhandle, and various state and federal lands throughout Florida.

Notable locations: Large contiguous areas in the Ocala National Forest region north of Orlando, Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park in south Florida, military installations near Jacksonville and the panhandle, and scattered conservation and public lands throughout the state.

Spatial patterns: Public lands appear both as large consolidated tracts (national forests, parks, military bases) and smaller distributed parcels (local parks, government facilities). The largest concentrations occur in environmentally sensitive or conservation areas.

Acreage Not Zoned for Agriculture (chartreuse/yellow-green)

Appearance: Bright chartreuse or yellow-green polygons

Distribution: Appears as scattered small to medium-sized parcels throughout the state, with notable concentrations in south-central Florida and along coastal regions.

Notable locations: Prominent in the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee, scattered throughout the Everglades Agricultural Area, and distributed along the Gulf of America coast and Atlantic coast in various locations.

Spatial patterns: Often appears adjacent to or interspersed with agricultural lands, suggesting transitional or rural non-agricultural land uses.

Water (light blue-gray)

Appearance: Light blue-gray to pale blue polygons

Distribution: Distributed throughout Florida representing lakes, rivers, coastal waters, and wetland water bodies.

Notable locations: Lake Okeechobee appears as a large feature in south-central Florida, numerous lakes visible in central Florida's lake district near Orlando, river systems throughout the state, and coastal water features along both coastlines.

Spatial patterns: Water features range from small ponds and lakes to large inland water bodies and coastal features, reflecting Florida's abundant water resources.

Centrally Assessed (orange)

Appearance: Orange polygons, generally small to medium-sized

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state with higher concentrations in developed and urbanizing areas.

Notable locations: Visible near major urban centers including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami areas, as well as distributed along transportation corridors.

Spatial patterns: Centrally assessed properties often appear as linear features along transportation corridors or clustered near urban areas, representing utilities, railroads, and other infrastructure assessed at the state level.

Recreation (light green)

Appearance: Light green polygons

Distribution: Scattered throughout Florida, often near urban areas and along coastlines.

Notable locations: Visible along coastal areas, near major cities, and interspersed with residential and commercial development.

Spatial patterns: Recreation properties typically appear as smaller parcels distributed in developed areas, representing parks, golf courses, and recreational facilities.

Residential (light pink/salmon)

Appearance: Light pink or salmon-colored polygons, typically small

Distribution: Concentrated in and around major metropolitan areas and scattered throughout smaller communities.

Notable locations: Dense concentrations around Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, and other urban centers, with smaller clusters in towns throughout the state.

Spatial patterns: Residential areas form distinct clusters around urban cores and along coastlines, appearing as small scattered parcels that collectively create recognizable suburban and urban residential patterns.

Retail/Office (magenta/hot pink)

Appearance: Magenta or hot pink polygons, generally small

Distribution: Concentrated in commercial corridors and urban centers.

Notable locations: Most visible in major metropolitan areas including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami regions, typically along major commercial corridors.

Spatial patterns: Retail and office properties appear as small, scattered parcels within or adjacent to residential and commercial development, often forming linear patterns along major roadways.

Industrial (light purple/lavender)

Appearance: Light purple or lavender polygons

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state with concentrations near major cities and ports.

Notable locations: Visible near Jacksonville's port area, Tampa Bay industrial areas, Miami-Fort Lauderdale region, and scattered locations near transportation infrastructure.

Spatial patterns: Industrial properties tend to cluster near transportation hubs, ports, and major highway corridors.

Institutional (medium purple)

Appearance: Medium purple polygons, typically small to medium-sized

Distribution: Distributed throughout urban and suburban areas.

Notable locations: Present near major cities and towns, representing schools, hospitals, government facilities, and other institutional uses.

Spatial patterns: Institutional properties appear as scattered individual parcels within developed areas.

Vacant Non-Residential (very pale purple/gray)

Appearance: Very pale purple or light gray polygons

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state in various locations.

Notable locations: Distributed in both urban and rural contexts throughout Florida.

Spatial patterns: Represents undeveloped parcels designated for non-residential uses, appearing as scattered individual properties.

Vacant/Residential (tan/beige)

Appearance: Tan or beige polygons

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state, often adjacent to developed areas.

Notable locations: Present in suburban and exurban areas throughout Florida, representing vacant land designated for future residential development.

Spatial patterns: Often appears on the edges of existing residential development or in areas of ongoing growth.

Other (orange)

Appearance: Orange polygons (distinct from centrally assessed in context or intensity)

Distribution: Scattered locations throughout Florida.

Notable locations: Present in various contexts throughout the state, representing miscellaneous land uses not fitting other categories.

Spatial patterns: Appears as scattered parcels in diverse locations.

Mining (dark purple/maroon)

Appearance: Dark purple or maroon polygons

Distribution: Limited distribution with specific concentrations in mining areas.

Notable locations: While present on the map, mining operations appear as relatively small or scattered features, likely representing phosphate mining operations in central Florida and other mineral extraction sites.

Spatial patterns: Mining properties appear as individual parcels in areas with mineral resources.

ROW (Right of Way) (black)

Appearance: Black linear or small polygons

Distribution: Linear features representing transportation and utility corridors throughout the state.

Notable locations: Present along major highways, roads, and utility corridors statewide.

Spatial patterns: Rights of way appear as narrow linear features following transportation networks and infrastructure corridors.

Overlapping Patterns

The map reveals clear relationships between land use categories. Agricultural lands dominate rural interior regions, while urban land uses (residential, retail/office, industrial, institutional) cluster densely around major metropolitan areas. Public and semi-public lands appear as large preserves in environmentally significant areas and as smaller parcels distributed throughout developed regions. Water features are integrated throughout all land use patterns, reflecting Florida's water-rich environment. Coastal areas show higher concentrations of residential, commercial, and recreational uses, while interior regions maintain predominantly agricultural character with interspersed conservation lands.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This generalized land use map simplifies parcel-level data into broader categories to facilitate regional planning and analysis. The original parcel data contained 99 detailed land use codes from the Florida Department of Revenue (FDOR), which have been consolidated into these 15 generalized classes for this dataset. Users should note that beginning in 2015, the FDOR modified two land use values: Value 009 changed to "Residential Common Elements/Areas" (maintaining Generalized Land Use code 11 - Residential), and Value 080 changed to "Vacant Governmental" (reclassified from Generalized Land Use code 7 - Other to code 8 - Public/Semi-Public). The map is best used for understanding broad land use patterns rather than parcel-specific details. At this statewide scale, smaller land use parcels may appear as individual pixels or small clusters, while the overall patterns reveal Florida's land use character across regional scales.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

This dataset was derived from parcel-specific land use data provided to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The underlying data comes from county property appraiser records using the Florida Department of Revenue's land use classification system, which was generalized from 99 detailed categories into 15 broader classes. The data represents conditions as of 2015.

Data source layer name: LU_GEN_2015

Definition Query:

No definition query or filter criteria was applied. The map displays all generalized land use categories for the entire state of Florida.

Scale Information:

The map displays statewide coverage at a scale appropriate for regional analysis and planning. At this scale, individual parcels are visible, though smaller parcels may appear as single pixels or small clusters. The level of detail is suitable for understanding regional land use patterns, identifying major land use categories and their distribution, and supporting statewide or regional planning initiatives.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content:

The data represents land use conditions as of 2015. Users should be aware that land use patterns may have changed since the data was collected, particularly in rapidly developing areas of the state.

Limitations:

The generalization process consolidates 99 detailed land use codes into 15 broader categories, which means some specificity is lost compared to the original parcel data. The accuracy of the land use classification depends on the accuracy of county property appraiser records, which may vary by county. Some parcels may be classified based on their designated use rather than actual current use. The 2015 changes to FDOR land use values (009 and 080) should be considered when comparing this dataset to earlier versions or when conducting temporal analysis. Small parcels may not be visible at all zoom levels, and the visual representation reflects the inherent resolution limitations of displaying parcel-level data at a statewide scale.

Map Coverage:

The map covers the entire state of Florida from the Georgia and Alabama borders in the north to the Florida Keys in the south, and from the Gulf of America in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east. Portions of neighboring states (Georgia and Alabama) are shown for geographic context but do not contain data. The map includes all of Florida's land area and inland water bodies but does not extend significantly into offshore coastal waters beyond immediate shoreline features.

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