City of South Miami commissioners are advocating for secession from the rest of Florida. Thus, legally splitting the state in half, and officially adding a 51st star to the American flag.
Lawmakers in Miami recently approved a measure that proposes for an in-state divide. The measure, which passed by a 3-2 vote, outlines turning the southern part of the peninsula into a new state, made up of 24 counties.
The split would be on the edge of the Interstate 4 corridor. Along this road, commissioners respectively want Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Orange, and Brevard to become the border counties of the state of South Florida.
This split would leave the new state to include the cities of St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando, keeping Disney World in the mix, but withdrawing Daytona Beach.
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The 24 counties would contain about 40% of Florida’s present landmass at 23,000 square miles. It would also include 13.4 million people, about two-thirds of the current population.
As absurd as it may be, the bill highlights the serious issue of rising sea levels in the southern half of the state. The resolution reports that North Florida rests 120 feet above sea level, while parts of South Florida sit at five feet or less above sea level, with water levels rising three to six feet over the next century.
“South Florida has a very porous rock,” the measure reads. “As the level of the sea rises, the pressure will cause water to rise up through the ground and flood the inland areas.”
The official resolution continues to say that the “situation is very precarious and in need of immediate attention.” Citing that the issues are no longer about politics, but about safety.
Further along, the resolution indicates that the creation of a 51st state “is a necessity for the very survival of the entire southern region,” declaring that, “Often South Florida issues do not receive the support of Tallahassee. This is despite the fact that South Florida generates more than 69% of the state’s revenue.”
If all the cities within the 24 counties endorse the measure, Florida voters and Congress would then need to approve the split.
