Florida

Population and Politics

The makeup of the population of Florida changed dramatically during the 19th and 20th centuries. Prior to the American Civil War, there was a large Spanish-speaking population with connections to parts of the Spanish Caribbean, along with a slave-owning plantation society. Both of these were effectively eliminated by the war and Reconstruction.

In the second half of the 20th century, Florida's climate invited a building boom that brought many northerners there in search of good weather and a better and less expensive lifestyle. Gradually, Florida became home to more and more retirees. Beginning in the late 1950s, a large Cuban population also settled in Florida, fleeing their Communist government.

There is much wealth in the state, but also extreme poverty, which is reflected in the state's health system—the hospitals are among the best in the world, but are out of reach for those unable to afford treatment or insurance. Some hospitals charge a minimum of $300 for emergency room treatment. The result is that many mothers without insurance avoid the hospital system, which has resulted in the proliferation of clinics that can handle non-life-threatening medical conditions at a lower price.

The median income in the state is about 20 percent lower than the national average, due in part to 12.1 percent of the population living below the poverty line (as compared to a national average of 13 percent). Since the 1970s, there have been many changes in laws and regulations. The abortion laws in Florida were amended in 1972 to reflect the American Law Institute Model Penal Code. A recent study has shown that after the Medicaid income eligibility threshold was raised in 1989, and the rate of low birthweights for infants fell from 69.7 per 1,000 to 61.8 per 1,000 for those who did not have private insurance. For those with insurance, the figures were unchanged. The maternity mortality rate is low, but there are still cases such as in 2004, when Miami singer Nadine Shamir died the morning after the birth of her first child from complications that arose after the delivery.

Compulsory education for all children aged between 6 and 16 years of age was introduced in 1915. Later programs of family planning and contraception were also introduced, as well as education for expectant mothers about maternity care.

Judge Marilyn Milian, who appeared on The People's Court, a nationally syndicated television series, places the credit for her success on her mother, who ensured that she was able to fulfill her career aspirations. Her home upbringing was very matriarchal, with her mother helping her through school and college, and ensuring that the family remained multilingual. Columba Bush, the wife of Jeb Bush, governor of Florida 1999–2007, has also spoken of a similar upbringing by her mother, albeit in Mexico.

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