8 Quirky And Unusual Things No One Tells You About Living In Florida

Living in Florida comes with some quirky and unusual realities that often surprise newcomers. Here are 8 things no one usually tells you about life in the Sunshine State:

1. High Water Table Prevents Basements — Most homes in Florida don’t have basements because the water table is just a few feet below ground, making basement construction impractical and expensive.​
2. Glowing Beaches at Night — Several Florida beaches glow after dark due to bioluminescent plankton, creating a magical neon blue effect in the waves.​
3. Man-Made Islands Made from Trash and Mud — Famous Miami islands like Dodge and Star Island were created from dredged muck and debris during the 1920s real estate boom, an unusual origin for such upscale places.​
4. Huge Alligator Population — Florida is home to around 1.3 million alligators who often inhabit man-made lakes and canals, making wildlife encounters a fairly common experience.​
5. Dissolving Land and Rising Seas — Florida’s porous limestone allows seawater to seep in from below, causing parts of the land, especially around Miami, to effectively disappear underwater over time.​
6. No Basement Storm Shelters — Due to the lack of basements, Floridians rely on storm shelters above ground or reinforced rooms during hurricanes, which differs from many other states.​
7. Former Coral Reef Terrain — Much of Florida, including major cities like Miami, sits atop ancient underwater coral reefs that have solidified into limestone.​
8. Ghost Towns in Swamps — There are secret ghost towns swallowed by swamps, such as Flamingo in Everglades National Park, abandoned after repeated hurricane destruction.​

These peculiar facts highlight Florida’s unusual geography, unique wildlife coexistence, and quirky historical quirks that shape everyday life in surprising ways beyond sunny beaches and theme parks.​​

SOURCE

[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS0LdFNAwnk)
[2](https://www.americamp.co.uk/blog/crazy-facts-about-florida)
[3](https://www.visitflorida.com/travel-ideas/articles/florida-facts/)
[4](https://rusticpathways.com/blog/fun-facts-about-florida)
[5](https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/states/article/florida)