The state of Florida in the U.S.A. has a mild subtropical climate. Because of that, millions of people have settled in the once rural state over the last hundred years. Florida's population increases by about 1,000 residents each day.[1] Land development and water use have changed the state, mostly by draining the wetlands that once covered most of the peninsula.
Much of Florida is made of karst limestone with water-filled caves and sinkholes,[2] which provide homes to many species of aquatic life, some of which only live in Florida.[3] As more and more people move to Florida, they use up the water in the underground caves. When a cave has no more water, it will sometimes collapse, forming a sinkhole, which can hurt animals, people, and buildings.[4]
For a long time, the state has been trying to restore the Everglades. In 2000, Congress passed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a $7.8 billion, 30-year project aimed at preserving and restoring the region and its unique combination of environments.[5]
- ↑ Clouser, Rodney L; Cothran, Hank (August 2005). "Issues at the Rural-Urban Fringe: Florida's Population Growth, 2004-2010". University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Archived from the original on 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ↑ "DRAM, FGS, Sinkholes in Florida". Florida Department of State. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ↑ "Life in a Spring". Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ↑ Tihansky, Anne B. "Sinkholes, West-Central Florida" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ↑ "CERP:FAQs". Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2008-01-29.