. . . In 2012 75% of the population lived within 10 miles (16 km) of the coastline Frost Art Museum (Florida International University Miami). As of the 2005 American Community Survey 5,334,685 people lived in the metropolis; . !

Miami Canal Julia Tuttle the founder of Miami (15.8) 63.1 A national push for expansion and progress in the United States occurred in the later part of the 19th century which stimulated interest in draining the Everglades for agricultural use According to historians "From the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century the United States went through a period in which wetland removal was not questioned Indeed it was considered the proper thing to do." Draining the Everglades was suggested as early as 1837 and a resolution in Congress was passed in 1842 that prompted Secretary of Treasury Robert J Walker to request those with experience in the Everglades to give their opinion on the possibility of drainage Many officers who had served in the Seminole Wars favored the idea in 1850 Congress passed a law that gave several states wetlands within their state boundaries the Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act ensured that the state would be responsible for funding the attempts at developing wetlands into farmlands Florida quickly formed a committee to consolidate grants to pay for any attempts though the Civil War and Reconstruction halted progress until after 1877. Hialeah Market Tri-Rail Much of the coast and the inner estuaries are built of mangroves; there is no border between the coastal marshes and the bay Thus the marine ecosystems in Florida Bay are considered to be a part of the Everglades watershed and one of the ecosystems connected to and affected by the Everglades as a whole More than 800 square miles (2,100 km2) of Florida Bay is protected by Everglades National Park representing the largest body of water in the park boundaries There are approximately 100 keys in Florida Bay many of which are mangrove forests the fresh water coming into Florida Bay from the Everglades creates perfect conditions for vast beds of turtle grass and algae formations that are the foundation for animal life in the bay Sea turtles and manatees eat the grass while invertebrate animals such as worms clams and other mollusks eat the algae formations and microscopic plankton Female sea turtles return annually to nest on the shore and manatees spend the winter months in the warmer water of the bay Sea grasses also serve to stabilize the sea beds and protect shorelines from erosion by absorbing energy from waves! .