Florida

Florida
State
Governor		Ron DeSantis (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	Jeanette Nuñez (R)
Legislature	Florida Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Supreme Court of Florida
U.S. senators	Marco Rubio (R) Rick Scott (R)
U.S. House delegation	20 Republicans 8 Democrats (list)
Area
• Total	65,758[5] sq mi (170,312 km2)
• Land	53,625 sq mi (138,887 km2)
• Water	12,133 sq mi (31,424 km2)  18.5%
• Rank	22nd
Dimensions
• Length	447 mi (721 km)
• Width	361 mi (582 km)
Elevation	100 ft (30 m)
Highest elevation (Britton Hill[6][a])	345 ft (105 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean[6])	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2023)
• Total	22,610,726[7]
• Rank	3rd
• Density	414.8/sq mi (160/km2)
• Rank	7th
• Median household income	$57,700[8]
• Income rank	34th
Demonym(s)	Floridian, Floridan
Language
• Official language	English[9]
• Spoken language	English only: 67.3% Spanish: 21.2%[10] Other: 11.5%
CDT)
USPS abbreviation	FL
ISO 3166 code	US-FL
Traditional abbreviation	Fla.
Latitude	24° 27' N to 31° 00' N
Longitude	80° 02' W to 87° 38' W
Website	myflorida.com

State symbols of Florida

Barking tree frog
Bird	Northern mockingbird
Fish	Florida largemouth bass, Atlantic sailfish
Flower	Orange blossom
Insect	Zebra longwing
Mammal	Florida panther, manatee, bottlenose dolphin, Florida Cracker Horse[11]
Reptile	American alligator, Loggerhead turtle, Gopher tortoise[11]
Tree	Sabal palmetto
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Orange juice
Food	Key lime pie, Orange
Gemstone	Moonstone
Rock	Agatized coral
Shell	Horse conch
Soil	Myakka
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2004
Lists of United States state symbols

Florida (

Various American Indian tribes have inhabited Florida for at least 14,000 years. In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León became the first known European to make landfall, calling the region La Florida (land of flowers) ([la floˈɾiða]). Florida subsequently became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently settled by Europeans, with the settlement of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest continuously inhabited city. Florida was frequently attacked and coveted by Great Britain before Spain ceded it to the U.S. in 1819 in exchange for resolving the border dispute along the Sabine River in Spanish Texas. Florida was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845, and was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the American Indian Wars. The state seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861, becoming one of the seven original Confederate States, and was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War on June 25, 1868.

Since the mid-20th century, Florida has experienced rapid demographic and economic growth.

Florida was the first region of what is now the contiguous United States to be visited and settled by Europeans. The earliest known European explorers came with Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2, 1513. He named it Florida (colloquially la Florida) in recognition of the flowery, verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers). The following day they came ashore to seek information and take possession of this new land.^[14][15] The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is mythical and appeared only long after his death.^[16]

In May 1539, Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described a thick wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet (21 m), with intertwined and elevated roots making landing difficult.^[17] Europeans introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Castilian language, and more to Florida.^[18] Spain established several settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. In 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it one of the firsts settlements in Florida, but it was mostly abandoned by 1561.

In 1564–1565, there was a French settlement at Fort Caroline, in present Duval County, which was destroyed by the Spanish.^[19] Today a reconstructed version of the fort stands in its location within Jacksonville.

In 1565, the settlement of St. Augustine (San Agustín) was established under the leadership of admiral and governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, creating what would become the oldest, continuously occupied European settlements in the continental U.S. and establishing the first generation of Floridanos and the Government of Florida.^[20] The marriage between Luisa de Abrego, a free black domestic servant from Seville, and Miguel Rodríguez, a white Segovian, occurred in 1565 in St. Augustine. It is the first recorded Christian marriage in the continental United States.^[21]

Some Floridanos married or had unions with

The British governors were directed to call general assemblies as soon as possible in order to make laws for the Floridas, and in the meantime they were, with the advice of councils, to establish courts. This was the first introduction of the English-derived legal system which Florida still has today, including trial by jury, habeas corpus and county-based government.^[30][31] Neither East Florida nor West Florida sent any representatives to Philadelphia to draft the Declaration of Independence. Florida remained a Loyalist stronghold for the duration of the American Revolution.^[32]

Spain regained both East and West Florida after Britain's defeat in the

Defense of Florida's northern border with the United States was minor during the second Spanish period. The region became a haven for escaped slaves and a base for Indian attacks against U.S. territories, and the U.S. pressed Spain for reform.

Americans of

In 1810, parts of West Florida were annexed by the proclamation of President James Madison, who claimed the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase. These parts were incorporated into the newly formed Territory of Orleans. The U.S. annexed the Mobile District of West Florida to the Mississippi Territory in 1812. Spain continued to dispute the area, though the United States gradually increased the area it occupied. In 1812, a group of settlers from Georgia, with de facto support from the U.S. federal government, attempted to overthrow the Floridan government in the province of East Florida. The settlers hoped to convince Floridians to join their cause and proclaim independence from Spain, but the settlers lost their tenuous support from the federal government and abandoned their cause by 1813.^[35]

Traditionally, historians argued that

More recent historians describe that after U.S. independence, settlers in

Florida had become a burden to Spain, which could not afford to send settlers or troops due to the devastation caused by the Peninsular War. Madrid, therefore, decided to cede the territory to the United States through the Adams–Onís Treaty, which took effect in 1821.^[39] President James Monroe was authorized on March 3, 1821, to take possession of East Florida and West Florida for the United States and provide for initial governance.^[40] On behalf of the U.S. government, Andrew Jackson, whom Jacksonville is named after, served as a military commissioner with the powers of governor of the newly acquired territory for a brief period.^[41] On March 30, 1822, the U.S. Congress merged East Florida and part of West Florida into the Florida Territory.^[42]

By the early 1800s, Indian removal was a significant issue throughout the southeastern U.S. and also in Florida. In 1830, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act and as settlement increased, pressure grew on the U.S. government to remove the Indians from Florida. Seminoles offered sanctuary to blacks, and these became known as the Black Seminoles, and clashes between whites and Indians grew with the influx of new settlers. In 1832, the Treaty of Payne's Landing promised to the Seminoles lands west of the Mississippi River if they agreed to leave Florida. Many Seminole left at this time.

Some Seminoles remained, and the U.S. Army arrived in Florida, leading to the Second Seminole War (1835–1842). Following the war, approximately 3,000 Seminole and 800 Black Seminole were removed to Indian Territory. A few hundred Seminole remained in Florida in the Everglades.

The Historic Call-Collins House, the Grove, built by slaves in the 1840s, is an antebellum plantation house in Tallahassee.

1840 advertisement in the Pensacola Gazette offering a $10 ($330 in 2022) reward for the return of a fugitive slave.

On March 3, 1845, only one day before the end of President

After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, William English re-established a plantation started by his uncle on the Miami River. He charted the "Village of Miami" on the south bank of the Miami River and sold several plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, and six years later a census reported there were ninety-six residents in the area.^[46] The Third Seminole War was not as destructive as the second, but it slowed the settlement of southeast Florida. At the end of the war, a few of the soldiers stayed.

American settlers began to establish cotton

On January 10, 1861, nearly all delegates in the Florida Legislature approved an ordinance of secession,[48]^[49] declaring Florida to be "a sovereign and independent nation"—an apparent reassertion to the preamble in Florida's Constitution of 1838, in which Florida agreed with Congress to be a "Free and Independent State". The ordinance declared Florida's secession from the Union, allowing it to become one of the founding members of the Confederate States.

The Confederacy received little military help from Florida; the 15,000 troops it offered were generally sent elsewhere. Instead of troops and manufactured goods, Florida did provide salt and, more importantly, beef to feed the Confederate armies. This was particularly important after 1864, when the Confederacy lost control of the Mississippi River, thereby losing access to Texas beef.^[50][51] The largest engagements in the state were the Battle of Olustee, on February 20, 1864, and the Battle of Natural Bridge, on March 6, 1865. Both were Confederate victories.^[52] The war ended in 1865.

Following the American Civil War, Florida's

Florida's economy has been based primarily upon agricultural products such as citrus fruits, strawberries, nuts, sugarcane and cattle.^[54] The boll weevil devastated cotton crops during the early 20th century.^[55][56]

Until the mid-20th century, Florida was the least-populous state in the

In response to

In 1939, Florida was described as "still very largely an empty State."^[61] Subsequently, the growing availability of air conditioning, the climate, and a low cost of living made the state a haven. Migration from the Rust Belt and the Northeast sharply increased Florida's population after 1945.

In the 1960s, many refugees from Cuba, fleeing Fidel Castro's communist regime, arrived in Miami at the Freedom Tower, where the federal government used the facility to process, document and provide medical and dental services for the newcomers. As a result, the Freedom Tower was also called the "Ellis Island of the South".^[62] In recent decades, more migrants have come for the jobs in a developing economy.

With a population of more than 18 million, according to the 2010 census, Florida is the most populous state in the southeastern United States and the third-most populous in the United States.^[63] The population of Florida has boomed in recent years with the state being the recipient of the largest number of out-of-state movers in the country as of 2019.^[64] Florida's growth has been widespread, as cities throughout the state have continued to see population growth.^[65]

In 2012, the killing of Trayvon Martin, a young black man, by George Zimmerman in Sanford drew national attention to Florida's stand-your-ground laws, and sparked African American activism, including the Black Lives Matter movement.^[66]

After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017, a large population of Puerto Ricans began moving to Florida to escape the widespread destruction. Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans arrived in Florida after Maria dissipated, with nearly half of them arriving in Orlando and large populations also moving to Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.^[67]

Much of Florida is on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the Straits of Florida. Spanning two time zones, it extends to the northwest into a panhandle, extending along the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered on the north by Georgia and Alabama, and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Florida also is the southernmost of the 48 contiguous states, Hawaii being the only one of the fifty states reaching farther south. Florida is west of the Bahamas and 90 miles (140 km) north of Cuba. Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area. The water boundary is 3 nautical miles (3.5 mi; 5.6 km) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean^[72] and 9 nautical miles (10 mi; 17 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.^[72]

At 345 feet (105 m)

Lake Okeechobee, the largest lake in Florida, is the tenth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states, after Lake Michigan.^[76] The longest river within Florida is the St. Johns River, at 310 miles (500 km) long. The drop in elevation from its headwaters South Florida to its mouth in Jacksonville is less than 30 feet (9.1 m).

The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by the fact that no part of the state is distant from the ocean. North of Lake Okeechobee, the prevalent climate is humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa), while areas south of the lake (including the Florida Keys) have a true tropical climate (Köppen: Aw, Am, and Af).^[77] Mean high temperatures for late July are primarily in the low 90s Fahrenheit (32–34 °C). Mean low temperatures for early to mid-January range from the low 40s Fahrenheit (4–7 °C) in north Florida to above 60 °F (16 °C) from Miami on southward. With an average daily temperature of 70.7 °F (21.5 °C), it is the warmest state in the U.S.^[78][79]

In the summer, high temperatures in the state rarely exceed 100 °F (37.8 °C). Several record cold maxima have been in the 30s °F (−1 to 4 °C) and record lows have been in the 10s (−12 to −7 °C). These temperatures normally extend at most a few days at a time in the northern and central parts of Florida. South Florida rarely dips below freezing.^[80] The hottest temperature ever recorded in Florida was 109 °F (43 °C), which was set on June 29, 1931, in Monticello. The coldest temperature was −2 °F (−19 °C), on February 13, 1899, just 25 miles (40 km) away, in Tallahassee.^[81][82]

Due to its subtropical and tropical climate, Florida rarely receives measurable

Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", but severe weather is a common occurrence in the state. Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the United States, as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country.[93] Florida has one of the highest average precipitation levels of any state,^[94] in large part because afternoon thunderstorms are common in much of the state from late spring until early autumn.^[95] A narrow eastern part of the state including Orlando and Jacksonville receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. The rest of the state, including Miami, receives between 2,800 and 3,200 hours annually.^[96]

Florida leads the United States in tornadoes per area (when including

From 1851 to 2006, Florida was struck by 114 hurricanes, 37 of them major—category 3 and above.^[99] It is rare for a hurricane season to pass without any impact in the state by at least a tropical storm.^[100]

In 1992, Florida was the site of what was then the costliest weather disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Andrew, which caused more than $25 billion in damages when it struck during August; it held that distinction until 2005, when Hurricane Katrina surpassed it, and it has since been surpassed by six other hurricanes. Andrew is the second-costliest hurricane in Florida's history.^[101]

Florida is host to many types of wildlife, including:

• Marine mammals: bottlenose dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, North Atlantic right whale, West Indian manatee
• Mammals:
  eastern cottontail rabbit, marsh rabbit, raccoon, striped skunk, squirrel, white-tailed deer, Key deer, bobcats, red fox, gray fox, coyote, wild boar, Florida black bear, nine-banded armadillos, Virginia opossum
• Reptiles:
  green and leatherback sea turtles,^[102] brown anoles, and eastern indigo snake. In 2012, there were about one million American alligators and 1,500 crocodiles.^[103]
• Birds:
  Meleagris gallopavo osceola, is found only in Florida.^[106]
  The state is a wintering location for many species of eastern North American birds.

As a result of climate change, there have been small numbers of several new species normally native to cooler areas to the north: snowy owls, snow buntings, harlequin ducks, and razorbills. These have been seen in the northern part of the state.^[107]

• Invertebrates:
  carpenter ants, termites, American cockroach, Africanized bees, the Miami blue butterfly, and the grizzled mantis
  .

The state has more than 26,000 square miles (67,000 km²) of forests, covering about half of the state's land area.^[110]

There are about 3,000 different types of

The Florida Reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States.

Florida is a low per capita energy user.^[119] As of 2008^[update], it is estimated that approximately 4% of energy in the state is generated through renewable resources.^[120] Florida's energy production is 6% of the U.S. total energy output, while total production of pollutants is lower, with figures of 6% for nitrogen oxide, 5% for carbon dioxide, and 4% for sulfur dioxide.^[120] Wildfires in Florida occur at all times of the year.^[121]

All potable water resources have been controlled by the state government through five regional water authorities since 1972.^[122]

The Florida peninsula is a porous plateau of karst limestone sitting atop bedrock, known as the Florida Platform.

The largest deposits of potash in the United States are found in Florida.^[133] The largest deposits of rock phosphate in the country are found in Florida.^[133] Most of this is in Bone Valley.^[134]

Extended systems of underwater

Earthquakes are rare because Florida is not located near any tectonic plate boundaries.^[144]

The largest

The legal name in Florida for a city, town or village is "municipality". In Florida there is no legal difference between towns, villages and cities.[146]

Florida is a highly urbanized state, with 89 percent of its population living in urban areas in 2000, compared to 79 percent across the U.S.^[147]

In 2012, 75% of the population lived within 10 miles (16 km) of the coastline.^[148]

Largest cities or towns in Florida Source:[149]
	Rank	Name	County	Pop.	Rank	Name	County	Pop.
Miami	1	Jacksonville	Duval	949,611	11	Pembroke Pines	Broward	171,178	Tampa Orlando
	2	Miami	Miami-Dade	442,241	12	Hollywood	Broward	153,067
	3	Tampa	Hillsborough	384,959	13	Gainesville	Alachua	141,085
	4	Orlando	Orange	307,573	14	Miramar	Broward	134,721
	5	St. Petersburg	Pinellas	258,308	15	Coral Springs	Broward	134,394
	6	Hialeah	Miami-Dade	223,109	16	Palm Bay	Brevard	119,760
	7	Port St. Lucie	St. Lucie	204,851	17	West Palm Beach	Palm Beach	117,415
	8	Tallahassee	Leon	196,169	18	Clearwater	Pinellas	117,292
	9	Cape Coral	Lee	194,016	19	Lakeland	Polk	112,641
	10	Fort Lauderdale	Broward	182,760	20	Pompano Beach	Broward	112,046

In 2010, undocumented immigrants constituted an estimated 5.7% of the population. This was the sixth highest percentage of any U.S. state.^[160][b] There were an estimated 675,000 illegal immigrants in the state in 2010.^[161] Florida has banned sanctuary cities.^[162]

The top countries of origin for Florida's immigrants were Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico and Jamaica in 2018.^[163]

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 25,959 homeless people in Florida.^[164][165]

In 2010, 6.9% of the population (1,269,765) considered themselves to be of only

As of 2010^[update], those of (non-Hispanic white) European ancestry accounted for 57.9% of Florida's population. Out of the 57.9%, the largest groups were 12.0%

As of 2010[update], those of African ancestry accounted for 16.0% of Florida's population, which includes

In 2016, Florida had the highest percentage of West Indians in the United States at 4.5%, with 2.3% (483,874) from Haitian ancestry, 1.5% (303,527) Jamaican, and 0.2% (31,966) Bahamian, with the other West Indian groups making up the rest.^[188]

As of 2010^[update], those of Asian ancestry accounted for 2.4% of Florida's population.^[171][172]

As of 2011, Florida contains the highest percentage of people over 65 (17.3%) in the U.S.^[189] There were 186,102 military retirees living in the state in 2008.^[190] About two-thirds of the population was born in another state, the second-highest in the U.S.^[191]

In 2020,

In 1988, English was affirmed as the state's

The most common languages spoken in Florida as a first language in 2010 are:[194]

• 73% English
• 20% Spanish
• 2% Haitian Creole
• Other languages less than 1% each

Florida is mostly

In 2010, the three largest denominations in Florida were the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the United Methodist Church.^[198]

The Pew Research Center survey in 2014 gave the following religious makeup of Florida:^[199]

The basic structure, duties, function, and operations of the government of the State of Florida are defined by the

The state government's primary revenue source is sales tax. Florida is one of eight states that do not impose a personal income tax.

There were 800 federal corruption convictions from 1988 to 2007, more than any other state.^[200]

In a 2020 study, Florida was ranked as the 11th hardest state for citizens to vote in.^[201] In April 2022, the legislature passed and the governor signed a new election law prohibiting Floridians from using ranked-choice voting in all federal, state and municipal elections.^[202]

Florida retains the

From 1952 to 1964, most voters were registered Democrats, but the state voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election except for 1964. The following year, Congress passed and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, providing for oversight of state practices and enforcement of constitutional voting rights for African Americans and other minorities in order to prevent the discrimination and disenfranchisement which had excluded most of them for decades from the political process.

From the 1930s through much of the 1960s, Florida was essentially a one-party state dominated by white conservative Democrats, who together with other Democrats of the Solid South, exercised considerable control in Congress. They have gained slightly less federal money from national programs than they have paid in taxes.^[204] Since the 1970s, conservative white voters in the state have largely shifted from the Democratic to the Republican Party. Though the majority of registered voters in Florida were Democrats,^[205] it continued to support Republican presidential candidates through 2004, except in 1976 and 1996, when the Democratic nominee was from the South.

In the

Florida is sometimes considered a bellwether state in presidential elections because every candidate who won the state from 1996 until 2016 won the election.[209] The 2020 election broke that streak when Donald Trump won Florida but lost the election.

In 1998, Democratic voters dominated areas of the state with a high percentage of racial minorities and transplanted white liberals from the northeastern United States, known colloquially as "snowbirds".^[210] South Florida and the Miami metropolitan area became dominated by both racial minorities and white liberals. Because of this, the area has consistently voted as one of the most Democratic areas of the state. The Daytona Beach area is similar demographically and the city of Orlando has a large Hispanic population, which has often favored Democrats. Republicans, made up mostly of white conservatives, have dominated throughout much of the rest of Florida, including Jacksonville and the panhandle and particularly in the more rural and suburban areas. This is characteristic of its voter base throughout the Deep South.^[210]

The fast-growing

Reapportionment following the 2010 United States census gave the state two more seats in the House of Representatives.[215] The legislature's redistricting, announced in 2012, was quickly challenged in court, on the grounds that it had unfairly benefited Republican interests. In 2015, the Florida Supreme Court ruled on appeal that the congressional districts had to be redrawn because of the legislature's violation of the Fair District Amendments to the state constitution passed in 2010; it accepted a new map in early December 2015.

The political make-up of congressional and legislative districts has enabled Republicans to control the governorship and most statewide elective offices, and 17 of the state's 27 seats in the 2012

The court ruled in 2014, after lengthy testimony, that at least two districts had to be redrawn because of gerrymandering. After this was appealed, in July 2015 the Florida Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers had followed an illegal and unconstitutional process overly influenced by party operatives, and ruled that at least eight districts had to be redrawn. On December 2, 2015, a 5–2 majority of the Court accepted a new map of congressional districts, some of which was drawn by challengers. Their ruling affirmed the map previously approved by Leon County Judge Terry Lewis, who had overseen the original trial. It particularly makes changes in South Florida. There are likely to be additional challenges to the map and districts.^[223]

According to The Sentencing Project, the effect of Florida's felony disenfranchisement law is such that in 2014, "[m]ore than one in ten Floridians—and nearly one in four African-American Floridians—are [were] shut out of the polls because of felony convictions", although they had completed sentences and parole/probation requirements.^[225]

The state switched back to the GOP in the 2016 presidential election, and again in 2020, when Donald Trump headed the party's ticket both times. 2020 marked the first time Florida sided with the eventual loser of the presidential election since 1992.

In the 2018 elections, the ratio of Republican to Democratic representation fell from 16:11 to 14:13. The U.S. Senate election between Democratic incumbent senator Bill Nelson and then governor Rick Scott was close, with 49.93% voting for the incumbent and 50.06% voting for the former governor. Republicans also held onto the governorship in a close race between Republican candidate Ron DeSantis and Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum, with 49.6% voting for DeSantis and 49.3% voting for Gillum. In 2022, incumbent Governor DeSantis won reelection by a landslide against Democrat Charlie Crist. The unexpectedly large margin of victory led many pundits to question Florida's perennial status as a swing state, and instead identify it as a red state.^[226]

In November 2021, for the first time in Florida's history, the total number of registered Republican voters exceeded the number of registered Democrats.^[227]

In 1972, the state made personal injury protection auto insurance mandatory for drivers, becoming the second in the U.S. to enact a no-fault insurance law.^[228] The ease of receiving payments under this law is seen as precipitating a major increase in insurance fraud.^[229] Auto insurance fraud was the highest in the U.S. in 2011, estimated at close to $1 billion.^[230] Fraud is particularly centered in the Miami-Dade and Tampa areas.^{[231][232][233]}

Capital punishment is applied in Florida.^[234] If a person committing a predicate felony directly contributed to the death of the victim then the person will be charged with murder in the first degree. The only two sentences available for that statute are life imprisonment and the death penalty.^[235][236] If a person commits a predicate felony, but was not the direct contributor to the death of the victim then the person will be charged with murder in the second degree. The maximum prison term is life.^[235][236] In 1995, the legislature modified Chapter 921 to provide that felons should serve at least 85% of their sentence.^[237][238]

Florida approved its

Tax is collected by the Florida Department of Revenue.

Agriculture is another large part of the Florida economy. Florida is the number one grower of oranges for juice,[247] mangoes,^[248] fresh tomatoes,^[249] sugar,^[250] sweet corn, green beans,^[251] beans, cucumbers, watermelons, and more.^[252] Florida is also the second biggest producer of strawberries, avocadoes, grapefruit, and peppers in the U.S.^[252][253]

Other large sectors of Florida's economy include finance, government and military (especially in Jacksonville and Pensacola),^[254] healthcare, aerospace (especially in the Space Coast), mining (especially for phosphate in Bone Valley), fishing, trade, real estate, and tech (especially in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa in the 2020s).

There were 2.7 million Medicaid patients in Florida in 2009. The governor has proposed adding $2.6 billion to care for the expected 300,000 additional patients in 2011.^[255] The cost of caring for 2.3 million clients in 2010 was $18.8 billion.^[256] This is nearly 30% of Florida's budget.^[257] Medicaid paid for 60% of all births in Florida in 2009. The state has a program for those not covered by Medicaid.

In 2013, Florida refused to participate in providing coverage for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act, colloquially called Obamacare. The Florida legislature also refused to accept additional Federal funding for Medicaid, although this would have helped its constituents at no cost to the state. As a result, Florida is second only to Texas in the percentage of its citizens without health insurance.^[258]

In 2022, the largest hospital network in Florida is HCA Healthcare^[259] and the second largest is AdventHealth.^[260][261] In 2023, the largest hospitals in Florida were Jackson Memorial Hospital, AdventHealth Orlando, Tampa General Hospital, UF Health Shands Hospital and Baptist Hospital of Miami.^[262]

Florida has the largest collection of

In 2020, Florida was ranked the third best state in the U.S. for K-12 education, outperforming other states in 15 out of 18 metrics in Education Week's 2020 Quality Counts report.^[271] In terms of K-12 Achievement, which measures progress in areas such as academic excellence and graduation rates, the state was graded "B−" compared to a national average of C.^[271] Florida's higher education was ranked first and pre-K-12 was ranked 27th best nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.^[272]

Florida spent $8,920 for each student in 2016, and was 43rd in the U.S. in expenditures per student.^[273]

Florida's primary and secondary school systems are administered by the

While Florida's public schools suffer from more than 5,000 unoccupied teacher positions, according to Karla Hernández, teacher and president of United Teachers of Dade, decisions made by the DeSantis administration will make the situation worse. She referred to its blocking of an Advanced Placement African American studies course,^[275] book bans and removing some lessons in courses as "really scary moments in the state of Florida".^[276]

In 2023, the state of Florida approved a public school curriculum including videos produced by conservative advocacy group PragerU, likening climate change skeptics to those who fought Communism and Nazism, implying renewable energy harms the environment, and saying global warming occurs naturally.^[277] DeSantis has called climate change "leftwing stuff".^[277]

In August 2023, restrictions have been placed on the teaching of Shakespearean plays and literature by Florida teachers in order to comply with state law.^{[278][279][280]}

The State University System of Florida was founded in 1905, and is governed by the Florida Board of Governors. During the 2019 academic year, 346,604 students attended one of these twelve universities.^[281] In 2016, Florida charged the second lowest tuition in the U.S. for four-year programs, at $26,000 for in-state students and $86,000 for out-of-state students; this compares with an average of $34,800 for in-state students.^[282]

As of 2020, three Florida universities are among the top 10 largest universities by enrollment in the United States: The University of Central Florida in Orlando (2nd), the University of Florida in Gainesville (4th), and Florida International University in Miami (8th).

The Florida College System comprises 28 public community and state colleges with 68 campuses spread out throughout the state. In 2016, enrollment exceeded 813,000 students.^[283]

The Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida is an association of 30 private, educational institutions in the state.^[284] This Association reported that their member institutions served more than 158,000 students in the fall of 2020.^[285]

The University of Miami in Coral Gables is one of the top private research universities in the U.S. Florida's first private university, Stetson University in DeLand, was founded in 1883.

As of 2023, three universities in Florida are members of the Association of American Universities: University of Florida, University of Miami and University of South Florida.^[286]

Florida's highway system contains 1,495 mi (2,406 km) of interstate highway, and 10,601 mi (17,061 km) of non-interstate highway, such as state highways and U.S. Highways. Florida's

In 2011, there were about 9,000 retail gas stations in the state. Floridians consumed 21 million gallons of gasoline daily in 2011, ranking it third in national use behind California and Texas.^[288] As of 2024, motorists in Florida have one of the highest rates of car insurance in the U.S.^[289][290] 24% are uninsured.^[291]

Drivers between 15 and 19 years of age averaged 364 car crashes a year per ten thousand licensed Florida drivers in 2010. Drivers 70 and older averaged 95 per 10,000 during the same time frame. A spokesperson for the non-profit Insurance Institute stated "Older drivers are more of a threat to themselves."^[292]

Intercity bus travel, which utilizes Florida's highway system, is provided by Greyhound, Megabus, and Amtrak Thruway.

Before the construction of routes under the

Florida's primary interstate routes include:

• I-4, which spans 133 miles, bisects the state, connecting Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, and Daytona Beach, connecting with I-75 in Tampa and I-95 in Daytona Beach.
• 
  Santa Monica
  with a total length of 2460 miles.
• 
  Alligator Alley" as a toll road to Fort Lauderdale before turning southward and terminating in Hialeah/Miami Lakes having interchanges with I-10 in Lake City and I-4 in Tampa. It is the second longest north–south interstate with a total length of 1786 miles and terminates at the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
  .
• 
  Downtown Miami. It has interchanges with I-10 in Jacksonville and I-4 in Daytona Beach, and there are four auxiliary routes associated with the interstate. It is the longest north–south interstate with a total length of 1924 miles and terminates at the Canadian border northeast of Houlton, Maine
  .

Florida has 131 public airports.^[294] Florida's seven large hub and medium hub airports, as classified by the FAA,^[295] are the following:

• diesel–electric higher-speed rail system.^[296] Service runs from MiamiCentral station in downtown Miami to the Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal in Orlando with stops in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Aventura
  .
• Florida is also served by
  intercity rail
  , and buses.

• Miami: Miami's public transportation is served by
  Downtown Miami. Outside of Miami-Dade County, public transit in the Miami metropolitan area is served by Broward County Transit and Palm Tran; intercounty commuter rail service is provided by Tri-Rail, with 18 stations including the region's three international airports.^[298]
• Orlando: Orlando is served by the SunRail commuter train, which runs on a 32 miles (51 km) (61 miles (98 km) when complete) line including four stops in downtown. Lynx bus serves the greater Orlando area in Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties.^[299]
• Tampa: Tampa and its surrounding area use the
  Tampa Electric Company. Pinellas County and St. Petersburg provide similar services through the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority or "PSTA". The beaches of Pinellas County also have a continuous trolley bus. Downtown St. Petersburg has a trolley system.^[300][301]
• Jacksonville: Jacksonville is served by the Jacksonville Skyway, an automated people mover monorail connecting the Florida State College downtown campus, the Northbank central business district, Convention Center, and Southbank locations. The system includes eight stops connected by two lines. JTA bus has 180 vehicles with 56 lines.^[302]

Florida has three NFL teams, two MLB teams, two NBA teams, two NHL teams, and two MLS teams. Florida gained its first permanent major-league professional sports team in 1966 when the American Football League added the Miami Dolphins. Florida has given professional sports franchises some subsidies in the form of tax breaks since 1991.^[303]

About half of all

Florida has teams in all five American major league sports. Florida's most recent major-league team, Inter Miami, began play in MLS in 2020.^[304]

The

There are minor league baseball,

Florida's universities have a number of collegiate sport programs. Major college football programs include the Florida State Seminoles and Miami Hurricanes of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference.^[306] Since 1996, Florida has added four additional teams to the ranks of Division I FBS: UCF Knights, South Florida Bulls, Florida Atlantic Owls and FIU Panthers.

The majority of the symbols were chosen after 1950; only the two oldest symbols—the

Sister states

Sister jurisdiction	Country	Year[308]
Languedoc-Roussillon	France	1989
Taiwan Province	Taiwan, R.O.C.	1992
Wakayama Prefecture	Japan	1995
Western Cape	South Africa	1995
Nueva Esparta	Venezuela	1999
Kyonggi	South Korea	2000

See also

• Index of Florida-related articles
• List of people from Florida
• Outline of Florida
• Ships named Florida

Notes

1. ^ Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988
2. ^ Behind Nevada, Arizona, New Jersey, California and Texas

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• Mahon, John K.; Brent R. Weisman (1996). "Florida's Seminole and Miccosukee Peoples". In Gannon, Michael (Ed.). The New History of Florida, pp. 183–206. University Press of Florida.
  ISBN 0-8130-1415-8
  .

Bibliography

• Viviana Díaz Balsera and Rachel A. May (eds.), La Florida: Five Hundred Years of Hispanic Presence. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 2014.
• Dunn, Hampton., and Paul Eugen Camp. Collecting Florida: the Hampton Dunn Collection and Other Floridiana, Special Collections Department, University of South Florida Libraries. Tampa Florida: University of South Florida Libraries, 2006.
• Michael Gannon (ed.), The History of Florida. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 2013.
• Levine Jacki. 2023. Once Upon a Time in Florida : Stories of Life in the Land of Promises. St. Petersburg FL: Florida Humanities.

External links

• State website
• Florida at
  Curlie
• Florida State Guide, from the Library of Congress
• Florida Memory Project. Over 300,000 photographs and documents from the State Library & Archives of Florida.
• Online collection of the Spanish Land Grants
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Florida
• Florida Rivers and Watersheds—Florida DEP
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Economic and farm demographics fact sheet from the USDA
• Energy & Environmental Data For Florida
• Heliconius charitonia, zebra longwing. Florida state butterfly, on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures web site.
• TerraFly Property Value and Aerial Imagery Spatio-temporal animation Real Estate Trends in Florida
• List of searchable databases produced by Florida state agencies hosted by the American Library Association Government Documents Roundtable

Preceded by Michigan

List of U.S. states by date of statehood Admitted on March 3, 1845 (27th)

Succeeded by Texas

28°N 82°W / 28°N 82°W / 28; -82 (State of Florida)