Florida is one of the leading tourist states in the United States. This land of swaying palm trees and warm ocean breezes attracts tens of millions of visitors from throughout the world the year around. Many of these vacationers enjoy Walt Disney World Resort, a theme park near Orlando. Miami Beach, a suburb of Miami, is one of the state’s many famous resort centers. Other popular seaside resorts include Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Palm Beach, Panama City, and Sanibel Island.
Florida has been nicknamed the Sunshine State because it has many sunny days. Partly as a result of the warm, sunny climate, millions of older people spend their retirement years in the state. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida. Jacksonville ranks as the state’s largest city.
Florida is the southernmost state on the U.S. mainland. A large part of the state consists of a peninsula that juts south about 400 miles (640 kilometers) into the sea. The state’s northwestern part is called the Panhandle. The Panhandle extends along the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Florida faces the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the west. The southern tip of Florida is less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Cuba. Florida’s coastline is longer than that of any other state except Alaska.
Florida’s population is growing faster than that of all but a few other states. Its economy is also expanding rapidly. Growing sectors of the economy include banking, business services, and the manufacture of computers and other electronic equipment. Florida is one of the nation’s leading producers of both oranges and grapefruit. Almost all the frozen orange juice produced in the United States is processed in Florida.
In 1513, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León claimed the Florida region for Spain. He named the region Florida. He arrived there a few days after Easter, which the Spanish called Pascua Florida (Easter of the Flowers). In 1565, the Spaniards established St. Augustine. St. Augustine was the first permanent European settlement in what became the United States. Britain gained control of Florida in 1763 but ceded it back to Spain in 1783. After the American Revolution (1775-1783), the United States controlled all the land it now occupies from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River except for Spanish Florida.
The United States formally obtained Florida from Spain in 1821. Congress established the Territory of Florida the next year. Florida became a state in 1845. Shortly before the American Civil War began in 1861, Florida left the Union. It then joined the Confederacy. Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River that Union forces did not capture during the war. Florida was readmitted to the Union in 1868. The population of Florida started to swell during the early 1900’s and has been growing ever since.
People
Population.
The 2020 United States census reported that Florida had 21,538,187 people. The population had increased about 15 percent over the 2010 figure of 18,801,310. Of states east of the Mississippi River, Florida had the highest percentage of growth during the 2010’s. Florida ranks third in population among the 50 states.
About 97 percent of Florida’s people live in the state’s metropolitan areas. Florida has 22 metropolitan areas entirely within the borders of the state (see Metropolitan area). About half of the state’s population lives in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan areas.
Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city, with a population of nearly 820,000. Other cities over 175,000, in order of population, are Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Port St. Lucie, Tallahassee, Cape Coral, and Fort Lauderdale. Most of Florida’s largest cities lie on or near the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. 
Many older people move to Florida from other parts of the country after they retire. About 15 percent of the state’s population are African Americans. Hispanic Americans, who may be of any race, make up about 25 percent of Florida’s population. Many Floridians are of Cuban, English, German, Irish, or Italian ancestry.
Schools.
Florida’s earliest schools were run by Spanish priests in the 1600’s. Spanish and Native American children studied religion and the Spanish language. During the mid-1700’s, English colonists provided education for the children of wealthier families. A formal system of public education in Florida began with the Constitution of 1868. Public education was well established by the early 1900’s.
Today, the governor appoints a Board of Education. The board has authority over elementary through post-secondary education. The Department of Education administers the policies of the board. A commissioner of education leads the department. The commissioner is appointed by the governor. The Department of Education supervises public schools and public community colleges and universities. It also supervises state-supported vocational education programs. Children from age 6 through age 15 must attend school. For the number of students and teachers in Florida, see Education (table: U.S. students, teachers, and school expenditures).
Libraries.
The Walton-DeFuniak Library in DeFuniak Springs is the oldest library in Florida still serving the public. It was established in 1886. The state’s first free, tax-supported library opened in Jacksonville in 1905. The state administers the State Library of Florida in Tallahassee. The Florida Historical Society maintains the Library of Florida History in Cocoa. The P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History, at the University of Florida, has an extensive collection of books about the state.
Museums.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota is noted for its Baroque art collection. Also on the grounds are the Ringling mansion and the Circus Museum. History museums in Florida include the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee and HistoryMiami in Miami. The state’s art museums include the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville; the Museum of Fine Arts and the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg; the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach; and Pérez Art Museum Miami. Other important museums are the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville and the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami. 
Visitor’s guide
Great stretches of sandy beaches and a warm, sunny climate make Florida a year-round vacationland. Southern Florida is one of the world’s most beautiful resort areas. Its attractions include Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys. The keys are a chain of small islands that extends into the Gulf of Mexico. People enjoy swimming, fishing, and water-skiing in the inland and coastal waters.
Visitors may see historic sites that date back to the Spanish explorers. The Orange Bowl football game in Miami Gardens on or near New Year’s Day is one of Florida’s leading annual events. The state has professional baseball, basketball, football, and hockey teams. Horse racing, greyhound racing, and jai alai games are popular.
Land and climate
Land regions.
Florida is part of the Atlantic-Gulf Coastal Plain. This large land region extends along the coast from New Jersey to southern Texas. Within Florida, there are three main land regions, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the East Gulf Coastal Plain, and the Florida Uplands.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain
of Florida covers the entire eastern part of the state. It is a low, level plain ranging in width from 30 to 100 miles (48 to 160 kilometers). A narrow ribbon of sand bars, coral reefs, and barrier islands lies in the Atlantic Ocean, just offshore from the mainland. Lagoons, rivers, bays, and long, shallow lakes lie between much of this ribbon and the mainland.
Big Cypress Swamp and the Everglades cover most of southern Florida. Water covers much of this region, especially during the rainy months.
The Florida Keys make up the southernmost part of the state. These small islands curve southwestward for about 150 miles (241 kilometers) off the mainland from Miami. Key Largo is the largest island.
The East Gulf Coastal Plain
of Florida has two main sections. One section covers the southwestern part of the peninsula, including Tampa Bay and part of the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. The other section of Florida’s East Gulf Coastal Plain curves around the northern edge of the Gulf of Mexico across the Panhandle to Florida’s western border.
The East Gulf Coastal Plain is similar to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Long, narrow barrier islands extend along the Gulf of Mexico coastline. Coastal swamps stretch inland in places. Much swampland in the region has been drained. The land has been used for farming or urban development, especially in southwestern Florida.
The Florida Uplands
is shaped somewhat like a giant arm and hand. A finger of the hand points down the center of the state toward the southern tip of the peninsula. The uplands separate the two sections of the East Gulf Coastal Plain from each other. They also separate the northern section from the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
The uplands region is higher than Florida’s other land regions. But its average elevation is only between 200 and 300 feet (61 and 91 meters) above sea level. Lakes are common in the Florida Uplands. Many of these lakes were formed in sinkholes. Sinkholes are cave-ins where a limestone bed near the surface has been dissolved by water action. Pine forests grow in the northern section of the uplands.
The northern part of the Florida Uplands runs from the northwestern corner of the state along the northern border. It extends for about 275 miles (443 kilometers). Its width varies from about 30 to 50 miles (48 to 80 kilometers). This section has fertile valleys and rolling hills of red clay. Many hardwood and softwood forests grow there. The southern part of the Florida Uplands is a region of low hills and lakes. It covers an area about 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide and about 160 miles (257 kilometers) long.
Coastline
of Florida is 1,350 miles (2,173 kilometers) long. The Atlantic coast has 580 miles (933 kilometers) of shoreline. The Gulf coast is 770 miles (1,240 kilometers) long. When lagoons, bays, and barrier islands are included, the Atlantic coastline is 3,331 miles (5,361 kilometers) long. The Gulf coast is 5,095 miles (8,200 kilometers) long. Biscayne Bay extends south from Miami. It is the one major bay on the Atlantic coast. The most important bays along the western coast include Tampa, Charlotte Harbor, San Carlos, and Sarasota. Florida Bay, beyond the southern tip of the peninsula, separates the Florida Keys from the mainland. Several bays stretch along the northern Florida shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. These bodies of water include Apalachee, Apalachicola, St. Joseph, St. Andrew, Choctawhatchee, and Pensacola bays.
Rivers, lakes, and springs.
The St. Johns River is the largest river in the state. It begins near Melbourne and flows about 275 miles (443 kilometers) northward. It runs almost parallel to the Atlantic coastline. The St. Marys River, along the eastern Florida-Georgia border, flows east into the Atlantic. The Perdido River, on Florida’s northwestern border, drains into the Gulf of Mexico. The Apalachicola River is northwestern Florida’s most important river. It forms where the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers join at the northern boundary of the state. It flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Suwannee River flows southwest from the Florida-Georgia border. It also empties into the Gulf. Stephen Foster made this river famous in his song “Old Folks at Home,” also known as “Swanee River.” Other rivers connect many of the lakes of the uplands.
Lake Okeechobee is Florida’s largest lake. It covers about 680 square miles (1,760 square kilometers). The lake is the second largest natural body of fresh water wholly within the United States. Only Lake Michigan covers a larger area. About 30,000 shallow lakes lie throughout central Florida.
Florida has 17 large springs and countless smaller ones. Many of the springs contain healthful mineral waters. Wakulla Springs, near Tallahassee, is one of the nation’s deepest springs. It has a depth of 185 feet (56 meters). Silver Springs, southeast of Ocala, is the largest spring in the state. Many of the springs are so clear that plant life on the bottom may be seen as deep as 80 feet (24 meters).
Plant and animal life.
Forests cover about half of Florida. Common trees include ashes, beeches, baldcypresses, sweet gums, hickories, magnolias, mangroves, maples, oaks, palms, and pines.
Common wildflowers of Florida include irises, lilies, lupines, orchids, and sunflowers. The state also has such climbing vines as Carolina yellow jasmine, Cherokee rose, morning-glory, and trumpet creeper. Other flowers that grow throughout the state include azaleas, camellias, gardenias, hibiscus, oleanders, and poinsettias. The bougainvillea and the flame vine (also called golden bignonia) brighten many southern Florida gardens. Dogwoods, magnolias, and redbuds flourish in the north.
Black bears, deer, gray foxes, and wild cats live in many parts of the state. Smaller animals, such as opossums, otters, raccoons, and squirrels, are also common. Florida has the largest colonies of anhinga, egrets, herons, ibises, and pelicans north of the Caribbean Sea. Alligators live in the swamps.
More kinds of fishes may be found in Florida’s waters than in any other part of the world. The freshwater lakes and rivers contain bass, bream, catfish, and crappies. Florida’s ocean waters contain bluefish, grouper, mackerel, marlin, menhaden, pompano, red snapper, sailfish, sea trout, and tarpon. Clams, conches, crabs, crayfish, oysters, scallops, and shrimp live in Florida’s coastal waters. Mullets are found in salt water and brackish (somewhat salty) marshes.
Climate.
Most of Florida has a warm, humid climate similar to that of the other Southern States. Florida’s southern tip has a tropical wet and dry climate like that of Central America and large parts of Africa and South America. 
Atlantic and Gulf breezes relieve some of the summer heat near the coasts. Winters are usually mild, even in northern Florida. July temperatures are much the same in the northern and southern parts of the state. Jacksonville, in the north, has an average July temperature of 82 °F (28 °C). Miami, in the south, averages 84 °F (29 °C) in July. But in January, Miami averages 68 °F (20 °C). Jacksonville’s average temperature drops to 53 °F (12 °C). The coastal areas have slightly cooler summers and warmer winters than do inland areas. Destructive frosts rarely occur in southern Florida. But occasional cold waves damage crops as far south as the Everglades.
The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in Florida occurred within 30 miles (48 kilometers) of each other. Tallahassee recorded the lowest temperature, –2 °F (–19 °C), on Feb. 13, 1899. Nearby Monticello recorded the highest temperature, 109 °F (43 °C), on June 29, 1931.
Nearly all of Florida’s precipitation occurs in the form of rain. Florida has an average yearly precipitation of 54 inches (137 centimeters). An average of 35 inches (89 centimeters) falls in the rainy season, which lasts from May to October.
Florida lies along the path of many of the hurricanes that sweep across the Atlantic Ocean every summer and fall. Destructive hurricanes have struck Florida several times. Tornadoes and waterspouts also affect the state. Droughts and wildfires have become increasingly frequent occurrences.
Economy
Florida’s economy has become more diverse. But traditional industries, such as the tourist trade and the growing of citrus fruits, remain important. Companies have been attracted to the state by its warm climate and business-friendly reputation. Manufacturing in central Florida has benefited from the growth of high- technology industries, especially computer-related and electronics industries.
Service industries, taken together, account for the largest portion of Florida’s gross domestic product, Gross domestic product is the total value of all goods and services produced in the state in a year. Florida agriculture is famous for growing citrus fruits. Florida is one of the nation’s leading producers of both oranges and grapefruit. The state also receives much income from the mining of phosphate rock. Phosphate is used to make fertilizer.
Natural resources.
Florida’s natural resources include sandy beaches and a sunny climate. The state also has thick forests and phosphate and mineral sands deposits.
Soil.
Most of Florida’s soils are sandy, especially in the coastal plains. The most fertile soils are in the south. Much of the area’s rich wetland has been drained and used for farming. The soils of the Florida Uplands are chiefly sandy loams and clays.
Minerals.
Most of Florida lies on huge beds of limestone, the state’s most plentiful mineral. Florida has the country’s largest phosphate deposits. Most of the state’s phosphate comes from mines in west-central Florida. Large stores of peat, sand and gravel, and fuller’s earth, a clay used in filters, are found throughout the state. Florida’s sandy areas have mineral sands, including ilmenite, rutile, and zircon. Brick clays and kaolin, a pottery clay, are found in Putnam County. Natural gas and oil are mined in northwestern and southern Florida.
Forests
cover about half of the state. Florida has hundreds of kinds of trees. Slash pines are a valuable tree in Florida. The most common hardwood trees are baldcypress, black tupelo, magnolia, oak, and sweet gum. Other common trees include ash, beech, hickory, maple, and yellow pines (loblolly and longleaf). Hardwoods and pines are plentiful in the northern half of the state. Mangrove and gumbo limbo trees are found in southern Florida’s coastal marshlands.
Service industries
provide about 90 percent of both Florida’s employment and its gross domestic product. Service industries chiefly operate in the Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa-St. Petersburg areas.
Florida’s restaurants and hotels benefit from the tens of millions of tourists who visit each year. Many hotels and resorts line the coastal areas. Walt Disney World Resort, a theme park and entertainment complex near Orlando, is one of the world’s leading tourist attractions. 
Florida’s leading financial centers are the Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa-St. Petersburg areas. Real estate companies have brought in much income by developing retirement communities and vacation resorts. Investment firms operating in Florida receive much business from retired people.
Tallahassee, the state capital, is the center of government activities. The federal government operates the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral, Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle, and Naval Air Station Pensacola. Two of the nation’s largest supermarket chains, Publix Super Markets, Inc., and Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., have their headquarters in Florida. Several shipping and cruise lines are based in Florida.
Manufacturing.
Computer and electronic products are important to Florida’s economy. Communications equipment, computer microchips and components, and search and navigational, medical, and measuring equipment are the leading products from this sector. Many high-tech jobs are in the Orlando and Tampa areas. Many Internet companies are based in South Florida.
Food and beverage processing ranks second among Florida’s manufacturing activities. Citrus fruit processing is one of the largest industries in the state. Processing plants, mostly in central Florida, produce fresh citrus fruit juices, canned juices, canned fruit, and citrus by-products. Florida also produces baked goods, dairy products, meat, seafood, soft drinks, and sugar products.
Other leading products include chemicals, fabricated metal products, medical equipment, nonmetallic minerals, and transportation equipment. Fertilizer and pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs) are the leading chemical products. Machine shop products and metal doors and windows are key parts of the fabricated metal products sector. Medical equipment is made chiefly in the Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa-St. Petersburg areas. Cement and concrete products are the leading nonmetallic mineral products. Aircraft parts, airplanes, and ships are also made in Florida.
Agriculture.
Farmland covers about one-fourth of Florida’s land area. Crops account for most of Florida’s total farm income. Oranges are the state’s single most important farm product. Other citrus fruits grown in the state include grapefruit and tangerines. Florida is one of the nation’s leading producers of both oranges and grapefruit. The state’s chief citrus groves lie in south-central Florida. The state also grows blueberries, strawberries, and watermelons. 
Tomatoes are Florida’s most important vegetable crop. Most of the tomatoes come from southern Florida, the main vegetable-growing region. Other vegetables produced in Florida include cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, snap beans, squash, and sweet corn. Many Northern States rely on Florida for fresh vegetables during cold months.
Sugar cane is another important crop. Florida is among the nation’s leading sugar cane producers. The region just south of Lake Okeechobee is the center of sugar cane growing. Other field crops cultivated in Florida include corn, cotton, hay, and peanuts. Greenhouse and nursery products are also important. Most of the greenhouse and nursery products are grown in central and southern Florida.
Livestock and livestock products account for much of Florida’s farm income. Beef cattle and milk rank among the state’s major livestock products. Many cattle are raised in central Florida. Poultry and egg production is also important. Farms in Marion County raise Thoroughbred race horses. Florida is also an important state for aquaculture (fish farming).
Mining.
Limestone and phosphate rock are Florida’s most valuable mined products. The state is a leading producer of phosphate rocks. Counties in west-central Florida produce phosphate rock. Quarries throughout the state provide limestone.
Natural gas and petroleum are mined chiefly in northwestern and southern Florida. Mines in Gadsen and Marion counties supply fuller’s earth, a clay used to filter petroleum. Putnam County produces large amounts of kaolin, a pottery clay. Ilmenite, monazite, thorium, and zircon are taken from sands near the St. Johns River.
Fishing industry.
Crab, grouper, lobster, and shrimp are Florida’s leading catches. They account for over half of the total fishing value. Other fishes include clams, mackerel, mullet, oysters, sharks, snapper, swordfish, and tuna. The waters off Monroe and Pinellas counties are major sponge-fishing centers.
Electric power and utilities.
Florida Power & Light Company of Juno Beach is Florida’s largest utility company. Plants that burn coal and plants that burn natural gas are the leading producers of Florida’s power. Nuclear power plants supply most of the remaining electric power.
Transportation.
Miami International Airport handles much of the air passenger and air freight travel to and from Latin America. Thus, Miami is often called the gateway to Latin America. Miami International and Orlando International rank among the country’s busiest airports. Tampa and Fort Lauderdale also have major airports.
Rail lines provide freight service throughout the state and passenger service to many cities. Florida has an extensive system of roads and highways. Florida’s Turnpike connects many of the major cities. Four major interstate highways cross Florida.
Jacksonville, Miami, Port Everglades, and Tampa have major ports. Florida has more of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway than any other state. Florida’s section of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway winds along its Gulf Coast. 
Communication.
The first newspaper in Florida was the East Florida Gazette of St. Augustine. William Charles Wells, a Scottish physician, published the Gazette in 1783. He established the paper to support the British side in the American Revolution (1775-1783). Wells stopped publishing the Gazette and returned to England after the Spanish regained control of Florida in 1783. Today, Florida’s oldest newspaper is The Florida Times-Union. It was established in 1864 and is still published daily in Jacksonville. The state’s other newspapers include the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, published in Fort Lauderdale; The Miami Herald; the Orlando Sentinel; and the Tampa Bay Times.
Government
Constitution
of Florida went into effect in 1969. Earlier constitutions went into effect in 1839 (before Florida became a state), 1861, 1865, 1868, and 1887.
Constitutional amendments (changes) must be approved by 60 percent of the people voting on them in a general or special election. Amendments may be proposed by the Legislature. Three-fifths of each legislative house must approve the proposed amendment. Citizens also may propose amendments through the initiative process by presenting a petition signed by a specified number of voters. The people may also petition to call a constitutional convention. The petition must then be approved by the voters.
Executive.
Florida’s governor and lieutenant governor are elected as a team. The state’s voters cast one vote for the governor and lieutenant governor. The governor and lieutenant governor of Florida serve four-year terms. The state’s term limits prevent them from serving more than two terms in a row.
The governor of Florida appoints the state’s public service commissioners and many of its judges. Members of the Cabinet are elected to four-year terms. Under the state’s term limits, Cabinet members may not serve more than eight years in a row. The Cabinet consists of three members: the attorney general, the chief financial officer, and the commissioner of agriculture.
Legislature
consists of a 40-member Senate and a 120-member House of Representatives. Senators serve four-year terms, and representatives serve two-year terms. Term limits prevent senators and representatives from serving more than eight years in a row. The Legislature’s regular 60-day session usually opens on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of odd-numbered years and on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in January of even-numbered years. Special sessions may be called by the governor. Special sessions may also be called by joint agreement of the leaders of each legislative house, or by a three-fifths vote of all members of the Legislature. Regular or special sessions of the Legislature may be extended by a three-fifths vote of each house. 
In 1965, a federal court ordered Florida to reapportion (redivide) its Legislature to provide equal representation based on population. The Legislature drew up a reapportionment plan. But the Supreme Court of the United States ruled it unconstitutional. In 1967, a federal court devised its own reapportionment plan. Since 1969, the state Constitution has required reapportionment every 10 years, after each federal census.
Courts.
The Florida Supreme Court has seven justices. The justices elect one of their members to a two-year term as chief justice. All justices are appointed by the governor from among candidates selected by judicial nominating committees. Each justice then serves until the next general election at least one year after the justice’s appointment. The people then vote every six years to retain or dismiss the justice. Florida has six district courts of appeals. The judges of these courts serve six-year terms. They are selected and retained in the same way as Florida Supreme Court justices. Florida has 20 circuit courts and 67 county courts. Circuit and county court judges are elected to six-year terms.
Local government.
Florida’s 67 counties can vary their form of government by adopting special county charters approved by the Legislature and the people of the county. Most of the counties are governed by a board of five commissioners and are divided into five districts. County voters elect a resident from each district to serve on the county commission. Other elected county officers may include the circuit court clerk, sheriff, supervisor of elections, property appraiser, and tax collector. County officials serve four-year terms. Most counties also have an appointed county administrator.
Chartered counties and municipalities have home rule (self-government) to the extent that they may make laws. Counties and municipalities also have the power to consolidate (combine) and work as a single government.
Revenue.
Taxation provides about half of the state government’s general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants and other U.S. government programs. A general sales tax generates over half of all tax revenue. Other taxes include those on motor fuels, motor vehicle licenses, and utilities, and a corporate income tax. Florida levies no personal income tax.
Politics.
Since the Reconstruction period ended in 1877, most of Florida’s governors have been Democrats (see Reconstruction). From 1880 through 1948, Democratic presidential candidates lost the state’s electoral votes only in 1928 (see Electoral College). But since the 1952 election, Republican candidates have won the votes most of the time.
History
Early days.
Burial mounds found along Florida’s western coast show that Native Americans lived in the region about 12,000 years ago. Major tribes included the Calusa and the Tequesta in the south and the Ais on the Atlantic coast. The Native Americans hunted and fished for a living. The Timucua in the central and northeast regions and the Apalachee in the northwest were farmers and hunters. Other Native American groups included the Tocobaga of the Tampa Bay area and the Matecumbe in the keys region.
Exploration and Spanish settlement.
Explorer Juan Ponce de León reached Florida in 1513, a few days after Easter. He had been searching for the island of Bimini, which the Spanish thought lay north of Cuba. Some stories said Bimini was the site of the Fountain of Youth. Ponce de León claimed the region for Spain. He named it La Florida, probably in honor of Pascua Florida, Spanish for Easter. He returned to Florida in 1521 to start a colony but was wounded in a battle with Native Americans and soon died. 
In 1528, a Spaniard named Pánfilo de Narváez led an expedition of several hundred men to Florida’s southwestern coast. He traveled northward searching for wealth. But Native Americans, disease, starvation, and storms at sea eventually killed Narváez and almost all of his men. Another Spaniard, Hernando de Soto, landed an expedition in the Tampa Bay area in 1539. He led his men beyond the Florida region. In 1541, de Soto became the first European to reach the Mississippi River.
In 1564, a group of Huguenots (French Protestants) established a colony on the St. Johns River. They built Fort Caroline near what is now Jacksonville. King Philip II of Spain sent a sea captain named Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to drive the French from Florida. Menéndez and his men arrived in Florida in 1565. They founded St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States. They destroyed the French forces and ended French attempts to settle in eastern Florida.
The Spaniards spent much of the next 200 years trying to teach their way of life to the Native Americans. Meanwhile, British colonists established settlements to the north. France started colonies to the west. In the mid-1700’s, wars broke out between British and French colonists. Spain sided with the French. In 1762, British forces captured the port of Havana, Cuba. In 1763, Spain gave Florida to Britain in exchange for Havana.
The British period.
Britain divided the Florida region into two separate colonies—East Florida and West Florida. West Florida included the part of the region west of the Apalachicola River. It also included parts of what are now Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. East Florida included the rest of the Florida region. British control of Florida lasted until Spanish forces marched into West Florida in 1779, during the American Revolution. The British, already weakened by war, surrendered West Florida to Spain in 1781. Spain regained control of all Florida in 1783.
The second Spanish period.
After the American Revolution ended in 1783, the United States controlled all the land it now occupies from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River except for Spanish Florida. Native Americans and people who had escaped from slavery or prison took refuge in the Florida region. In 1812, a group of eastern Florida settlers rebelled and declared their independence from Spain. But the Spaniards stopped the rebellion.
During the War of 1812 (1812-1814), Spain let the United Kingdom use Pensacola as a naval base. In 1814, American troops led by General Andrew Jackson stormed into Florida and seized Pensacola. During the First Seminole War (1817-1818), Jackson captured Fort St. Marks on the Gulf of Mexico. He then took Pensacola once again. Finally, in the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, Spain agreed to turn Florida over to the United States. The United States did not actually pay any money to Spain for Florida. However, it agreed to pay $5 million to U.S. citizens for property damages.
Territorial days.
Florida formally came under U.S. control in 1821. Andrew Jackson served as temporary governor until November of that year. In 1822, Congress organized the Territory of Florida. William P. Duval became the first territorial governor.
Thousands of American settlers poured into Florida. One of the major problems they faced was finding enough land for settlement. The Seminole people lived in some of the territory’s richest farmland. The U.S. government offered land west of the Mississippi River to the Seminole if they would leave Florida territory. Some of the Seminole accepted the offer. Others refused to leave their homes. In the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), most of the band was wiped out. This war and the Third Seminole War (1855-1858) resulted in the forced resettlement of more Seminole. A few hundred of the band fled into the swamps and remained in Florida.
Statehood.
In 1839, Florida drew up a constitution in preparation for statehood. But it had to wait for admission to the Union. Florida would be a slave state, and Congress wanted to maintain a balance between slave and free states. Florida was admitted to the Union as a slave state on March 3, 1845. The following year, Iowa was admitted as a free state. Florida had a population of about 68,000 when it entered the Union. Most of the state’s farms were small. About two-thirds of the farmers did not own enslaved people. 
The Civil War and Reconstruction.
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Florida and most of the other slave states regarded Lincoln as a threat to their way of life. On Jan. 10, 1861, Florida seceded (withdrew) from the Union. Florida later joined the Confederacy.
Union forces captured most of Florida’s coastal towns and Key West early in the American Civil War (1861-1865). But Confederate forces won the Battle of Olustee on Feb. 20, 1864. The victory enabled them to keep control of the interior region. This region’s farmers shipped cattle, hogs, salt, and other foodstuffs to the rest of the Confederacy. In March 1865, a small band of Confederate troops, helped by young boys and old men, successfully defended Tallahassee against Union forces. Tallahassee and Austin, Texas, were the only Confederate state capitals that federal troops did not capture.
During the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, Florida and the other Confederate states came under federal military rule. The defeated states had to meet certain requirements before they could be readmitted to the Union. Florida abolished slavery, but it refused to accept some of the other requirements. Republicans gained control of the Florida state government in 1868. In that year, the Legislature ratified the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing civil rights. Florida was readmitted to the Union.
Progress as a state.
Florida developed rapidly during the 1880’s. Geologists discovered large phosphate deposits. The state government and private investors renewed attempts to drain the wetlands. Railroad lines built by tycoons Henry M. Flagler and Henry B. Plant led to the opening of new land for development. Citrus groves were planted in north-central Florida. Resort cities sprang up. People and money from northern states poured into Florida.
A severe freeze during the winter of 1894-1895 damaged much of the state’s citrus crops. Citrus growers planted new groves in the south-central part of the state. This move contributed to the development of southern Florida. In 1896, Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad line south to Miami.
The early 1900’s.
In 1906, the state began draining the wetlands near Fort Lauderdale. This development opened up new land for farms and resorts.
Reports of fantastic profits to be made in Florida real estate swept the country. Hundreds of thousands of land speculators flocked to the state. Florida’s population soared. Seven new counties were formed in 1921. By 1925, Florida’s economy had become a swelling bubble of progress and prosperity. The bubble burst in 1926, when a severe depression hit Florida. Banks closed. Wealthy people suddenly lost their money. Two destructive hurricanes struck Florida’s Atlantic coast in 1926 and 1928, killing hundreds of people. The state had partly recovered from these disasters by the late 1920’s. Then, in 1929, the Great Depression struck the nation.
Federal and state welfare measures helped the people of Florida fight the Depression. The state created jobs to develop its natural resources. The construction of paper mills by private industries led to forest conservation programs. Cooling plants were built to preserve perishable fruits and vegetables. Farmers established cooperative farm groups and cooperative markets. In 1935 and in 1941, severe hurricanes swept across southern Florida.
The mid-1900’s.
Florida’s location along the Atlantic Ocean and near the Panama Canal made the state vital to the defense of the Western Hemisphere during World War II (1939-1945). Land, sea, and air bases were established in many parts of the state.
After the war, Florida’s population grew rapidly. Tourism boomed and remained the state’s leading source of income. But industrial expansion helped give Florida a more balanced economy. Development of industries in such fields as chemicals, electronics, paper and paper products, and ocean and space exploration provided jobs for Florida’s swelling labor force.
In the 1950’s, Cape Canaveral became a space and rocket center. The United States launched its first satellite from Cape Canaveral in 1958 and its first human space flights in 1961. The first spaceship carrying astronauts to the moon lifted off from the cape in 1969. 
In the early 1960’s, Cuba fell under Communist control. Many Cubans who opposed the Communists fled to Florida, settling mainly in Miami and Hialeah.
Like many other states, Florida faced serious racial problems during the 1950’s and 1960’s. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that compulsory segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The Florida Constitution at that time did not permit Black children and white children to attend the same schools. Integration of the state’s public schools began in Dade County (now Miami-Dade County) in 1959. By the early 1970’s, every county had integrated all or most of its public schools.
In the 1960’s, Florida began an ambitious program to expand its facilities for higher education. This program was partly designed to serve the future demands for personnel in the oceanographic and aerospace industries. During the 1960’s, four new state university campuses and several new private colleges and universities were established in Florida. The state also added 15 new public community colleges. An additional state university campus and a public community college opened in the early 1970’s.
The late 1900’s.
Florida grew rapidly during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Its population increased by 44 percent from 1970 to 1980, and by 33 percent from 1980 to 1990. In 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort entertainment center opened near Orlando. The Orlando area became the fastest-growing region of the state. Other booming areas included the suburbs of a number of Florida cities—Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. In 1977, a new state capitol was completed in Tallahassee. The building rises 22 stories.
During the first half of the 1980’s, the number of jobs in Florida rose by 24 percent. Many of these jobs were in electronics, manufacturing, and skilled services. Florida’s economy continued to rely heavily on tourism and the citrus industry. But the expansion of trade, financial, and other service industries has strengthened the state’s prospects for stable growth.
Florida’s spectacular growth brought problems. The increasing population required more homes, roads, schools, sewage- and water-treatment plants, and health and social services. More than 100,000 Cuban and Haitian refugees settled in Florida in the late 1900’s. Many of them were poor and had few job skills. They caused increased demands upon social service agencies.
Uncontrolled development also led to growing concern for protecting and improving Florida’s environment. During the 1970’s, protests led to the cancellation of work on a jetport near the Everglades and a canal across northern Florida. Conservationists argued that these projects would endanger wildlife and destroy much natural beauty. In the 1960’s, a canal was built to shorten the course of the Kissimmee River, which empties into Lake Okeechobee. By the mid-1980’s, excess nutrients carried by the canal were causing algae (simple plantlike organisms) to thrive in the lake. This situation threatened other forms of life in Lake Okeechobee. In 1992, Congress authorized a project to restore much of the Kissimmee River to its former course. Work began in 1999 and was completed in 2021.
From 1983 through 1985, Florida’s citrus industry suffered serious setbacks. Freezing weather and a fungal disease called citrus canker destroyed many central Florida citrus groves. In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck. The hurricane killed 65 people directly or indirectly, 44 of them in Florida. It caused about $25 billion in property damage in the state, most of it in Dade County (now Miami-Dade County) in southeastern Florida. In Homestead, south of Miami, about 90 percent of the city’s buildings were destroyed or damaged.
In 1998, some of the worst wildfires in America’s history swept through Florida. Over 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) were burned. The disaster destroyed about 370 homes and businesses. Northern and central Florida were the hardest hit. In all, over 2,300 blazes broke out between late May and late July. Firefighters from 46 states helped out.
The early 2000’s.
Florida became a focus of attention during the 2000 presidential election. The outcome of the race between the Republican candidate, Texas Governor George W. Bush, and the Democratic candidate, Vice President Al Gore, depended upon who received Florida’s 25 electoral votes. The vote in Florida was so close that the state did a recount. Gore requested hand recounts in certain counties. Bush challenged in court the need for those recounts. Five weeks after the election, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to halt the recounts. Gore conceded to Bush (see United States presidential election of 2000).
In August 2004, Hurricane Charley struck Florida’s west coast and tore across the state. It was the most destructive hurricane to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It caused 35 deaths and about $14 billion in property damage. By the end of September, three more hurricanes had battered the state, causing more deaths and destruction. Hurricane Frances struck the east coast and blew across the state in a northwesterly direction. Hurricane Ivan struck the northwest edge of the state. Hurricane Jeanne followed a path similar to that of Hurricane Frances.
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck southern Florida and continued toward the Gulf Coast. Katrina caused many deaths and widespread damage. In October, Hurricane Wilma struck Florida’s southwest coast and proceeded northeast, causing more death and destruction.
In April 2010, an explosion on an offshore oil rig left 11 people dead and caused about 134 million gallons (507 million liters) of oil to pour from an underwater well into the Gulf of Mexico. Within weeks of the explosion, oil from the spill began appearing along the Florida coast. Officials called the spill one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. Also in 2010, Republican Governor Charlie Crist ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent but lost the race.
In 2011, the United States ended the space shuttle program. Florida officials feared the state could lose several thousand jobs at the Kennedy Space Center and elsewhere.
In June 2016, a gunman claiming allegiance to an Islamist terror group attacked a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. He shot about 100 people, killing 49, before he was killed by police. It was one of the deadliest shooting incidents in U.S. history.
In September 2017, Hurricane Irma—one of the strongest and longest-lasting hurricanes ever recorded—struck Florida after causing great destruction in the Caribbean Sea. In Florida, the storm contributed to the deaths of more than 80 people. Millions remained without electric power for days.
In February 2018, a gunman shot and killed 17 people and wounded a number of others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Police captured the alleged shooter, who had been expelled from the school, soon after the incident. In March, the shooter was charged with 17 counts each of first-degree murder and attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to all charges against him in 2021. In 2022, the shooter received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole (early release).
In October 2018, Hurricane Michael struck Florida before continuing northward through the southeastern United States. Mexico Beach, in Florida’s Panhandle region, suffered great damage. The powerful storm caused the deaths of dozens of Floridians and of a number of people in other states.
In early 2020, Florida joined the list of states facing a public health crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida announced its first confirmed COVID-19 cases in March 2020. It soon prohibited large gatherings and recommended residents practice social distancing to slow the spread of the disease. Authorities imposed a statewide stay-at-home order in April. Businesses not considered essential to public well-being were forced to close. Most restrictions were lifted in the following months. The distribution of COVID vaccines became the main focus of public health efforts in 2021, but misinformation about vaccines led many residents to decline the shots. The state banned local governments from issuing mask or vaccine mandates, and it issued fines to jurisdictions that defied the bans. Infection and death rates soared during the summer before dropping again in the fall. The spread of new, more contagious variants of the disease later contributed to further infection spikes. By early 2023, more than 7 million COVID-19 infections had been recorded in Florida, and about 85,000 people there had died from the disease.
The collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, near Miami Beach, killed 98 people in June 2021. Recovery efforts continued for weeks after the disaster. Federal investigators searched for the cause of the collapse of the 40-year-old building. Reports revealed that questionable design, construction, and maintenance practices may have led to the failure of the complex’s pool deck and underground parking garage.
Hurricane Ian struck southwestern Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, and moved northeast over the state, causing widespread damage and historic flooding. About 150 people were killed, and millions of homes lost electric power. 
