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This article is about the U.S. State. For other uses of the term, see Florida (disambiguation).

State of Florida

Flag of Florida Seal of Florida Nickname(s): Sunshine State
Official language(s)	English
Capital Largest city	Tallahassee Jacksonville
Area	Ranked 22nd
- Total	65,794 sq. mi.  (170,451 km²)
- Width	162 miles (260 km)
- Length	497 miles (800 km)
- % water	17.9
- Latitude	24°30'N to 31°N
- Longitude	79°48'W to 87°38'W
Population	Ranked 4th
- Total (2000)	15,982,378
- Density	301/sq. mi.  116.3/km² (8th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Britton Hill 345 feet  (105 m)
- Mean	98 feet  (30 m)
- Lowest point	0 feet  (0 m)
Admission to Union	March 3, 1845 (27th)
Governor	Jeb Bush (R)
U.S. Senators	Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R)
Time zone(s)	Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Central: UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations	FL US-FL
Web site	www.myflorida.com

Florida is a U.S. state located in the southeastern United States. It was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the coast on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter", referring to the Easter season).

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Boundaries 1.2 Climate 2 History 3 Demographics 3.1 Race and ancestry 3.2 Languages 3.3 Religion 4 Economy 5 Transportation 5.1 Highways 5.2 Intercity rail 5.3 Public transportation 5.4 Airports 6 Law and government 7 Important cities and towns 8 Education 8.1 Colleges and universities 9 Professional sports teams 9.1 Spring training 9.2 Auto racing tracks 10 Miscellaneous topics 10.1 State symbols 11 References 12 External links

Geography

Further information: List of counties in Florida

Florida is situated mostly on a large peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. It consists of the panhandle extending along the northern Gulf of Mexico and the large peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean as its eastern border and the Gulf of Mexico as its western border. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near the countries of the Caribbean, particularly the Bahamas and Cuba.

At 345 feet (105 m) above mean sea level, Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida. This is also the lowest highpoint of any U.S. state. Contrary to popular belief, however, Florida is not an entirely "flat" state. Some places, such as Clearwater, feature relatively high vistas rising 50 to 100 feet (15�??30 m) above the water. Much of the interior of Florida, typically 25 miles (40 km) or more away from the coastline, features rolling hills with elevations ranging from 100 to 250 feet (30�??76 m) in many locations. Lake County holds the highest point of peninsular Florida, Sugarloaf Mountain, at 312 feet (95 m).

Areas under control by the National Park Service include:

• Big Cypress National Preserve near Ochopee
• Biscayne National Park near Key Biscayne
• Canaveral National Seashore near Titusville
• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine
• De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton
• Dry Tortugas National Park at Key West
• Everglades National Park
• Fort Caroline National Memorial at Jacksonville
• Fort Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine
• Gulf Islands National Seashore near Gulf Breeze
• Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville

See also List of Florida state parks

Boundaries

The state line begins at the Atlantic Ocean, traveling west, south, and north up the thalweg of the Saint Mary's River. At the origin of that river, it then follows a straight line nearly due west and slightly north, to the point where the confluence of the Flint River (from Georgia) and the Chattahoochee River (down the Alabama/Georgia line) used to form Florida's Apalachicola River. (This point is now under Lake Seminole since Woodruff Dam was built.) The border with Georgia continues north through the lake for a short distance up the former thalweg of the Chattahoochee, then with Alabama runs due west along latitude 31°N to the Perdido River, then south along its thalweg to the Gulf via Perdido Bay.

Climate

The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by its proximity to water. Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate with the extreme tip of Florida and the Florida Keys bordering on a true tropical climate. Cold fronts can occasionally bring high winds and cool to cold temperatures to the entire state during late fall and winter. One such front swept through the peninsula on November 25, 1996 bringing cold temperatures and winds up to 95 miles per hour (150 km/h), knocking out power to thousands and damaging mobile homes. However, Florida averages 300 days of full sunshine a year. The seasons in Florida are actually determined more by precipitation than by temperature with warm, relatively dry winters and autumns (the dry season) and hot, wet springs and summers (the wet season). The Gulf Stream has a moderating effect on Florida climate, and although it is common for much of Florida to see a high summer temperature over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 °C), it is not common for the mercury to go above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (39 °C) in Florida. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the state was 109 °F (43 °C) set on June 29, 1931 in Monticello. The coldest was 2 °F below zero (�??19 °C), on February 13, 1899 just 25 miles (40 km) away, in Tallahassee. Mean high temperatures for late July are primarily in the low 90's Fahrenheit (32�??35 °C). Mean low temperatures for late January range from the low 40's Fahrenheit (4�??7 °C) in northern Florida to the mid-50's (�??13 °C)in southern Florida.

While Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", severe weather is a common occurrence in Florida. Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the U.S. as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country. Statewide, Florida has the highest average precipitation of any state, due in large part to afternoon thunderstorms which are common throughout most of the state from late spring until the early autumn. A sunny day may be interrupted with a storm only to return to regular gorgeous weather. These thunderstorms, which are caused by airflow from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over the peninsula, seemingly "pop up" in the early afternoon and can often bring heavy downpours, high winds and sometimes tornadoes. This is frequently due to "onshore flow," or a collision of sea breezes from the east and west coasts. Florida leads the nation in tornadoes per square mile, although the tornadoes in Florida do not get as large as those in the Midwest or Great Plains. Hail often accompanies some of the more severe thunderstorms.

Snow is a rare occurrence in Florida. During the Great Blizzard of 1899, Florida experienced blizzard conditions for possibly the first time since explorers had arrived. During that time, the Tampa Bay Area had "Gulf effect" snow, similar to lake effect snowfall. The Great Blizzard of 1899 was also the only time the temperature has fallen below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (�??18 °C). The most widespread snowfall in Florida history happened in February 1978, with snow falling over much of the state in different times of the month, extending as far south as Homestead. Snow flurries fell on Miami Beach for the only time in recorded history. 1982's Cold Sunday, which saw freezing conditions throughout much of the country, ruined that year's orange crops. In 1989, there was a severe hard freeze that created lots of ice and also caused minor flurries in sections of the state and resulted in rolling blackouts due to power failures caused by massive demands on the power grid for heating.

Although some storms have formed out of season, hurricanes pose a threat during hurricane season, which is from June 1 to November 30. Florida saw a slew of destruction in 2004 when it was hit by a record four hurricanes. Hurricanes Charley (August 13), Frances (September 4-5), Ivan (September 16), and Jeanne (September 25-26) cumulatively cost US$42 billion to the state. In 2005, Hurricane Dennis (July 10) became the fifth storm to strike Florida within 11 months. Later, Hurricane Katrina (August 25) passed through South Florida and Hurricane Rita (September 20) swept through the Florida Keys. Hurricane Wilma made landfall in Florida in the early morning of October 24 as a Category 3 hurricane, with storm's eye hitting near Cape Romano, just south of Marco Island, according to National Hurricane Center.

Florida was also the site of the second most costly single weather disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Andrew, which caused more than US$25 billion in damage when it struck on August 24, 1992. Among a long list of other infamous hurricane strikes are the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Hurricane Donna in 1960, and Hurricane Opal in 1995.

History

Main article: History of Florida

Archaeological finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many thousands of years prior to any European settlements. Of the many indigenous people, the largest tribes were the Ais, Apalachee, Calusa, Timucua and Tocobago tribes. Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish conquistador, named this new land in honor of his "discovery" of the land on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida, which is a Spanish term for the Easter season. From that date forward, the land became known as "La Florida." (Juan Ponce de León may not have been the first European to reach Florida. At least one of the Indians that he encountered in Florida in 1513 could speak Spanish.)^[1]

Over the following century, the Spanish and French both established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. Spanish Pensacola was established by Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano as the first European settlement in the continental United States in 1559 but this settlement was aborted by 1561 and would not inhabited again until the 1690s. French Huguenots founded Fort Caroline in modern day Jacksonville in 1564, but it was conquered by forces from the new Spanish colony of St. Augustine the following year. When Huguenot leader Jean Ribault had learned of the new Spanish threat, he launched an expedition to sack their settlement. En route, however, severe storms at sea waylaid the expedition, which consisted of most of the colony's men, allowing St. Augustine founder Pedro Menéndez de Avilés time to march his men over land and conquer the poorly defended to Fort Caroline. Most of the Huguenots were slaughtered, and Menéndez de Avilés marched south and captured the survivors of the wrecked French fleet, ordering all but a few Catholics executed beside a river subsequently called Matanzas (Spanish for "killings"). St. Augustine came to serve as the capitals of the British and Spanish colonies of East and West Florida, respectively. The Spanish never had a firm hold on Florida and maintained a tenuous control of the region by converting the local tribes, briefly with Jesuits and later with Franciscan friars. The local leaders, or caciques, demonstrated their loyalty to the Spanish by converting to Catholicism and welcoming the Franciscan priests into their villages.

The area of Florida diminished with the establishment of British colonies to the north and French colonies to the west. The English weakened Spanish power in the region by supplying their Creek Indian allies with firearms and urging them to raid the Timucuan and Apalachee client-tribes of the Spanish. The English also attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times, while the citizens hid behind the walls of the Castillo de San Marcos. The Spanish, meanwhile, encouraged slaves to flee the British-held Carolinas and come to Florida, where they were converted to Catholicism and given freedom. They settled in a buffer community north of St. Augustine called Gracie Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, the first completely black settlement in what would become the United States. Great Britain eventually gained control of Florida diplomatically in 1763 through the Peace of Paris (the Castillo de San Marcos surrendered for the first time, having never been taken militarily). England tried to develop Florida through the importation of immigrants for labor, including some from Minorca and Greece, but this ultimately failed. Spain regained Florida after England's defeat by the American colonies and the subsequent Treaty of Paris in 1783. Spain finally ceded Florida to the United States with the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, in exchange for the U.S. renouncing any claims on Texas. On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America. Florida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War and became one of the founding members of the Confederate States of America ten days later. After then end of the war in 1865, Florida's congressional representation was restored on June 25, 1868.

Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern state. However, migration from the Rust Belt combined with Florida's warm climate (tempered by the growing availability of air conditioning) made it a haven for newcomers. Today, Florida is the most populous state in the South besides Texas and the fourth most populous in the U.S.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census year	Population
1830	34,730
1840	54,477
1850	87,445
1860	140,424
1870	187,748
1880	269,493
1890	391,422
1900	528,542
1910	752,619
1920	968,470
1930	1,468,211
1940	1,897,414
1950	2,771,305
1960	4,951,560
1970	6,789,443
1980	9,746,324
1990	12,937,926
2000	15,982,378

As of 2005, Florida has an estimated population of 17,789,864, which is an increase of 404,434, or 2.3%, from the prior year and an increase of 1,807,040, or 11.3%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 246,058 people (that is 1,115,565 births minus 869,507 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 1,585,704 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 528,085 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 1,057,619 people. ^{[citation needed]}

Race and ancestry

Florida Population Density Map   White 65.4% Hispanic (including Whites and Blacks) 16.8% Black 14.6% Asian 1.7% Native American 0.3% Mixed Race 2.4% Over 16% of Florida's population was Hispanic. The largest reported ancestries in the 2000 Census were German (11.8%), Irish (10.3%), English (9.2%), American (8%) and Italian (6.3%).[1]

African Americans and/or Blacks, who during the cotton and sugar plantation era of the legalized slavery days, and during the post-Civil War reconstruction era, made up fully 50% of the state's population, have a large presence in northern Florida and in the cities of Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Fort Lauderdale. In addition, there is a large Haitian-descended population in Miami.

Florida's large and diverse Hispanic community consists particularly of Cubans in Miami and Tampa; large Puerto Rican populations are present in Tampa and Orlando; and Central American migrant workers are largely present in inland West-Central and South Florida. The Hispanic community continues to grow more affluent and mobile: between the years of 2000 and 2004, Lee County in southwest Florida, a largely suburban jurisdiction, had the fastest Hispanic population growth rate of any county in the United States.[2]

Whites of all ethnicities are present in all areas of the state. Particularly, those of British ancestry are present in large numbers in the coastal cities; there is a large German population in Southwest Florida; a sizeable and historic Italian community is present in the Miami area; and white Floridians of longer-present generations are largely present in the culturally southern areas of inland and northern Florida. Native white Floridians, especially those who have descended from long-time Florida families, are affectionately referred to as "Florida Crackers."

Languages

As of 2000, 76.9% of Florida residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 16.5% speak Spanish. French is the third most spoken language at 2.2%, followed by German at 0.6% and Italian at 0.4%.

Article II, Section 9 of the Florida Constitution provides that "English is the official language of the State of Florida." This was adopted in 1988 by a vote following an Initiative Petition.

Religion

Florida is mostly Protestant, with a growing Roman Catholic community due to immigration. There is also a sizable Jewish community in some parts of Florida which makes Florida unique among Southern states because no other Southern state has a large Jewish community. Florida's current religious affiliations are shown in the table below:

• Christian �?? 82%
  • Protestant �?? 54%
    • Baptist �?? 19%
    • Methodist �?? 6%
    • Presbyterian �?? 4%
    • Episcopal �?? 3%
    • Lutheran �?? 3%
    • Pentecostal �?? 3%
    • Other Protestant �?? 16%
  • Roman Catholic �?? 26%
  • Other Christian �?? 2%
• Jewish �?? 4%
• Other Religions �?? 1%
• Non-Religious �?? 13%

Economy

The gross state product of Florida in 2003 was $550 billion. The per capita personal income was $30,098, ranking 26^th in the nation.

Florida's economy is heavily based on tourism. About 60 million visitors come to Florida every year. Warm weather most of the year and hundreds of miles of beach provide a thriving vacation spot for travelers from around the world. The large Walt Disney World Resort�??with four theme parks and over twenty hotels plus countless water parks, shopping centers and other facilities�??located in Lake Buena Vista drives the economy of that area, along with more recent entries into the theme park arena such as the Universal Orlando Resort. The great amount of sales and tourist tax revenue is what allows the state to be one of the few to not levy a personal income tax. Other major industries include citrus fruit and juice production, banking, and phosphate mining within the Bone Valley region. With the arrival of the space program at Kennedy Space Center in the 1960s, Florida has attracted a large number of aerospace and military industries to the state. Florida did not have any state minimum wage laws until November 2, 2004, when voters passed a Constitutional Amendment requiring inflationary increases to the minimum wage every six months.

Historically, Florida's economy was based upon cattle farming and agriculture (especially sugar cane, citrus, tomatoes, and strawberries). As land speculators discovered Florida in the early 1900's, and when Plant and Flagler developed the railway systems, more people moved in, drawn by the usually good weather. From then on, tourism boomed, fueling a cycle of development and tourism that overwhelmed a great deal of farmland.

Other key industries, commercial fishing and water-based tourist activities (sports fishing and diving) were threatened by severe Red Tide outbreaks in 2004 and 2005 off the west coast.

Florida is one of the nine states which do not impose a personal income tax (list of others). However, there is a tax on "intangible personal property" ((stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds, etc.). As of April, 2006 the state legislative is considering a repeal of the tax. [3] The state sales tax rate is 6% [4]. Local governments may levy an additional local option sales tax of up to 1.5%. A locale's use tax rate is the same as its sales tax rate, including local options if any. Use taxes are payable for purchases made out-of-state and brought into Florida within 6 months of the purchase date. Other taxes are mostly levied on businesses. They include the following taxes: Corporate Income, Communication Services, Intangibles, Unemployment, Solid Waste, Documentary Stamps, Insurance Premium, Pollutants, and various fuel taxes. For more information visit the Florida Department of Revenue website at [5].

Transportation

Highways

Florida's interstates, state highways and U.S. Highways are maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Florida's interstate highway system contains 1,473 miles (2,371 km) of highway, and there are 9,934 miles (15,987 km) of non-interstate highway in the state, such as Florida state highways and U.S. Highways.

Florida's primary interstate routes include:

• I-4, which bisects the state, connecting Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, and Daytona Beach
• I-10, which traverses the panhandle, connecting Jacksonville, Lake City, Tallahassee, and Pensacola
• I-75, which enters the state near Lake City and continues southward through Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa's eastern suburbs, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Fort Myers to Naples, where it crosses the "Alligator Alley" as a toll road to Fort Lauderdale before turning southward and terminating in Hialeah.
• I-95, which enters the state near Jacksonville and continues along the Atlantic Coast through Daytona Beach, Melbourne/Titusville, Palm Bay, Port Saint Lucie, West Palm Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale before terminating in Miami

Florida's secondary interstate routes include:

• I-110, a spur from I-10 into downtown Pensacola
• I-175, which connects I-275 to southern downtown St. Petersburg
• I-195, an extension of Miami's Airport Expressway (S.R. 112); a spur eastward from I-95 to Miami Beach
• I-275, a sixty-mile (100 km)[6] westward loop from I-75 north of Ellenton, over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, through St. Petersburg, to Tampa International Airport and downtown Tampa, reconnecting with I-75 in Tampa's northern suburbs
• I-295, a beltway around Jacksonville
• I-375, which connects I-275 to northern downtown St. Petersburg
• I-395, an extension of Miami's Dolphin Expressway (S.R. 836); a spur eastward from I-95 to Miami Beach
• I-595, which connects I-75, I-95, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades

Florida also has several toll roads, totaling 515 miles (830 km) of the state highway system. Major toll roads include:

• I-75, as it passes through the Everglades between Naples and Fort Lauderdale has been grandfathered as a toll road from its original construction as S.R. 84
• Florida's Turnpike, which begins at Interstate 75 south of Ocala and continues southeast through Orlando, Port Saint Lucie, and south through the western suburbs of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, to Homestead

For more information about the myriad secondary toll expressways in Florida, see articles detailing roads maintained by: the Florida Turnpike Authority; the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority; and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

Intercity rail

In 2000, voters approved a constitutional amendment to construct a high speed rail system to interconnect Florida's major cities. A committee was formed by the Florida Legislature to oversee the project. However, Governor Jeb Bush and other lawmakers pushed for an amendment in 2004 to remove the amendment, which succeeded. They stated that the cost would have been too high to construct the system; however, proponents of the system have said the claims regarding high cost were exaggerated and taken out of context, compared with the cost of building roads, maintaining automobiles, and so forth. The Florida High Speed Rail Authority, originally formed to implement the high speed rail amendment, has vowed to find a way to implement the system without the amendment.

Amtrak service exists in Florida, but is considered by many not to be extensive or convenient enough for anything but vacation travel.^{[citation needed]} Sanford, in Greater Orlando, is the southern terminus of the Amtrak Auto Train, which originates at Lorton, Virginia, south of Washington, DC. Orlando is also the eastern terminus of the Sunset Limited, which travels across the southern United States via New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio to its western terminus of Los Angeles. Florida is also served by two additional Amtrak trains -- the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor -- which operate between New York City and Miami.

Public transportation

Public transportation systems exist in many major cities. Miami has an automated guideway people-mover system as well as a 22-mile metro system, and most cities have bus service. In the South Florida Metropolitan area, train service is provided by Tri-Rail; this service has a southern terminus in Miami and a northern terminus in West Palm Beach. It has been proposed that the northern terminus be extended north as far as Stuart, but no progress has been made to date. Tri-Rail also provides local bus service from their stations.

Greyhound provides commercial bus service between different cities in Florida.

Airports

Major international airports in Florida, with passenger traffic over 20 million annually, are Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport.

Secondary airports, with annual passenger traffic over 7 million annually include Jacksonville International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport (West Palm Beach), and Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers).

There are many other smaller regional airports including those in Daytona Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Gainesville, Key West, Naples, Panama City, Pensacola, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tallahassee.

Law and government

Main article: Government of Florida

The basic structure, duties, function, and operations of the Government of the State of Florida are defined and established by the Florida Constitution, which also establishes the basic law of the state and guarantees various rights and freedoms of the people. The state government consists of three separate branches, the judicial, executive and legislative branches. The Florida Legislature enacts legislation, such as those in the Florida Statutes, which are signed into law by the Governor of Florida.

The Florida Legislature has a Senate of 40 members and a House of 120 members. The current governor is Republican Jeb Bush, brother of President George W. Bush and son of former President George H. W. Bush.

Florida had traditionally been a Democratic state. At one time, 68.5% of all Floridians were registered Democrats. In recent years the realignment of the Solid South has meant that many traditionally conservative Democrats of Florida have voted en masse with the Republican Party. Combined with explosive population growth which has brought with it many Republicans, the state has been left with a Republican edge in practice, although registered Democrats still outnumber registered Republicans. This translates into Republican control of the governorship and most other statewide elected offices, both houses of the state legislature, 18 of the state's 25 seats in the House of Representatives, and one of the state's two Senate seats. The 2000 Presidential election in Florida was extremely close. As such, and because of its high population and large number of electoral votes, Florida is considered by political analysts to be a key swing state in Presidential elections. The Tampa area, once a major center of Democratic union support, is now almost evenly split between registered Republicans and Democrats, making it part of the important I-4 Corridor swing region.

Important cities and towns

Main articles: List of cities in Florida and Florida locations by per capita income

Metropolitan Area Population > 5,000,000 Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Area Population > 2,500,000 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Area Population > 1,000,000 Jacksonville Orlando Metropolitan Area Population > 400,000 Cape Coral-Fort Myers Deltona-Daytona Beach-Deland Lakeland Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville Pensacola Port Saint Lucie-Fort Pierce-Stuart Sarasota-Bradenton City Population > 700,000 Jacksonville, Florida City Population > 400,000 Miami St. Petersburg Tampa City Population > 100,000 Cape Coral Clearwater Coral Springs Fort Lauderdale Gainesville Hialeah Hollywood Miami Gardens Orlando Pembroke Pines Miramar Port Saint Lucie Pompano Beach Tallahassee

City Population > 75,000 Boca Raton Brandon Davie Deltona Kendall Lakeland Miami Beach Palm Bay Plantation Sunrise West Palm Beach City Population > 50,000 Boynton Beach Bradenton Daytona Beach Deerfield Beach Delray Beach Fort Myers Fountainbleau Kendale Lakes Kissimmee Largo Lauderhill Lehigh Acres Margate Melbourne North Miami North Miami Beach Palm Harbor Pensacola Sarasota Spring Hill Tamarac Tamiami Town 'n' Country Weston

City Population > 25,000 Altamonte Springs Aventura Apopka Bonita Springs Coconut Creek Cooper City Coral Gables Dunedin East Lake Egypt Lake-Leto Fort Pierce Greater Carrollwood Greenacres Hallandale Beach Homestead Jupiter Kendall West Lake Magdalene Lake Worth Lauderdale Lakes North Fort Myers North Lauderdale Ocala Ocoee Oakland Park Ormond Beach Oviedo Palm Beach Gardens Panama City Pinellas Park Plant City Port Orange Port Charlotte Riviera Beach Royal Palm Beach Sanford Titusville University Wellington Westchester Winter Haven Winter Park Winter Springs

Education

Florida's public school revenue per student and spending per $1000 of personal income usually ranks in the bottom 25% of U.S. states. Average teacher salaries rank near the middle of U.S. states.

Florida public schools have consistently ranked in the bottom 25% of many national surveys and average test score rankings. It should be noted that many education surveys are not scientific, but do measure prestige. Governor Jeb Bush has been criticized by many Florida educators for a program that penalizes underperforming schools (as indicated by standardized tests, most prominently the FCAT) with fewer funding dollars, though supporters claim the program's tough measures have resulted in vast improvements to the education system. Major testing organizations frequently discount the use of state's average test score rankings, or any average of scaled scores, as a valid metric (see psychometrics for more details on scaled test scores).

In 2000, Bush and the state legislature acted to abolish the Florida Board of Regents that governed the State University System of Florida and created a Board of Trustees to govern each university. As is typical of executive-appointed government boards, the appointees so far have been overwhelmingly Republican. This has not been without controversy. ^[7] In 2002, former Governor and then U.S. Senator Bob Graham (Dem.) led a consitutional amendment ballot referendum designed to restore the Board of Regents system. Voters responded by creating the Florida Board of Governors. However, each university still maintains a Board of Trustees that works under this new board.

Colleges and universities

Barry University Bethune-Cookman College Brevard Community College Broward Community College Carlos Albizu University Miami campus Clearwater Christian College Daytona Beach Community College Eckerd College Edison College Edward Waters College Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Flagler College Florida A&M University Florida Atlantic University Florida Christian College Florida Coastal School of Law Florida Community College at Jacksonville Florida College Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences Florida Institute of Technology Florida International University Florida Memorial University Florida Metropolitan University Florida Southern College Florida State University Full Sail Real World Education Gulf Coast Community College Heritage College & Heritage Institute Hillsborough Community College Hobe Sound Bible College International College International Fine Arts College Jacksonville University Johnson And Wales University Jones College Lake City Community College Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Florida campus Lake-Sumter Community College

Lynn University Manatee Community College Miami Dade College New College of Florida Northwood University Nova Southeastern University Okaloosa-Walton Community College Palm Beach Atlantic College Palm Beach Community College Pasco-Hernando Community College Pensacola Junior College Pensacola Christian College Polk Community College Ringling School of Art and Design Rollins College Saint John Vianney College Seminary Saint Leo University Santa Fe Community College St. Johns River Community College St. Petersburg College St. Thomas University Seminole Community College South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God Stetson University Trinity College of Florida Troy State University Florida Region University of Central Florida University of Florida University of Miami University of North Florida University of South Florida University of Tampa University of West Florida Valencia Comunity College Warner Southern College Webber College

Professional sports teams

Club	Sport	League
Jacksonville Jaguars	Football	National Football League
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Football	National Football League
Miami Dolphins	Football	National Football League
Orlando Magic	Basketball	National Basketball Association
Miami Heat	Basketball	National Basketball Association
Tampa Bay Lightning	Ice hockey	National Hockey League
Florida Panthers	Ice hockey	National Hockey League
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	Baseball	Major League Baseball
Florida Marlins	Baseball	Major League Baseball
Orlando Predators	Arena football	Arena Football League
Tampa Bay Storm	Arena football	Arena Football League
Brevard County Manatees	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Clearwater Threshers	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Daytona Cubs	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Dunedin Blue Jays	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Fort Myers Miracle	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Jacksonville Suns	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Jupiter Hammerheads	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Lakeland Tigers	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Sarasota Reds	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
St. Lucie Mets	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Tampa Yankees	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Palm Beach Cardinals	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Vero Beach Dodgers	Baseball	Minor League Baseball
Miami FC	Soccer	USL First Division
Ajax Orlando Prospects	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Bradenton Academics	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Central Florida Kraze	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Cocoa Expos	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Palm Beach Pumas	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Bradenton Athletics	Soccer	W-League
Central Florida Krush	Soccer	W-League
Cocoa Expos	Soccer	W-League
Central Florida Strikers	Soccer	Women�??s Premier Soccer League
Miami Surf	Soccer	Women�??s Premier Soccer League
Orlando Falcons	Soccer	Women�??s Premier Soccer League
Palm Beach United	Soccer	Women�??s Premier Soccer League
South Florida Breeze	Soccer	Women�??s Premier Soccer League
Tampa Bay United	Soccer	Women�??s Premier Soccer League
Florida Everblades	Ice hockey	East Coast Hockey League
Florida Seals	Ice hockey	Southern Professional Hockey League
Jacksonville Barracudas	Ice hockey	Southern Professional Hockey League
Pensacola Ice Pilots	Ice hockey	East Coast Hockey League

Spring training

Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League." As of 2004, Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:

Club	Location
Atlanta Braves	Walt Disney World
Baltimore Orioles	Fort Lauderdale
Boston Red Sox	Fort Myers
Cincinnati Reds	Sarasota
Cleveland Indians	Winter Haven
Detroit Tigers	Lakeland
Florida Marlins	Jupiter
Houston Astros	Kissimmee
Los Angeles Dodgers	Vero Beach
Minnesota Twins	Fort Myers
New York Mets	Port St. Lucie
New York Yankees	Tampa
Philadelphia Phillies	Clearwater
Pittsburgh Pirates	Bradenton
Saint Louis Cardinals	Jupiter
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	St. Petersburg
Toronto Blue Jays	Dunedin
Washington Nationals	Viera

Auto racing tracks

• Daytona International Speedway
• Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Sebring Raceway
• St. Petersburg Raceway

Miscellaneous topics

• The USS Florida was named in honor of the state.
• Scouting in Florida

State symbols

• Nickname: "The Sunshine State"
• State Bird: Mockingbird
• State Flower: Orange blossom - (Citrus sinensis)
• State Insect: Zebra Longwing Butterfly [8]
• State Song: "Old Folks at Home (Suwannee River)" by Stephen C. Foster
• State Tree: Sabal Palm
• State Reptile: American Alligator
• State Animal: The Florida Panther
• State Marine Mammal: The West Indian Manatee
• State Saltwater Mammal: The Dolphin
• State Drink: Orange juice
• State Fruit: Orange
• State Shell: The Horse Conch (The great band shell)
• State Saltwater Fish: The Sailfish
• State Freshwater Fish: Florida Largemouth Bass

References

1. ^ Smith, Hale G. and Marc Gottlob. 1978. Spanish-Indian Relationships: Synoptic History and Archaeological Evidence, 1500-1763, in Milanich, Jerald and Samuel Proctor. Tacachale: Essays on the Indians of Florida and Southeastern Georgia during the Historic Period. Gainesville, Florida: The University Presses of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-0535-3

External links

• Travel guide to Florida from Wikitravel
• The Official Portal of the State of Florida
• Florida Memory Project Over 300,000 photographs and documents from the State Library & Archives of Florida
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Wikipedia Florida RSS Feed - Externally hosted

State of Florida (Government | History | Floridians)
Capital:	Tallahassee
Largest cities:	Cape Coral | Clearwater | Coral Springs | Fort Lauderdale | Gainesville | Hialeah | Hollywood | Jacksonville | Lakeland | Miami | Miami Gardens | Miramar | North Miami | Orlando | Pembroke Pines | Plantation | Pompano Beach | Port St. Lucie | St. Petersburg | Sunrise | Tallahassee | Tampa | West Palm Beach
Other notable communities:	Altamonte Springs | Apopka | Aventura | Boca Raton  | Bonita Springs | Boynton Beach | Bradenton | Brandon | Coconut Creek | Cooper City | Coral Gables | Davie | Daytona Beach | Deerfield Beach | Delray Beach | Deltona | Dunedin | Fort Myers | Fort Pierce | Greenacres | Hallandale Beach | Homestead | Jupiter | Kissimmee | Lake Worth | Lakeland | Largo | Lauderdale Lakes | Lauderhill | Margate | Melbourne | Miami Beach | North Lauderdale | North Miami Beach | North Miami | Oakland Park | Ocala | Ocoee | Ormond Beach | Oviedo | Palm Bay | Palm Beach Gardens | Palm Harbor | Panama City | Pensacola | Pinellas Park | Plant City | Plantation | Port Charlotte | Port Orange | Riviera Beach | Royal Palm Beach | St. Augustine | Sanford | Sarasota | Spring Hill | Sunrise | Tamarac | Temple Terrace | Titusville | Vero Beach | Wellington | Weston | Winter Haven | Winter Park | Winter Springs
Regions:	Central Florida | Emerald Coast | First Coast | Florida Panhandle | Florida Keys | Nature Coast | North Central Florida  | South Florida | Southwest Florida | Space Coast | Sun Coast | Tampa Bay Area | Treasure Coast
Counties:	Alachua | Baker | Bay | Bradford | Brevard | Broward | Calhoun | Charlotte | Citrus | Clay | Collier | Columbia |Dade |DeSoto | Dixie | Duval | Escambia | Flagler | Franklin | Gadsden | Gilchrist | Glades | Gulf | Hamilton | Hardee | Hendry | Hernando | Highlands | Hillsborough | Holmes | Indian River | Jackson | Jefferson | Lafayette | Lake | Lee | Leon | Levy | Liberty | Madison | Manatee | Marion | Martin | Miami-Dade | Monroe | Nassau | Okaloosa | Okeechobee | Orange | Osceola | Palm Beach | Pasco | Pinellas | Polk | Putnam | Santa Rosa | Sarasota | Seminole | St. Johns | St. Lucie | Sumter | Suwannee | Taylor | Union | Volusia | Wakulla | Walton | Washington

Political divisions of the United States
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Federal district	District of Columbia
Insular areas	American Samoa | Guam | Northern Mariana Islands | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands
COFA	Republic of the Marshall Islands | Republic of Palau | Federated States of Micronesia
Minor outlying islands	Baker Island | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Palmyra Atoll | Wake Island