The Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers, and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream

by Jason Vuic

Florida has long been a beacon for retirees, but for many, the American dream of owning a home there was a fantasy. That changed in the 1950s, when the so-called "installment land sales industry" hawked billions of dollars of Florida residential property, sight unseen, to retiring northerners. For only $10 down and $10 a month, working-class pensioners could buy a piece of the Florida a graded home site that would be waiting for them in a planned community when they were ready to build. The result was Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Deltona, Port Charlotte, Palm Coast, and Spring Hill, among many others—sprawling communities with no downtowns, little industry, and millions of residential lots.

In The Swamp Peddlers , Jason Vuic tells the raucous tale of the sale of residential lots in postwar Florida. Initially selling cheap homes to retirees with disposable income, by the mid-1950s developers realized that they could make more money selling parcels of land on installment to their customers. These "swamp peddlers" completely transformed the landscape and demographics of Florida, devastating the state environmentally by felling forests, draining wetlands, digging canals, and chopping up at least one million acres into grid-like subdivisions crisscrossed by thousands of miles of roads. Generations of northerners moved to Florida cheaply, but at a huge high-pressure sales tactics begat fraud; poor urban planning begat sprawl; poorly-regulated development begat environmental destruction, culminating in the perfect storm of the 21st-century subprime mortgage crisis.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Urban Planning, Urbanism, American History, Journalism

268 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2021

About the author

Specialist in the history of former Yugoslavia and in 1997-98 was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

He has published articles and op-eds in the South Slav Journal, Serbian Studies, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Indianapolis Star. His next project is a book-length history of the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.

Reviews

[Jono Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read by all Floridians, and twice by all elected officials in the state. It documents the incredible story of how small number of men (abetted by a compliant Tallahassee) were able to create multiple "cities" (some over 100 square miles in size) with no downtowns, and, in many cases, no discernible infrastructure. These consisted of scattered lots sold by installment to people around the globe by hucksters who had no interest in community planning, other than to maximize the number of residential lots to the exclusion of all other land uses. In the process their corporations destroyed vast areas of natural Florida, only, it most cases, to end up bankrupt. The resulting "communities" while affordable, are saddled with persistent problems baked into their layouts. The work is well researched, with many citations and the words themselves are easy enough to read, but the impact of the words is hard to comprehend and process.

[Mark Mathes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Florida historically grows where the railroad goes, in Henry Flaglers’s day, from St. Augustine, Palm Beach and Key West. Later, developers dredged and filled Miami. Meanwhile, Baron Collier and partners dreamed what a highway from Tampa to Naples and across the Glades to Miami might do. They battled swamps, skeeters and gators and finally completed what’s known as the Tamiami Trail and Alligator Alley. Land speculators platted and diced up counties like Sarasota and Charlotte, where North Port and Rotonda were peddled to Northerners with a dream. And Cape Coral in Lee, and Bonita Springs and Naples where Collier thrived.

[Cayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a wealth of valuable information, and it did a great job of breaking it down. The information was overwhelming at times, but still digestible. I appreciate the research that went into this. A lot of the history in this book brings new meaning to the current state of Florida politically, socially, financially, and geographically.

[Mary Anne Westphal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone moving to Florida

I've lived in Florida since 1968. Not in one of the swamp land fiascos fortunately but I remember Port St Lucie out in the middle of nowhere and Malabar and Palm Bay with lots under water. So much damage was done that the environment will never recover from. This history book should be required reading for people living in Florida. There's more to tell...the Cross Florida Barge Canal. The Villages spreading like a disease in central Florida.Leveling all the trees in Gainesville for big box stores. The almighty greed and the fact that fools are soon parted with their money is the key theme. Thanks so much for writing this history I hope there is more to come.

[Katie Kiefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a book completely unlike any other in my TBR pile. One I knew wouldn't come with stressful plotlines and heartbreak. This did the trick.
As a native Floridian, The Swamp Peddlers was eye-opening and, at the same time, not shocking at all. Greed, dishonesty, and the lack of care about the environment or other humans drive decisions in FL. It is shocking how dishonest people can be, and how protected they are. I love being a Floridian, but what has been happening in this state since the 20s is disgraceful.
A very informative and deep book. The beginning 30% and the last 25% moved the fastest for me.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and riveting overview of why FL continues to suffer from surburban sprawl and why

[Sarah Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

[Kevin]

Perhaps the best book I've ever read to explain modern Florida to me. Highly recommended to anyone who lives in Florida, has grown up in Florida, or plans to move to Florida.

[Bee Ostrowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been to some of the places this book talks about, but I never realized how they got that way. This is an amazing history of suburbia in Florida and I've already recommended it to several friends.

[Nick Holevar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vuic shares a lot of knowledge but fails to truly argue much. There feels like a lot or organization that is needed. 200 pages with seven chapters leads to Vuic to get side tracked and say "well it's sorta related."

For instance, I shouldn't be reading about practices in the 80s and then the next paragraph start with "flashback to the 50s."

I think Vuic likes to tell as many stories as possible instead of organizing them to make more coherent sense.

Feels like an armchair history book that tries to make real estate an interesting and exciting event rather than a critical history book of the practices that occurred largely in Florida and the effect it had on culture and the economies of Florida today

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Vuic is a weak storytelling and this book is disjointed and confusing. There’s no central narrative or thesis to bring it all together, and it feels like the author is cramming in as many stories as he possibly can, whether or not they’re related or insightful. One chapter will be on the 1950s boom, one on Marco Island in the 30s (with a long diversion into the Army Engineering Corp), then there’ll be a chapter about totally unrelated fraudsters in the 1970s etc etc.

Adds up to much less than the sum of its parts.

Deducting a star because the narrator of the audiobook is incredibly irritating. He overcompensates for his flat and thoughtless narration by a rising intonation at the end of every single sentence. He truly sucks and might as well be (poor) AI.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narratively, this history reflects its themes of vague promises (no real insight into consumer or business psychology) and sentences providing judgment without justice.

The journalist cadence works given the scope of this local history but the dangling prepositions had me reaching for my copy of The Elements of Style as a source of comfort.

However the real win for Vuic here is the synthesis of subjects deemed dull (but which we must recognize as essential to our individual well-being): housing markets, local government, infrastructure development, and environmental conservation.

[Joe B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on the land sales industry and how it truly affected the growth of the state of Florida to what it is today and how it continues to grow regardless of all the history of scams that occurred during that time. Everybody wants to be in the sun, everyone. So no matter what people will come to Florida, regardless of housing cost. Cost of living or anything that would prevent them from coming here. Once here people will stay because this is a slice of paradise but the cost sometimes it’s a little more than people think. Be prepared financially if you’ve moved to Florida end of story anything can happen.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an education into the development of Florida! Where A Land Remembered ends, this non-fiction book meticulously details the decimation of huge parts of natural Florida ecology at the hands of shysters and con men who were only interested in carving it up into lots. I listened to it as an audiobook and even though I didn’t like the reader’s performance, it wasn’t enough to keep it from a five star rating. Granted, it’s not for everyone, but Florida natives or near-natives will find it fascinating. And I think it should be required reading for every Florida politician.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very, very well researched. Almost too researched -- there are so many details and specifics of land deals and government rulings that the story gets bogged down and boring at times. I live in Southwest Florida, which the majority of this book is about, so I found the info fascinating. However, I can't imagine anyone outside of Florida would enjoy it.

[Helen]

A fascinating book about the development of Florida through the use of scams, deception, and chicanery. Millions were made by these "astute" businessmen who sold land to those who were seeking a Florida paradise, but instead bought a chunk of the swamp. Recommended especially if you are someone who lives where these communities were developed.

[Patrick Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read if you're living in FL or you're interested in city planning. I'm from the area that is the subject of this book, and it was a little spooky hearing how land scammers shaped my life and childhood. That said, the narrative approach was fairly easy to read and was deeply relevant to my life personally.

[Jason S · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about land scams and lot sales in Florida from the 1950s on. Explains the suburban sprawl of the state well. Some incredible stories of greed and of what happens when the government is hands off with regulation.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will help you understand some of the reasons that Florida is that way that it is. There are many details, facts, and figures, some of which I had to skim over to just to push through the book. It was a bit like reading a text book but, still, fascinating stuff.

[Erica Burdgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexa, play “Florida!!!” By Taylor Swift. This song is this book’s theme song no doubt! Full of history on the origins of the mass migration to Florida and all the corruption and greed that made it possible.

[Mary Agnes Joens · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - super interesting, but suffers from somewhat poor organization. The overview of how Florida's suburban sprawl came to be is clearly the result of thorough research and I would overall recommend but I do wish the author had committed more to a narrative structure.

[Ellie Appelgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful comprehensive history on the development of Florida. i think that everyone who lives in Florida should read this book. it is a cautionary tale about greed and abuse of power that ended up harming communities and the environment.

[Mark Steininger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid follow up to Bubble in the Sun. Kind of wild just how cyclical Florida development is, the book makes a pretty clear argument 2007's crash was at least the third of its kind in Florida. Probably for the best our sins will be washed to the see when Cape Coral and the rest are underwater

[anklecemetery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating and bonkers look into the land scams that built modern Florida.

[EAB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every resident or wannabe resident of Florida needs to read this book.

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Cameron Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the topics of the book pretty interesting, but it felt like a collection of related stories about a similar topic, but never felt like one story all tied together.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great background on why some Florida cities have such bad designs.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a (true) story. Oh, Florida

[Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, describes the topic well, slightly repetitive in middle tho it does seem a lot of the problems were repeated as well