The Florida Portal
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida and Cuba; it is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and with a population of over 21 million, is the third-most populous. The state capital is Tallahassee and the most populous city is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of almost 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the seventh-most populous in the United States; other urban conurbations with over one million people are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
Various Native American groups 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 ([la floˈɾiða] for its lush greenery and the Easter season (Pascua Florida in Spanish). Florida subsequently became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently settled by Europeans, with the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest continuously inhabited city. Florida was repeatedly contested by Spain and Great Britain, before being ceded to the U.S. in 1819; it was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. Florida was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the Indian Wars in U.S. history. The state seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861, becoming one of the seven original Confederate States. After the Civil War, Florida was restored to the Union on June 25, 1868.
Since the mid-20th century, Florida has experienced rapid demographic and economic growth. Its economy, with a gross state product (GSP) of $1.0 trillion, is the fourth-largest of any U.S. state and the 16th-largest in the world; the main sectors are tourism, hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and transportation. Florida is world-renowned for its beach resorts, amusement parks, warm and sunny climate, and nautical recreation; attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and Miami Beach draw tens of millions of visitors annually. Florida is a popular destination for retirees, seasonal vacationers, and both domestic and international migrants; it hosts nine out of the ten fastest-growing communities in the U.S. The state's close proximity to the ocean has shaped its culture, identity, and daily life; its colonial history and successive waves of migration are reflected in African, European, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian influences. Florida has attracted or inspired writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes, particularly in golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports. Florida is also heavily noted for being a battleground state in American presidential elections, notably those in 2000, 2016, and 2020. (Full article...)
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Did you know...
- ... that separate locker rooms and a divider in the gymnasium help segregate middle-school and high-school students at Cypress Creek Middle High School in Wesley Chapel, Florida?
- ... that an executive of Florida station WFTL-TV declared that he had "faith in its future", only to sell it within months and for the station to close within three years?
- ... that before the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Manhattan opened, its workers were sent to Walt Disney World for training?
- ... that the perpetrator of the 2018 Tallahassee shooting identified with the involuntary celibate community and denounced interracial dating?
- ... that Rabbi Michael Robinson and 15 other Reform rabbis were arrested and jailed after answering Martin Luther King's call to stand with him for civil rights in St. Augustine, Florida?
- ... that when WFAB radio in Miami was forced off the air in 1977, Hispanic-owned shops in Homestead closed for an hour in protest?
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James Robert Cade (September 26, 1927 – November 27, 2007) was an American physician, university professor, research scientist and inventor. Cade, a native of Texas, earned his bachelor and medical degrees at the University of Texas, and became a professor of medicine and nephrology at the University of Florida. Although Cade engaged in many areas of medical research, he is most widely remembered as the leader of the research team that created the sports drink Gatorade. Gatorade would have significant medical applications for treating dehydration in patients, and has generated over $150 million in royalties for the university.
In his later years, Cade became a prominent philanthropist, donating significant sums to charities affiliated with the Lutheran Church, creating scholarships and donating freely to the University of Florida and other colleges and universities, and endowing his own charitable foundations. (Full article...)Selected images -
Current events
- May 23, 2022 – COVID-19 pandemic
- Emeritus Queen consort Sofía of Spain tests positive for COVID-19 after travelling to Miami, Florida, United States. (Diez Minutos)
- May 12, 2022 –
- Researchers from the University of Florida announce that plants have been grown on lunar soil, collected by Apollo missions, for the first time ever. (AP)
- May 11, 2022 – Surfside condominium collapse
- A tentative settlement of $997 million is reached with the families of victims and survivors of the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, United States. However, the settlement is still subject to final approval. (AP)
- April 21, 2022 –
- The legislature for the U.S. state of Florida votes to strip Walt Disney World of its ability to self-govern by dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement District, in apparent retaliation for Disney's actions during and following the passage of HB 1557, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. (CNBC) (Financial Times)
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'The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was originally known as the North Mosquito River, but was renamed after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, during the British occupation of Florida (1763-1784).
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1910 Cuba hurricane • 1928 Okeechobee hurricane • 2012 Budweiser Shootout • American white ibis • Andrew Sledd • Biscayne National Park • Derek Jeter • Draining and development of the Everglades • Ernest Hemingway • Everglades National Park • Falcon's Fury • Geography and ecology of the Everglades • Gregor MacGregor • Guy Bradley • Hogwarts Express (Universal Orlando Resort) • Hurricane Andrew • Indigenous people of the Everglades region • John F. Bolt • Marjory Stoneman Douglas • Restoration of the Everglades • Rosewood massacre • Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant • SheiKra • Space Shuttle Challenger disaster • St. Johns River • Stephen Crane • Turning Point (2008 wrestling) • USS Massachusetts (BB-2) • Walt Disney World Railroad • William Cooley
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List of Florida hurricanes • List of Tampa Bay Rays seasons • List of University of Central Florida alumni • List of birds of Florida • List of counties in Florida • List of governors of Florida • List of invasive species in the Everglades • List of mammals of Florida • List of municipalities in Florida • List of sister cities in Florida • Snow in Florida
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1898 Georgia hurricane • 1928 Florida Gators football team • 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1987 Gulf Coast tropical storm • 1987 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1989 Florida's 18th congressional district special election • 1998 Pepsi 400 • 2003 Budweiser Shootout • 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament • 2006 Daytona 500 • 2006 Ford 400 • 2008 TNA World X Cup Tournament • 2009 Budweiser Shootout • 2009 Ford 400 • 2010 Cafés do Brasil Indy 300 • 2010 Daytona 500 • 2010 Ford 400 • 2011 Budweiser Shootout • 2011 Daytona 500 • 2011 Gatorade Duels • 2012 Daytona 500 • 2012 Gatorade Duels • 2016 24 Hours of Daytona • 2018 24 Hours of Daytona • Against All Odds (2005) • Albert A. Murphree • Andy Hansen • Apalachee massacre • Apollo 1 • Ashlyn Harris • Battle of Flint River • Bob Turley • Bomis • Bound for Glory (2005) • Brad Miller (baseball) • Burger King • Burger King franchises • Burger King legal issues • Burger King products • Carlos (Calusa) • Caroline Street (Key West) • Casey Donovan (actor) • Catie Ball • Chad Mottola • Chicago Options Associates • Chuck Baldwin 2008 presidential campaign • Climate of Florida • Climate of the Tampa Bay area
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Royal Theater (St. Petersburg, Florida) (2022-05-05) • Disney and Florida House Bill 1557 (2022-04-21) • Mary Hayes Davis (2022-04-17) • Jovani Furlan (2022-03-24) • Peter Walker (dancer) (2022-03-21) • Jack Sweeney (2022-03-15) • WGBS-TV (2022-03-03) • WITV (Florida) (2022-03-02) • Milam Residence (2022-02-25) • Lake Worth Beach, Florida (2022-02-10) • Zigzag House (2022-02-07) • Comedian (artwork) (2022-01-28) • WTNT-FM (2022-01-27) • Surfing Santas (2021-12-24) • Moms for Liberty (2021-12-19) • Dinosaur Wildlife (2021-09-03) • Flora Mae Hunter (2021-08-18) • Potential Tropical Cyclone Ten (2021-08-15) • Florida death metal (2021-08-07) • George Floyd (American football) (2021-08-03) • Josh Phillips (murderer) (2021-07-10) • WOIR (2021-07-09) • Nikki Fried (2021-07-09) • Three Notch Road (2021-06-24) • WVOI (2021-06-16) • Matt Moore (baseball) (2021-06-14) • EliteXC: Heat (2021-05-25) • Annamary Dickey (2021-05-23) • Mary Ellen Moylan (2021-05-14) • Jeepers Creepers (2001 film) (2021-05-08) • Benjamin Kapelushnik (2021-04-16) • Zach Eflin (2021-04-04) • Patricia Delgado (2021-03-17) • Susan B. Anthony II (2021-03-08) • WUNA (2021-01-29) • WWBC (2021-01-11) • Laura Purser-Rose (2021-01-05) • Scorpion (roller coaster) (2020-11-01) • Constance Weldon (2020-10-12) • Bernard Fils-Aimé (2020-10-08) • WZHR (2020-09-30) • Python (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay) (2020-09-22) • Calvin Royal III (2020-09-20) • Charlotte County Sheriff's Office (2020-08-13) • WNDO (2020-07-01) • Frank Varga (2020-06-15) • WEBY (2020-06-03) • WDWR (2020-06-01) • WNMA (2020-05-13) • Luria's (2020-05-08)
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- Tag all talk pages of Florida articles and categories with
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Sources
- ^ "Cuba's most famous food isn't even from Cuba — or Miami". Matador Network.
- ^ "Viva La Cuban Sandwich!". Farmers’ Almanac. March 20, 2015.