I Barely Recognize South Florida Anymore

I was born and raised in South Florida, and lately I barely recognize the place I grew up. The traffic, cost of living, constant development and population growth are part of it — but this video is really about something harder to measure: the loss of character. I talk about the places I remember growing up, the disappearance of ordinary mom-and-pop businesses, South Florida becoming more polished and homogenized, and the strange experience of feeling homesick for a place you never actually left. I’m not asking for South Florida to be frozen in the past. Places change. But you don’t have to erase a place to improve it. Has your hometown changed in the same way? I’d love to hear what it’s been like where you live. Open During Construction — Figuring It Out in Real Time.