What is “Old Florida”?

Below is a vision for the new version of "old Florida", a least that is what this advertisement claims. We all know how the marketing people try to create a vision in the potential buyer’s mind, a vision of a perfect world, a perfect place and a perfect time. A vision they hope you will "buy" into, literally.

While this particular vision may suck in some northerners, after you live here a while, you get a little tense when you see these ads or the start of a new monstrous building that restricts the view for all but a few, that leaves little room for native shade, is hard and glitzy, and makes everything look Disney perfect.

Old Florida, a slower time, brings a vision of grand oaks covered with moss and lots of shade, lazy, meandering water ways, single story homes, maybe up on pillars, down towns that served residents - not three month visitors. Well, you get the picture.

Today, Florida - at least along the coast - has changed dramatically. We have seen high growth, dramatic building booms and changing requirements for homes and buildings. We have closed off the outdoors. People have an indoor lifestyle. The Sarasota School of Architecture fit modern style homes into the environment surrounding the home. Inside and outside were connected in a seamless fashion, the environment was celebrated. Old Florida had a similar kind of style - homes were in scale with the surroundings; while there was a need for cooling and shade, this was found through design elements including roof overhangs, clerestory windows and cupolas to give air circulation, as well as trees. While we cannot go back to the past, there are truths that we can hang onto, visions of what could be and of course many lessons that should be learned.

Looking at the ad that claims "Guided by a Duany Plater-Zyberk master plan, an exciting new version of "old Florida" is rising on the historic (Fort Myers) downtown waterfront", makes one wonder what will become of Florida. I doubt this vision is even distantly connected to Duany's vision, let alone "old Florida". Is this just marketing hyperbole, or is it someone’s real understanding of a brave new world?

If this is to be the new, "old Florida", it is a sad future that is in our vision.