Florida nature myths abound in a place whimsically known as the Sunshine State. The place isn’t just the southernmost state in the continental U.S. It’s also a tourist commodity.

It’s packaged as a year-round playground where it’s always sunny, never snows, has no hills, and is one big beach… All things that are supposed to appeal to winter-weary northerners who are looking to escape to a cheap tropical paradise in the mainland U.S.

“Neverending summer” isn’t supposed to just be a dream but a reality in Florida. But the truth is that so many of the things Florida is known for and sold on just aren’t true. Even palm trees? Yeah… They’re not really trees… And no, Florida isn’t even technically “tropical.” Subtropical, yes. But not tropical.

But let’s not pedantically dwell on climatological nomenclature… Let’s start busting some longstanding Florida nature myths.

#1 – It Never Snows In Florida, Right? Yeah, No… That’s Just A Myth.

They say it doesn’t snow in Florida. Except it does.

Light flurries or dustings of snow fall almost every year somewhere in the state. The occasional flurries are most likely to fall in the western Panhandle region, where soft white sands and vivid green Gulf waters lend the region’s “Emerald Coast” moniker. Snow has fallen several times in Central Florida over the years, and even Miami once saw a dusting of the white stuff in 1977.

No place in Florida has an average low temperature at any time of the year below freezing. However, many parts of the state from about Tampa Bay north see freezing temperatures at least a few times each winter.

Of course, citing the specter of frost, ice, and snow doesn’t sell Florida to those looking for an escape from white winters. This even comes down to the kind of highway warning signage you won’t see in Florida.

Not one “Bridge Ices Before Road” sign is found along any public highway in Florida. The nearest ones to Florida are seen within a few miles of the state line in Georgia and Alabama. I didn’t just guess at that statement (no real journalist would). I’ve made these observations myself and contacted the Florida Department of Transportation about this — they confirmed that fact.

Whether or not the absence of these signs is by edict of Florida tourist associations or simply because there aren’t enough icy mornings in Florida to warrant spending money on these caution signs is unclear. But if you ask me, be careful driving on North Florida bridges during mornings when the mercury drops below the mid-30s. I have a hunch those bridges still ice up before the adjoining roads do, even if there are no signs there to “prove” it.

#2 – Busting The No Fall Color In Florida Nature Myth

Even the notoriety that Florida doesn’t have any fall color is rooted more in sarcasm than fact. The Sunshine State isn’t known for its sweeping vistas of red, purple, orange, and yellow leaves in October. Yet there is enough spotty color from late October through early December, especially from Central Florida north, to remind people it’s not really summertime anymore in the land of “endless summer.”

Stands of Florida native deciduous trees such as maples, sweetgums, elms, and ash provide annual pops of color in the weeks following the arrival of the first significant autumnal cold fronts from the north.

#3 – Palms Aren’t Really Trees

Then there is the palm. Is any Florida vacation truly complete unless one has soaked up some sun by a swaying palm? Probably not.

Yet, many of the palms that people see in Florida aren’t native to the Sunshine State. But a handful are.

Florida’s state tree is the sabal palm, which is native to the state. But there’s a problem with the sabal palm serving as Florida’s state tree, a status the species has held since 1953…

Botanically speaking, palms aren’t even classified as trees. Palms are a type of grass and are best described as a woody herb.

Why Palms Aren’t Trees

So, why aren’t palms technically classified as trees?

• They don’t have rings in their trunks (trees have these)
• Palms don’t sport any bark (hello, trees…)
• And they lack branches – their “branches” are leaves that are technically known as fronds

Some cities in Florida are even beginning to move away from planting palms. Why? Because palms don’t absorb as much carbon as true canopied trees do. And that’s a key component in battling the climate change and rising sea levels that coastal Florida confronts.

All this must make one wonder if Florida leaders should rethink its state tree, choosing something more arboristically fitting for the title. Perhaps the native red maple would fit the bill… Then again, it’s kind of hard to imagine anything but a palm serving as Florida’s state tree, isn’t it?

#4 – No Hills In The Sunshine State Is Just Another Of The Florida Nature Myths

OK, so maybe Florida sees a light dusting of snow from time to time and sports a little fall color, but no way it has mountains… Right? Florida does lay claim to having the “lowest” highpoint elevation anywhere in the United States, second behind only Delaware. But this doesn’t mean that Florida is flat – not in the way people often think, anyway.

Contrary to the popular Florida nature myths suggesting that the Sunshine State is just one long flapjack-flat sandbar, the state does boast rolling hills in its central and northern regions.

• The highest natural point in the state is Britton Hill, standing 345 feet above sea level near the Panhandle town of Lakewood.
• The highest point on the Florida peninsula is Sugarloaf Mountain, with its respectable 312-foot elevation and prominence of 245 feet – not too shabby by Florida standards.

Why Some Of Florida Has Hills

Florida’s hills – be they as they may – are a result of the state’s karst topography.

The state’s karst landforms are shaped by the water that has carved away at Florida’s mainly bedrock of limestone; it’s a sedimentary rock formation that is thousands of feet thick and was underwater tens of millions of years ago. Florida’s limestone underpinnings yield a tremendous underwater aquifer system spawning thousands of springs throughout the state and the occasional dry cave – such as the kind seen in Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna.

Florida’s geological environs also lend to the state’s high water table, which in some areas near the coast and throughout much of southern and central Florida lay just a few feet below the ground. This is why basements are scarce (though not unheard of) in Florida.

Florida’s limestone bedrock resembles something like a big sponge. It’s great at absorbing water and allowing it to pool underground. But it’s also why sinkholes are a huge risk in many parts of the Sunshine State.

Spoiler alert: sinkholes are NOT one of the Florida nature myths but rather a Florida nature terror.

Many people’s Florida dreams turn into nightmares when these holes, sometimes more than 50 feet wide and deep, open near – and often under – their homes.

Sinkhole insurance is a real thing in Florida… And it’s downright expensive, too.