Environment and the Florida Experience

The environment has always played a crucial role in the "Florida experience." Incoming settlers, used to the more temperate climates they were from, had to adjust to Florida weather and land, completely unfamiliar and at times dangerous. For many new settlers, Florida took on a romantic, almost mythical, tone. The most important aspect about Florida, as far as they were concerned, was its land. Many had seen Florida as an unspoiled paradise, and their disappointment with this harsh land was shown in how they interacted with and treated the natives who lived there. They grouped the natives as a part of the environment. The disillusionment that the newcomers felt toward their former paradise was shown in the terms with which they described the natives. As experiences with both environment and the natives (both thought of as the environment), the natives are described as much more barbaric and savage.