The environmental group 1000 Friends of Florida released its Florida 2070 study today. It's a series of maps that show how many people Florida will hold - and where they'll live - generations from now.
The study says that more than 33 million people will live in Florida in 2070 - that's nearly 13 million more than today.
1000 Friends of Florida's Vivian Young says that if Florida continues to develop as it has in the past - with developments sprawling into rural and agricultural land - much of the state could be paved over by 2070.
"We really wanted to help citizens and elected officials understand the cumulative impacts of many seemingly small land use decisions we make today will have a significant impact on what Florida will look like for decades to come," Young said.
The group recommends alternative development policies. Those would include a mixture of homes, schools and offices within close distance to each other, and protecting conservation and agricultural lands.
Peggy Carr, of the University of Florida's GeoPlan Center, says that by following the groups recommendations, the state can accommodate the population, and still protect the land and agriculture.
"To do that, we need to have greater rates of redevelopment in our existing urban areas and promote more compact patterns for redevelopment," Carr said.
They say that following these recommendations could significantly decrease the impact on the state from an ever-growing population.
