Florida History

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was the first European explorer to claim Florida when he landed in Northeast Florida while on a hunt for treasure. He called the land “La Florida” because it was covered with flowers. It was also a tribute to the Eastertime Spanish Feast of Flowers called Pascua Florida. St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America. Florida was controlled at different times by Spain and England until Spain finally sold it to the United States in 1819. Florida became a U.S. Territory in 1821 and two decades later, in 1845, Florida was admitted to the union as the 27th U.S. state. In April of 2013, Florida celebrated its 500th birthday with “Viva Florida 500.”

The Florida economy first developed with the use of natural resources in logging, mining, fishing and sponge diving. Cattle ranching, farming and the cultivation of citrus followed, with Florida leading the southeast in farm income, as well as producing 67% of the U.S. oranges, accounting for approximately 40% of the world’s orange juice supply. The tourism, real estate, trade, banking, and retirement destination businesses were later developed in the state, becoming important economic drivers. As the Sunshine State’s No. 1 industry, tourism was responsible for welcoming 89.3 million visitors in 2012, up 2.3 percent compared with a year earlier.*

*Source: Orlando Sentinel, Feb. 18, 2013