A desert in a sense

I have seen a fair amount of night rain showers while in Cayman. I haven't yet heard thunder. Billowing clouds are the norm, however.

But when one thinks of South Florida, I often think of a peculiar earthen/mouldy smell of a place that never really dries out. That is not Cayman. There is no mouldy smell I have sensed so far. Indeed, Cayman is almost desert-like. It has many succulent plants and is essentially as near to the Yucatan as it is to anything else (about 400 miles). Cuba is about 150 miles away.

I have been told that small islands in the sea are often desert-like because they do not have the landmass to specifically call forth the rains from clouds by offering pressure/temperature gradients with the sea around them. This is beyond my knowledge of meteorology, but I suppose at some level I get it. Strangely, Cayman is often ringed by clouds with none overhead. No one has yet explained this to me though many are more than willing to agree it seems common.

The soil is thin, dense and rock-hard. A path cut through a grass yard will look as if it has cut down to white concrete. Trees that root themselves in this must be very tough. Of course the mangrove swamps are where most vegitation is found.