Florida means
Est. 1845
“Land of Flowers” WATCH THE HISTORY OF FLORIDA

Florida History – Snap Shot

 

The history of Florida is quite long but here is a short snap shot of the beginnings of what is now called the State of Florida.

In 1513, Ponce De Leon, discovered, named and claimed the territory of Florida for Spain. Rumor has it, Ponce de Leon was actually an old rich guy that was searching for the mythical “Fountain of Youth” for his young attractive Spanish girlfriend so they both would never grow old. (Haha, I’m just trying to keep this boring history stuff more interesting.) Historically, the territory of Florida would be owned back and forth by Spain and England. Eventually, Spain sold it to the United States in 1819. (Thanks to Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, who signed the Florida Purchase Agreement that took possession of Florida from Spain for a mere $5 million dollars.)

As a side note in 1564, a small French colony was established and named Fort Caroline which played a crucial role in the history of Florida. Overall, the history of Florida in the early 19th century was riddled with wars between the Seminole Native Indians and American Settlers, which did not end until 1842. Eventually, the military with General Andrew Jackson was sent in to restore order.

A FEW FLORIDA HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS_

SPANISH EXPLORER

Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established the first permanent European settlement in the United States at St. Augustine in 1565.

GENERAL
ANDREW JACKSON

Before he was president of the United States, General Andrew Jackson led an invasion of Seminole Indians in Spanish-controlled Florida in 1817. After Florida became a U.S. Territory in 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams appointed Jackson its military governor.

AN IMPORTANT
KEY WEST FORT

Constructed over a 21-year period from 1845 to 1866, Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West was controlled by Federal forces during the Civil War and used to deter supply ships from provisioning Confederate ports in the Gulf of Mexico. The fort was also used during the Spanish-American War.

FAMOUS
FLORIDA SUNSCREEN

In 1944, airman and pharmacist Benjamin Green from Miami developed the first widely used sunscreen to protect himself and other soldiers during World War II. He later founded the Coppertone Corporation.

FLORIDA
AND THE SPACE RACE

John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth when he blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on February 20, 1962. Seven years later, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon after Apollo 11 was launched from the nearby Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969.

MICKEY MOUSE
BECOMES REALITY

Did you know? Walt Disney World Resort, which opened near Orlando in 1971, is the planet's biggest and most visited recreational resort. Spread over some 30,500 acres (about the same size as San Francisco, California), Disney World attracts approximately 46 million annual visitors.

Sunshine

Oranges

Disney

Space

Population (Millions)
Cities
Boats (Thousands)
Parks
Beaches (Miles)

Florida satellite view

"My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law."

- Jerry Seinfeld -

"Some call it a vacation - I call it home."

- Local Floridian -

"In Florida, we salt margaritas, not sidewalks."

- Native Floridian -

FLORIDA FUN_

FISH

Florida Fishin' is
the best.

Explore fishing from inland fresh water to deep water fishing - Florida has some of the best fishing in the world. Charters and drift fishing are also plentiful and available.

SURF

Florida's Surfing
has some tasty waves - Dude!

Florida is next to the Atlantic Ocean which offers some sizable waves for nice surfing. Florida has miles and miles of beaches and inlets that surfers enjoy.

GOLF

Did someone
say Golf?

Florida can be considered the Golf Capital of the World. There are thousands of golf courses to appease the millions of golfers that love the sport - just ask President Trump.

SUN

Sun, Sand
and Sea for Me.

Florida has miles and miles of beaches filled with sun-bathed palm trees and tan bodies. Floridians love livin' in their tropical paradise.

Florida’s New Nickname – THE SUNFUN STATE

 

SunFun Florida is on a mission to rename the state’s official (outdated) 1970 nickname, “The Sunshine State” to “The SunFun State” which we think sounds better anyways. How that happens is not clear yet but one thing is for sure… people love Florida, the Sun and having Fun. Join the revolution to rename Florida’s nickname to The SunFun State! We can do it Florida! God bless America.

Florida’s (Potential New) Official Nickname: SunFun State

Florida’s Official Motto: In God We Trust

Checkout all that SunFun Florida has to offer for everyone that loves Florida – The SunFun State.
#sunfun #sunfunflorida #floridalife #sunfunstate