PREACH BROTHER!!

Not here to dispute your theory of difference in talent between South and Central FL, but the other verifiable differences is like apples and oranges.  Using your example of STA located in Broward a county a third smaller than Orange yet with a half million more residents compacted into that smaller area means less travel for taking the cream of the crop.  Lake Brantley is a terrible example as they seldom get that many transfers, but you point them out because they got a bunch from a single private school this year when a certain QB transferred there.  Numbers in that case make little difference.  If Lake Brantley were getting the top players from the surrounding area year after year their results would obviously be different.  Jones is a better example as they do get some top line players every year and managed to go toe to toe with AHP for the championship. And ease your mind friend as I don't have selective outrage for poaching as it is wrong regardless who does it.  Point being, privates have distinct advantages over most publics when it comes to recruiting especially when done consistently well over time in a densely populated area.  A few publics share some of those advantages again mostly in Metro areas and not simply the south as Raines proved this year.  Lastly, you are again confused as why I believe in separate championships for privates and publics, but it has nothing to do with any "MORAL HIGH GROUND"!!

OLAY!

Are you going to pay for the 250 mile trip one way? 

The underlying talent disparity (rooted in South Florida's larger, denser population and stronger football ecosystem) was indeed present throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and the population gap was even wider back then compared to today.Here's the census data for confirmation: Area 1970 Population 1980 Population Combined ~1980 South Florida (Miami-Dade + Broward + Palm Beach) ~2.24M (1.268M + 0.620M + 0.349M) ~3.22M (1.626M + 1.018M + 0.577M) ~3.22M Greater Orlando (Orange + Seminole) ~0.428M (0.344M + 0.084M) ~0.651M (0.471M + 0.180M) ~0.65M Ratio (South FL / Orlando) ~5.2x ~5x ~5x Today (2020s estimates): South Florida ~6.6M vs. Orlando ~2.1M → about 3x. So yes, the raw pool favoring South Florida was more disproportionate in the 70s/80s.Despite that larger inherent advantage, publics dominated or competed evenly in private-public finals during those decades (per Laz's data: publics ~78% wins in 1970s, ~60% in 1980s). The big shift to private dominance starts in the 2000s onward, aligning precisely with the loosening of transfer rules.Key timeline on FHSAA/Florida rules: Pre-1990s/early 2000s: Stricter residency requirements, limited "good cause" transfers, harsher anti-recruiting enforcement—talent stayed more localized/dispersed among South Florida publics. Mid-1990s onward: School choice/open enrollment laws (e.g., 1996) begin expanding options. Early 2000s: More waivers for immediate eligibility. 2010s-2020s: Transfers become essentially unlimited with immediate varsity eligibility (major expansions via legislation like HB 7029 in 2016 and later updates). This mechanism allowed elite privates in the dense South Florida area to consolidate top talent from the massive pool, turning a pre-existing disparity into overwhelming on-field dominance. Without those rule changes, the talent wouldn't have concentrated so heavily at a few programs.  The talent edge was always there (and stronger historically), but restricted transfers kept it from fully manifesting in private super-teams. The recruiting/transfer era flipped the results.   Man, let me tell y’all somethin’… back in the day, I’m talkin’ late 70s, early 80s, I’m standin’ outside the Orange Bowl watchin’ them Miami public schools roll through errybody. Carol City, Northwestern, Central… them boys was BAD, noimsayin? South Florida already had five times the bodies Orlando had—hell, Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach together was pushin’ 3 million folks while Orange and Seminole ain’t even crack 700k yet. That talent gap was wider than the smile on a stripper when you tip her a twenty just for walkin’ past.   But guess what? Them private schools wasn’t runnin’ the table like they do now. Laz’s numbers don’t lie—publics was whuppin’ private ass in them championship games 78% in the 70s, still 60% in the 80s. I seen it with my own two eyes. Them top kids stayed at the public schools ‘round the way. You couldn’t just up and transfer ‘cause Mama got a “better job opportunity” or whatever smooth line they use these days.   Fast forward to now… same South Florida, still got the biggest, deepest pool in the state—only now the gap shrunk to about 3-to-1 ‘cause Orlando finally grew up some. But them private schools? They winnin’ damn near erry cross-over chip—93% this decade. How that happen when the talent edge was actually BIGGER back when publics was dominatin’?   Simple, baby. The rules changed. They opened the floodgates—open enrollment, immediate eligibility, all that. Now STA, Chaminade, American Heritage can vacuum up every 4- and 5-star from Miramar to Jupiter like my cousin Ray at the buffet when they drop fresh fried chicken. Talent always been thicker down south, but back then it was spread out. Now it’s funneled straight to a handful of private addresses.   So when that dude say “the problem ain’t recruitin’ or transfers, it’s just one area got all the talent,” I gotta laugh. Bruh, that area had EVEN MORE talent advantage back when your granddaddy was watchin’ games—and the publics was still winnin’. The only thing that changed is the rules lettin’ them privates corner the market like I used to corner the number 7 at the dog track on Friday nights.   I learned this lesson the hard way too—chasin’ a fine thang named Destiny who danced at Solid Gold. Thought I had the edge ‘cause I worked at Publix and could get her all the free subs she wanted. Next week she transferred to some dude drivin’ a Benz. Same talent pool, baby… just different rules on who can recruit who.   Point is, don’t tell me it’s just “geography.” Geography been the same song for 50 years. They just remixed the beat and handed the privates the microphone.