MULTIPLE-USE CONFLICTS 



Dr. Andrew A. Dzurik 



Associate Professor 



Department of Urban and Regional Planning 



Florida State University 



Tallahassee, FL 32306 



INTRODUCTION 



Southwest Florida, consisting of ten coastal counties, contains numerous 

 bays, estuaries, and wetlands, and hundreds of miles of relatively unspoiled 

 sandy beaches. Among these natural resources are the major population centers 

 of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, Bradenton, and Fort Myers. 

 Southwest Florida has been and is growing rapidly, particularly in metropoli- 

 tan areas. As the population increases, socioeconomic/environmental conflicts 

 associated with this growth become more and more troublesome. 



In view of the conflicts common to rapidly growing relatively affluent 

 areas as described in this report, it is prudent to protect and manage Flor- 

 ida's natural coastal resources through long-term planning to help minimize 

 serious conflicts, alterations, or losses. The real problem is paradoxical, 

 i.e., to keep the expanding population from excessively desecrating, defacing, 

 scarring, or polluting the highly valued environmental characteristics and 

 natural resources that attracted them there. 



This paper focuses on conflicts that arise from competing uses for land 

 and resources. It gives a brief history of land development in the State and 

 in Southwest Florida and discusses current multiple-use conflicts. An over- 

 view of the legal and institutional constraints on development is given and a 

 major section is devoted to environmental and socioeconomic conflicts on Rook- 

 ery Bay and Marco Island, Charlotte Harbor, the Big Cypress area, the Florida 

 Keys, and Sanibel, a major barrier island. 



BASIS FOR CONFLICT 



The following is a list of socioeconomic and environmentally oriented 

 problems and conflicts that relate to Southwest Florida. 



The economy of Southwest Florida is heavily dependent on tourism and 

 the beauty of the water and beaches. Anything that threatens these 

 resources threatens the economy of the region. 



222 



