I think a lot of that is because of the urban sprawl of Florida, I don’t know how old you are, but think about 40-50 years ago and what Florida was like then, Disney was barely open, the population of Florida was half or less than what it is today. move all those gators out of their areas and force them more in smaller areas.
Yes, I’m a native and Disney was being built when I was a kid. It opened when I was 12, but by then we had moved to Gainesville. I call that period of time “Old Florida”, before it got so jam packed down there. I miss the moss on the trees and lots of stuff from the Old South. I used to crave boiled peanuts, but I’ve finally figured out how to freeze them and they are almost as good as freshly boiled. I DO LOVE the change of seasons in the Midwest, but I just wish that Winter didn’t last so long. The folks around here are genuine and kind, too, not that you can’t find that in the South.