Habitat Protection vs. Development

Not a Floridian but I do think that there is an answer to your question, the answer is yes they can continue expanding but they just have to be conscious about where they are doing it.

The main problem is that the most beautiful areas in Florida and the areas that have the best fishing tend to be the areas that have the more vital ecological impact. So in order to continue expanding Florida either needs to set aside large chunks of this land and build around them. OR just build up in already built areas.

The problem with both of these ideas is that people will illegally boat and fish the protected areas, so they would have to guard the land to prevent that. But that is expensive and usually not of high priority to the Florida government. They would rather just flatten it to put more high rises to boost their economy.

The real question is how do we get the government to care?