 In the 1920s , after birds were protected and alligators hunted nearly to extinction , Prohibition created a living for those willing to smuggle alcohol into the U.S. from Cuba . Rum @-@ runners used the vast Everglades as a hiding spot : there were never enough law enforcement officers to patrol it . The advent of the fishing industry , the arrival of the railroad , and the discovery of the benefits of adding copper to Okeechobee muck soon created unprecedented numbers of residents in new towns like Moore Haven , <unk> , and Belle Glade . By 1921 , 2 @,@ 000 people lived in 16 new towns around Lake Okeechobee . Sugarcane became the primary crop grown in south Florida and it began to be mass @-@ produced . Miami experienced a second real estate boom that earned a developer in Coral <unk> $ 150 million and saw undeveloped land north of Miami sell for $ 30 @,@ 600 an acre . Miami became cosmopolitan and experienced a renaissance of architecture and culture . Hollywood movie stars <unk> in the area and <unk> built lavish homes . Miami 's population multiplied <unk> , and <unk> . Lauderdale and Palm Beach grew many times over as well . In 1925 , Miami newspapers published editions weighing over 7 pounds ( 3 @.@ 2 kg ) , most of it real estate advertising . <unk> property was the most highly valued . <unk> trees were cut down and replaced with palm trees to improve the view . Acres of south Florida slash pine were taken down , some for lumber , but the wood was found to be dense and it split apart when nails were driven into it . It was also <unk> @-@ resistant , but homes were needed quickly . Most of the pine forests in Dade County were cleared for development . 
