This resource monograph is one of a series designed as a teaching guide for field studies. Each guide centers around the exploration, observation, and interpretation of a field site in one of the four geological areas of Florida. Incorporated into the guides are many of the subject-matter schemes of the Earth Science Curriculum Program (ESCP) and three major process schemes: science as inquiry, comprehension of scale, and prediction. The guides also give the teacher information on the planning and execution of the field trip, as well as educational objectives, learning activities, and teaching materials available. On this field study, secondary students observe the topography of the state from central Florida to the west coast of the peninsula. The character of the Gulf Coast and land features resulting from running water, solutions, winds, waves, and ocean currents, and the fluctuation of sea levels are the focal points of the study. Photographs and maps of the areas studied are included, as well as a road log and bibliography. (MA)