^IMO, the biggest limit to sprawl, if there is actually one, is the time and distance to travel to anything more than the neighborhood strip center. Want to see a pro or college game, go to a pro show or concert, take a flight or train ride, visit a museum or college, attend a large festival, visit a major medical complex and, most importantly, commute to a major job center, you have potentially a long time in your car.
With growing traffic congestion added to longer distances, travel time will exponentially expand. Given the undeveloped land remaining in the surrounding counties, their poorly designed road networks and the far greater density of housing in today's subdivisions, the worst consequences of overdevelopment are yet to come for the surrounding counties. At some point, some people will push back on that way of living and start valuing living in an area more central to the region. Especially with our ongoing failure to support robust and speedy mass transit throughout the region.
St. Johns, Clay, Baker, Nassau... Duval is the county in the center. A resurgence in appeal will be forthcoming in the years to come. It's happened nationwide and we are behind the curve but our day will come once the surrounding counties tire of unfettered and poorly planned growth and residents tire of unreasonable travel times.
