Beneath the streets of Florida City lies a vanished river that once shaped the land.
In short: Florida City is known as a gateway to the Everglades and the Florida Keys, but its modern layout hides a forgotten history. Before the area was paved and developed, a slow-moving stream called Long Slough flowed directly through the town, fundamentally altering how the local landscape was built and managed.
Long Slough, also referred to as Long Glade Slough, was a sluggish body of water that originated in the Everglades, specifically just south of the Miami Homestead General Aviation Airport. This waterway historically bisected the community, cutting across the limestone ridge at a perpendicular angle. As the region underwent significant development throughout the 1900s, particularly during the 1960s, the slough was systematically drained. This transformation turned a once-active water feature into a low-lying valley within the limestone bedrock.
The physical traces of this waterway were gradually erased through infrastructure projects and land modification. To manage water flow during the drainage process, engineers installed culverts beneath various roadways, such as Redland Road and NW 6th Avenue. By the late 1980s, the slough was effectively destroyed as fill material was added to level the terrain. In the late 1970s, extensive filling operations near NW 3rd Avenue utilized waste rock from local coral cutting operations to permanently bury the slough. Today, this former water path serves as the foundation for a housing development.
The disappearance of the slough reflects the broader environmental changes that defined the region. Florida City sits primarily on the Miami Rock Ridge, a limestone formation reaching five to eight feet above sea level. Historically, this ridge was covered by pine rocklands, which were cleared for agriculture during the 1900s. East of this ridge lay the East Glade, a marshland area that transitioned into mangrove swamps near Biscayne Bay. While the city now functions as a suburban hub and tourist gateway, its geography remains a testament to the massive engineering efforts required to tame the natural marshlands of South Florida.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Florida City, Florida
- Also: Wikidata — Florida City · CC0
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