Alternative Text Description for Generalized Land Use (2021)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays generalized land use patterns across the state of Florida for 2021. The data shows how land parcels throughout the state are categorized into 15 distinct land use types, derived from parcel-specific data collected by the Florida Department of Transportation. The map provides a comprehensive view of land use distribution, showing agricultural, residential, public, recreational, and other land use categories across Florida's diverse landscape.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the entire state of Florida, from the panhandle region in the northwest to the southern tip near Miami. Major cities visible on the map include Jacksonville in the northeast, Orlando in the central region, Tampa along the west coast, and Miami in the southeast. The map extends to include Cape Coral in southwest Florida. Neighboring states shown for reference include Georgia and Alabama to the north. The eastern coastline along the Atlantic Ocean and the western coastline along the Gulf of America are clearly visible, as are the Florida Keys extending from the southern tip. Dothan and Savannah appear as reference points in neighboring states.

KEY INSIGHTS

Florida's land use patterns show several dominant characteristics. Agricultural land use, shown in dark green, forms extensive areas throughout the interior and northern portions of the state, with particularly large concentrations in the panhandle region, north-central Florida, and interior sections of the peninsula. Public and semi-public lands, displayed in bright blue, occupy substantial areas including large concentrations in south Florida (particularly the Everglades region), the Ocala National Forest area in north-central Florida, and scattered patches throughout the panhandle and Big Bend area. Residential development, shown in yellow, clusters around major metropolitan areas including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale corridor along the southeast coast. Water bodies, rendered in light blue, are prominent throughout the state, including numerous lakes in central Florida and extensive coastal and wetland areas. Urban development follows distinct linear patterns along both coasts and major transportation corridors, while the interior remains predominantly agricultural or public land.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Generalized Land Use (2021)

This layer represents the distribution of 15 generalized land use categories across Florida, derived from parcel-level data that originally contained 99 distinct land use classes.

Agricultural (dark green)

Appearance: Solid dark green coloring

Distribution: Widespread throughout the Florida panhandle, north-central regions, and interior portions of the peninsula; appears as large continuous blocks rather than scattered parcels

Notable locations: Extensive coverage in the panhandle region west of Tallahassee, large areas surrounding Lake Okeechobee, interior sections between Orlando and Tampa, and substantial portions of north Florida between Jacksonville and the Gulf coast

Spatial patterns: Forms the dominant land use in rural areas; tends to occupy large contiguous areas away from coastal regions and major metropolitan centers

Public/Semi-Public (bright blue)

Appearance: Solid bright blue coloring

Distribution: Large concentrations in south Florida, the Big Bend coastal region, north-central Florida, and scattered throughout the state

Notable locations: Extensive coverage in the Everglades region of south Florida, Ocala National Forest area, Big Cypress National Preserve, coastal areas along the panhandle, and various patches throughout the peninsula

Spatial patterns: Often appears as large, irregular blocks in wilderness and conservation areas; frequently adjacent to water bodies and coastal zones

Residential (yellow)

Appearance: Bright yellow coloring

Distribution: Concentrated around major cities and along coastal areas; appears as dense clusters in metropolitan regions and scattered developments in suburban and rural areas

Notable locations: Major concentrations in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Miami-Fort Lauderdale corridor, Naples-Fort Myers area, and Panama City; also visible as linear coastal development along both Atlantic and Gulf coasts

Spatial patterns: Forms dense urban cores that transition to more dispersed suburban patterns; follows transportation corridors radiating from city centers

Water (light blue)

Appearance: Light blue or pale blue coloring

Distribution: Present throughout the state in lakes, rivers, coastal waters, and wetlands

Notable locations: Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida, numerous lakes in the central Florida lake district, coastal waters surrounding the entire peninsula, and the extensive wetland systems of south Florida

Spatial patterns: Irregular shapes reflecting natural water body configurations; particularly dense in central Florida's lake region and southern wetland areas

Recreation (light green)

Appearance: Light green or mint green coloring

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state in smaller patches compared to agricultural or public lands

Notable locations: Visible near major metropolitan areas and along coastal zones, with concentrations around Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and southeast Florida

Spatial patterns: Often appears as small to medium-sized patches adjacent to residential areas or within urban/suburban contexts

Acreage Not Zoned For Agriculture (yellow-green)

Appearance: Yellow-green coloring, similar to but distinct from the bright yellow of residential areas

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state, often intermixed with agricultural and residential areas

Notable locations: Visible in transitional zones between urban and rural areas, particularly in the panhandle, north-central Florida, and areas surrounding major cities

Spatial patterns: Appears as small to medium patches, often forming a transition zone between agricultural lands and developed areas

Institutional (dark blue)

Appearance: Dark blue coloring, darker than the bright blue of public/semi-public lands

Distribution: Scattered throughout the state in smaller parcels associated with schools, hospitals, government facilities, and other institutional uses

Notable locations: Concentrated in and around major cities, though individual parcels are too small to be distinctly visible at this statewide scale

Spatial patterns: Generally appears as small patches within or adjacent to residential and commercial areas

Other (orange)

Appearance: Orange coloring

Distribution: Scattered in small patches throughout the state, with some concentration in south Florida

Notable locations: Most visible in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area and scattered locations throughout the peninsula

Spatial patterns: Appears as small, discrete parcels rather than large continuous areas

Vacant Nonresidential, Vacant Residential, Centrally Assessed, Industrial, Mining, Retail/Office, Right-of-Way, No Data Available, and Parcels With No Values

Appearance: These categories include tan/brown (vacant residential), gray (centrally assessed), pink/magenta (industrial), white/tan (mining), red (retail/office), black (right-of-way), dotted pattern (no data available), and crosshatch pattern (parcels with no values)

Distribution: These categories are present throughout the state but appear as relatively small individual parcels or areas that are not as visually dominant as the agricultural, public/semi-public, residential, and water categories

Notable locations: Industrial and retail/office uses are concentrated in metropolitan areas; mining appears in scattered locations, particularly in central Florida's phosphate mining region

Spatial patterns: These uses generally occupy smaller footprints and are interspersed within the matrix of dominant land uses

Overlapping Patterns

The map reveals clear relationships between land use categories. Residential development typically borders agricultural lands, creating transition zones often occupied by acreage not zoned for agriculture. Public and semi-public lands frequently adjoin water bodies and wetlands, particularly in south Florida where conservation lands protect the Everglades ecosystem. Urban areas show a mix of residential, institutional, retail/office, and industrial uses, though at this scale these individual parcels blend together. Coastal areas display a linear pattern of residential and recreational development adjacent to water.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents a generalized version of parcel-level land use data, where 99 original land use classifications have been consolidated into 15 broader categories to facilitate regional and statewide analysis. The generalization process makes the data more suitable for transportation planning and regional land use assessment. Users should note that at this statewide scale, smaller parcels and individual properties are not individually distinguishable, and the map is most useful for understanding overall patterns and distributions rather than specific parcel-level detail. Changes to land use classification codes occurred in 2015, affecting how certain categories are classified, particularly regarding vacant governmental properties and residential common areas.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source: The data is derived from 2021 parcel-specific land use information collected and maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The original parcel data comes from county property appraiser records throughout Florida, which are compiled and standardized at the state level. This layer represents an update to the 2020 generalized land use dataset.

Data source layer name: D1_LU_GEN_2021.shp (updated from D1_LU_GEN_2020.shp)

Definition Query: No definition query or filter criteria is applied to this dataset; all generalized land use categories for 2021 are displayed.

Scale Information: The map shows statewide coverage at a scale appropriate for regional and state-level analysis. At this scale, individual parcels are generally not distinguishable, and the map is best used for understanding broad land use patterns and distributions across Florida.

Coordinate System: NAD 1983 HARN Florida GDL Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content: The data represents land use classifications as of 2021, based on parcel records from that year.

Limitations: As of 2015, changes were made to the original Florida Department of Revenue (FDOR) 99 land use values. Land use value 009 is now classified as "Residential Common Elements/Areas" and maintains Generalized Land Use code 11 (Residential). Land use value 080 is now "Vacant Governmental" and has been reclassified from Generalized Land Use code 7 (Other) to code 8 (Public/Semi-Public). Areas shown with "No Data Available" or "Parcels With No Values" indicate gaps in the source data where land use information was not recorded or was incomplete. The generalization process consolidates detailed land use classifications into broader categories, which may obscure specific land use variations within each generalized category.

Map Coverage: The map covers the entire state of Florida, including the panhandle, peninsula, and the Florida Keys. Portions of neighboring states (Georgia and Alabama) are shown in gray for geographic context but do not contain land use data.

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