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The Journal of The James Madison Institute ?

Would be Better Off as Two States Rather Than One? | Robert Sanchez

s it time for Florida to make like an attention to ’s problems. In amoeba and split? The South particular, South Miami officials say they’re City Commission seems to think so. worried about scientists’ dire warnings ILast October, the Commission passed a that climate change will soon cause the resolution suggesting that the state’s 24 world’s oceans to rise up and engulf their southernmost counties ought to secede little town, whose population in the 2010 and form a brand new state, South Florida. U.S. Census was 10,741. Dwelling with Why? The city contends that the SpongeBob SquarePants under several state government isn’t paying enough fathoms of brine is not good for the real

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estate market. A story in the South Florida Sun The city’s solution? Divide Florida Sentinel offered some insights into the into two separate states. After all, if the thinking of South Miami’s rebel leaders: can have North and South Vice Mayor Walter Harris said he versions of the Dakotas and the Carolinas, created the proposal because of growing why not a and a South frustration of northern Florida’s apathy Florida, with the latter becoming the 51st on the effects of climate change in South state? Free to chart its own course after Florida. secession, South Florida could then save “We have to be able to deal directly the world by, say, banning the use of fossil with this environmental concern and we fuels -- even if such a ban causes most can’t really get it done in Tallahassee,” residents to flee while also discouraging Harris told the Sun Sentinel. “I don’t care as the airports close, cars and what people think -- it’s not a matter of trucks are banned from the highways, and electing the right people.” the region’s posh hotels and high- The proposal, which passed at an rise condos are forced to turn off their air Oct. 7 city commission meeting, notes the conditioning and interrupt elevator service sea level is expected to rise 3 to 6 feet in the whenever the solar panels and wind next 100 years, and it highlights the wide turbines aren’t producing enough juice. environmental disparity between northern and southern Florida. “North Florida is approximately 120 feet above sea level while the average elevation of South Florida is less than 50 feet with a very large portion of South Florida averaging less than 15 feet above seal level,” says the Harris resolution, which also mentions economic concerns. The resolution would allow the Sunshine State to split in half, with South Florida containing 24 counties, including Brevard, Orange, Polk, Hillsborough and Pinellas. The proposal must be approved by officials in each county that would make up the new state, and would need to be approved by Florida’s state legislature before going into effect. South Miami Mayor Phil Stoddard The Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, Fla. is did not mince words on northern Florida’s housed in the former Alcazar Hotel built in 1888 relation with the southern half of the state. by Henry Flagler. St. Augustine was the capital of “It’s very apparent that the attitude Florida until 1824 when Tallahassee was named the new capital. of the northern part of the state is that they

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would just love to saw the state in half and Splitting the state into just let us float off into the Caribbean,” and along the historic Stoddard told the Sun Sentinel. might even make Two ? Been there, done chronological sense because the river is that, but not the way South Miami also the boundary line in Florida between envisions. For nearly six decades beginning the Eastern and Central time zones. with the British takeover of Florida in 1763 However, such a split undoubtedly would and lasting until the United States took fall short of addressing South Miami’s possession of Florida in July 1821 and worries about climate change. Another merged the two regions the following year, minor problem with such a split: The state’s the area was administered as two colonial current capital city, Tallahassee, which is provinces -- mind you, not as North on much higher ground and roughly 500 Florida and South Florida miles from South Miami, but as East Florida and would likely vie to be West Florida. “Last October the East Florida’s capital city, It was in East [South Miami] arguing that relocating the Florida’s Fort Mitchell City Commission state government would that my great-great cost too much. passed a resolution grandfather Francis Dividing the state Roman Sanchez presided suggesting that along those historic lines over a meeting of settlers the state’s 24 would also dethrone on January 25, 1814, for southernmost Florida -- at least the purpose of petitioning counties ought to temporarily -- from its the United States to annex secede and form long-sought position as Florida. The petition didn’t the nation’s third most a brand new state, work, but seven years later populous state, after an 1821 treaty with Spain South Florida.” having only recently conferred Florida to the overtaken New York U.S. for that honor. The nine East Florida encompassed all of Panhandle counties that would comprise the state’s current territory east of the the state of West Florida currently have Apalachicola River. St. Augustine was the a total population of slightly more than province’s administrative capital. West one million, so West Florida would rank Florida, whose northern boundary wavered a lowly 46th among the nation’s 51 states several times, stretched westward from the -- just ahead of tiny Delaware. With those Apalachicola River through what is now Panhandle counties gone, however, East known as the Florida Panhandle and all the Florida’s remaining population of roughly way to the River. Much of that 19 million would cause it to drop back to territory later became parts of , being the nation’s fourth largest state, once Mississippi, and Louisiana. Pensacola was again trailing New York. the province’s administrative capital. But never mind pondering an East

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Florida/West Florida split. What South Madison and other Founders.) Miami’s officials had in mind was a much Bottom line: The Brits in 1763 different configuration. Under their plan, had more of Florida than they could South Florida would get 24 counties, conveniently administer while still making North Florida the other 43 counties. it to tea at 4 p.m., so they divided it into South Florida’s 24 counties currently East Florida and West Florida. A bit farther have about 15.5 million residents while back in history, as every former student of North Florida’s 43 counties have about 4.5 Latin should recall, Julius Caesar had a lot million. Although each state would have of Gaul, so he divided his conquest into fewer congressmen in the U.S. House of partes tres. Representatives than the unified state of Nowadays, the South Miami City Florida currently has, each state would get Commission has a lot of gall and says it two U.S. Senators -- potentially doubling wants the Sunshine State divided into the state’s clout in the upper chamber. South Florida and North Florida. And Alas, that’s occasionally, there have precisely one of the even been stirrings of many reasons this split is “The existing secessionist sentiment very unlikely to happen. states don’t want in North Florida, where The existing states don’t to see their Senate rumors that thirsty South want to see their Senate representation Florida wants to “steal” representation “diluted” some of North Florida’s by the addition of more ‘diluted’ by the abundant water supply senators. No wonder the addition of more have bubbled up from last successful secession senators.” time to time, like an was West Virginia’s artesian well. departure from Virginia A l t h o u g h during the Civil War. Other states -- most these two regions may indeed be very recently including Colorado and California different in many ways -- geographically, -- have briefly seen secessionist movements topographically, demographically, and pop up, all to no avail. Moreover, the U.S. politically -- they resemble conjoined Constitution’s Article IV, Section 3 is very twins whom the surgeons have determined explicit as to the process, which isn’t easy: are too interdependent to separate. “New States may be admitted by Let’s face it, then: North Florida and the Congress into this Union; but no new South Florida are stuck with each other, so State shall be formed or erected within the each of them ought to appreciate the state’s Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any rich diversity -- and get used to it. There State be formed by the Junction of two or will be no divorce. more States or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States Robert Sanchez is a senior fellow at The concerned as well as of Congress.” (The James Madison Institute. quaint capitalization is courtesy of James

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