by Koralys Santana
I remember being a kid in Florida, young and free and without a care. Hair pulled up high in two long pigtails with knee high converse sneakers, worn and loved. Then, I was only concerned with when summer would roll around. It was a season of contentment and excitement, a world where I could relive day after day. Summer camp was a highlight encompassing sun filled days, scraped knees, and water splashing fun. Some days were traded for field trips, and that earnest play outside was then focused on Florida’s environment in its full glory.
One of those coveted days came around, and we were antsy, brimming with anticipation, ready to hop off the bus the moment it stopped. When I looked out the bus window, I saw the word “Citrus” written in bold, orange lettering. We were at The Showcase of Citrus, where huge monster trucks waited to take us on long stretches of land, only a fraction of the 2,500 acre farm. From seed to sapling, tree to fruit, I soaked up that process, tasting the fresh, sweet samples of juice from the trees. We learned that Florida is one of the leading contributors of citrus to the country and the reason Florida is called the Sunshine State. The state name made sense then and became something bigger to me, something more important than the occasional orange tree I had noticed before.
Along with Showcase of Citrus, we took a trip to Wild Florida, an experience I looked the most forward to because of the animals. Never mind the fruit and flora of the state, the infamous alligators were a trademark of Florida that held a little more excitement. Unlike the oranges found on almost every car’s license plate in the state, which didn’t mean anything until I visited The Showcase of Citrus, I knew about the state reptile. While I loved orange juice, I loved animals more. Instead of a truck adventure, there was an airboat ride. We sped through the Everglades with wind, water, and dragonflies caught in our hair. We learned about the wetlands, the alligators, and the fauna. There was such joy in being around nature, especially around my friends and family, all while learning about the state we inhabit. In the loudness of the air whooshing in my ears, there was peace. Before us were the trees, plants, and animals, and these places I went to in my youth opened my heart to that and more.
While oranges, alligators, and wetlands may come to mind when you think of Florida, I’m sure it is not the first thought, especially to someone who isn’t a local. Unfortunately, when you search up “Florida” alone in Google, the main pictures you see are the Disney parks and Miami’s arts and nightlife. Some bodies of water and one picture of the Everglades are included. Nothing is mentioned about the importance of the land itself, or of the environmental conservation and restoration. In its natural state, the Everglades made up one third of Florida, but after visitor attraction tourism and population growth, much of that land was altered to facilitate that development, without long lasting effects in mind.
Just like the attraction parks, Showcase of Citrus and Wild Florida fall under tourism. Unlike them, however, the message is different because of the inherent adventure and curiosity that nature cultivates. It is different because while these places occupy land and are not just pure exhibitions of the natural landscape, it teaches you and bleeds into you. The feelings I had as a child, from the times spent running outside playing with water, to drinking fresh and Floridian orange juice, and to riding through the Everglades, have all stayed with me. Why do people desire to be grounded, to have fresh air, or to just be outside? It is environmental appreciation and consciousness. Even more so, it’s tapping into peace and relaxation outside of a bustling daily life of consumption. After those summers and field trips, my heart grew and connected to Florida not because of attraction parks, but because of nature.
Those simple days made me who I am, and those hot and sticky summers and field trips, all revolve around an overlooked Florida, a Florida that represents more than Disney or Universal. I appreciate what our state offers, one rooted in sights and smells that can renew us, a place that if we look close enough can help us get back in touch with nature, oranges, alligators, and all.
