RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 



Richard G. RuBino 

 Post Office Box 2555 

 Tallahassee, FL 32304 



INTRODUCTION 



Southwest Florida, one of the most rapidly growing areas in the State, is 

 characterized by urban centers that sprawl outward over former farmlands, 

 coastal areas laced with condominiums and time-sharing units, and residential 

 developments rising out of the landscape almost everywhere. It consists of 

 ten counties stretching from Pasco County in the north to Monroe County in the 

 south and contains almost one-quarter of the State's population. Its popula- 

 tion growth of 51.1% from 1970 to 1980 was greater than that of the State as a 

 whole (43.4%). 



Most of the population growth of Southwest Florida was and is along the 

 coast in the Tampa Bay area, Sarasota, Venice, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, 

 Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Naples, and the Keys. Inland from the coast, 

 growth and change are much slower, but still apparent. Much of this growth, 

 whether on the coast or inland, is encoraching upon valuable natural environ- 

 ments. 



Except for the Tampa Bay area, the growth in Southwest Florida is 

 oriented toward recreation and retirement and associated services. If Outer 

 Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas explorations find large oil reserves, 

 onshore and harbor support facilities and operations for oil production would 

 add to development of the coastal area and place new stress on the environ- 

 ment. 



This report describes the characteristics of residential and industrial 

 development in Southwest Florida, reviews the major public utilities that 

 provide the support base for residential, industrial, and commercial develop- 

 ment, and addresses the problems of point source pollution. These subjects 

 are reviewed with particular emphasis on their capacity to support potential 

 OCS oil and gas facilities and operations and their potential for altering the 

 environment. 



RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT 



During the 1970' s. Fort Myers was the fastest growing metropolitan area 

 in the country. Bradenton ranked 12th, Sarasota 16th, and Tampa/St. Peters- 

 burg 24th (Calonius 1981). Population growth in the ten counties comprising 



53 



