Environment: Development and Decay

Depending on a man's values, Florida is either one of the fastest-growing or one of the fastest-decaying states in America. Each week 2,750 new residents flock to its balmy climate; each year the crush fouls more of Florida's once pristine air and water. In draining swampland for home sites, canal builders have ruined vital water supplies and endangered wildlife. Near Naples, one huge coastal development recently erased a lovely mangrove-lined shore in favor of concrete sea walls. Asked to set aside a refuge for the area's few remaining eagles, a spokesman for...

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