Alternative Text Description for Generalized Land Use (2019)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays generalized land use patterns across the state of Florida for the year 2019. The data categorizes land into 15 generalized classes derived from more detailed parcel-specific information collected for the Florida Department of Transportation. The map provides a comprehensive statewide view of how land is utilized, including agricultural, residential, public, commercial, industrial, and vacant lands, as well as water bodies throughout the state.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, including the panhandle region extending from the Alabama and Georgia borders in the north to the southern tip near Miami and the Florida Keys. Major cities visible on the map include Jacksonville along the northeast coast, Orlando in central Florida, Tampa on the west coast, and Miami in the southeast. The map also shows portions of neighboring states including Georgia, Alabama, and the Straits of Florida to the south. The Gulf of America borders the state to the west, while the Atlantic Ocean lies to the east.

KEY INSIGHTS

The map reveals that agricultural land use (shown in dark green) dominates much of central and northern Florida, forming extensive continuous areas particularly in the interior regions. Public and semi-public lands (shown in blue) are distributed throughout the state with notable concentrations in the panhandle, central interior regions, and southern Florida, including what appears to be the Everglades area. Urban and developed areas are concentrated along the coasts, particularly visible around Miami in the southeast, Tampa on the west coast, Jacksonville in the northeast, and Orlando in central Florida. These urban corridors show mixed patterns of residential, centrally assessed, and other developed land uses appearing as multicolored clusters. Water bodies (shown in light blue/gray) are scattered throughout, with significant presence in southern Florida and along coastal areas.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Generalized Land Use (2019)

This layer represents the classification of land across Florida into 15 distinct use categories based on property assessment data.

Agriculture (dark green)

Appearance: Displayed in dark green

Distribution: Extensively distributed across central and northern Florida, forming the dominant land use in interior regions

Notable locations: Large continuous agricultural areas in central Florida between the coasts, substantial presence in the northern panhandle region, and scattered throughout the peninsula

Spatial patterns: Forms extensive contiguous blocks in rural interior areas, often surrounding urban centers and transitioning to other land uses near population centers

Public/Semi-Public (blue)

Appearance: Displayed in bright blue

Distribution: Widespread throughout the state with major concentrations in the panhandle, central interior, and southern regions

Notable locations: Large blocks in northwestern Florida, substantial areas in central Florida, and extensive areas in southern Florida consistent with protected lands and the Everglades region

Spatial patterns: Often appears in large contiguous blocks, particularly in environmentally sensitive or protected areas, interspersed with other land uses in more developed regions

Centrally Assessed (orange)

Appearance: Displayed in orange

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state, often appearing in clusters near urban areas

Notable locations: Visible concentrations near Miami in southeast Florida and dispersed throughout coastal and urban regions

Spatial patterns: Generally appears as smaller patches mixed with other developed land uses, particularly in urbanized areas

Residential (light green/cyan)

Appearance: Displayed in light green or cyan

Distribution: Concentrated in urban and suburban areas, particularly along coastlines

Notable locations: Prominent around Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami metropolitan areas

Spatial patterns: Forms clusters and corridors in urbanized regions, often adjacent to other developed land uses

Acreage Not Zoned for Agriculture (yellow)

Appearance: Displayed in bright yellow

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state, often appearing as small patches

Notable locations: Visible throughout urban peripheries and rural areas, particularly in central and northern Florida

Spatial patterns: Dispersed pattern with small to medium-sized patches mixed among agricultural and other land uses

Water (light blue/gray)

Appearance: Displayed in light blue or gray

Distribution: Throughout the state, with significant presence in southern Florida and coastal areas

Notable locations: Major water features in southern Florida, Lake Okeechobee region, and numerous water bodies scattered statewide

Spatial patterns: Varies from large contiguous water bodies to smaller scattered features throughout the landscape

Other Land Use Categories

Additional land use categories including Industrial (light purple), Institutional (light pink/purple), Mining (dark maroon), Other (orange), ROW/Right of Way (black), Recreation (light green), Retail/Office (pink/magenta), Vacant Non-Residential (light gray), and Vacant/Residential (tan/brown) appear in smaller concentrations throughout the state, primarily within or adjacent to developed urban areas.

Overlapping Patterns

Urban areas display complex patterns where multiple land use types intermingle, creating a mosaic of residential, commercial, institutional, and other developed uses. The transition zones between agricultural interior regions and coastal urban areas show gradual shifts from predominantly agricultural land to increasingly diverse mixed-use patterns.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents a generalized view of land use created by consolidating 99 original parcel-specific land use classes into 15 broader categories for easier analysis and visualization at the statewide scale. Users should note that beginning in 2015, changes were made to the original Florida Department of Revenue land use classification system: Value 009 became 'Residential Common Elements/Areas' and maintains Generalized Land Use code 11 (Residential), while Value 080 became 'Vacant Governmental' and was reclassified from Generalized Land Use code 7 (Other) to code 8 (Public/Semi-Public). The generalization process allows for effective visualization of broad land use patterns across the entire state while necessarily reducing the detail available in the source parcel data.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source: The data is derived from parcel-specific land use information collected and compiled for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The original detailed parcel data containing 99 land use classes from the Florida Department of Revenue was processed and generalized into 15 broader land use categories to facilitate statewide analysis and mapping. Data source layer name: LU_GEN_2019.

Definition Query: No definition query or filtering criteria was applied; this map displays all generalized land use categories for the entire state.

Scale Information: The map is displayed at a statewide scale appropriate for viewing general land use patterns across Florida. At this zoom level, individual parcels are not distinguishable, but regional patterns and concentrations of different land use types are clearly visible.

Coordinate System: NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content: The data represents land use conditions as of 2019.

Limitations: The generalization from 99 original land use classes to 15 categories results in loss of detailed parcel-level information. The consolidation process may group diverse land uses into single categories, potentially obscuring nuanced differences in land use patterns. Users requiring detailed parcel-level land use information should consult the original source data. Changes to classification codes in 2015 should be considered when comparing with earlier datasets.

Map Coverage: The map covers the complete geographic extent of the state of Florida, from the western panhandle border with Alabama through the peninsula to the southern tip and Florida Keys. Small portions of neighboring states (Georgia and Alabama) are visible for geographic context but do not contain data.

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