Florida

The state line begins at the , traveling west, south, and north up the of the . At the origin of that river, it then follows a straight line nearly due west and slightly north, to the point where the of the (from Georgia) and the (down the Alabama/Georgia line) used to form Florida's . (Since Woodruff Dam was built,this point has been under Lake Seminole.) 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 31°N to the , 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 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 , , 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 than by temperature with warm, relatively dry and (the dry season) and hot, wet and (the wet season). The has a moderating effect on the climate, and although much of Florida commonly sees a high summer temperature over 90 degrees (32°C), the mercury seldom exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit (39°C). The hottest temperature ever recorded in the state was 109°F (43°C), set on , in . The coldest was –2°F (−19°C), on , , just 25 miles (40 km) away, in . Mean high temperatures for late July are primarily in the low 90s Fahrenheit (32–35°C). Mean low temperatures for late January range from the low 40s Fahrenheit (4–7°C) in northern Florida to the mid-50s (≈13°C)in southern Florida.

The Florida Keys, being surrounded by water, generally have a more tropical climate, with lesser variability in temperatures. At , temperatures rarely exceed 90°F in the summer or fall below 60°F in the winter.

Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State," but severe weather is a common occurrence in the state. is known as the capital of the United States, as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country. Florida has the highest average precipitation of any state, in large part because afternoon are common in most of the state from late spring until early autumn. A fair day may be interrupted with a storm, only to return to regular, gorgeous sunshine. These thunderstorms, caused by collisions between airflow from the and airflow from the , pop up in the early afternoon and can bring heavy downpours, high winds, and sometimes . Florida leads the United States in tornadoes per square mile, but these tornadoes do not typically reach the intensity of those in the and . often accompanies the severest thunderstorms.

is a rare occurrence in Florida. During the , Florida experienced conditions for possibly the first time since explorers had arrived. During that time, the had "gulf-effect" snow, similar to . The Great Blizzard of 1899 is the only time the temperature in the state is known to have fallen below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (−18°C). The most widespread snowfall in Florida history happened in February 1978, when snow fell over much of the state in different times of the month, as far south as . Snow fell on for the only time in recorded history. 1982's "," which saw freezing conditions throughout much of the country, ruined that year's orange crops. In 1989, a severe hard freeze created lots of ice and also caused minor flurries in sections of the state and resulted in rolling blackouts from power failures caused by massive demands on the power grid for heating. A hard freeze in brought "ocean-effect" snow flurries to the Atlantic coast as far south as . .

Although some storms have formed out of season, pose a threat during hurricane season, which lasts from to . Florida saw a slew of destruction in 2004, when it was hit by a record four hurricanes. Hurricanes (), (–), (), and (–) cumulatively cost the state's economy US$42 billion. In 2005, () became the fifth storm to strike Florida within eleven months. Later, () passed through and () swept through the . made landfall in Florida in the early morning of as a hurricane, with the storm's eye hitting near , just south of , according to .

Florida was the site of the second most costly weather disaster in U.S. history, , which caused more than US$25 in damage when it struck on , . In a long list of other infamous hurricane strikes are the 1926 , the , the , in 1960, and in 1995.

Environmental issues

Florida is the fifth-largest producer of greenhouse gases among the 50 U.S. states. This may coincide with the fact that Florida is the fourth most populous state in the United States. Climatologists and scientists debate whether global warming is to blame for an increase in the number of strong hurricanes. The scientists Peter Webster and Judith Curry of the published research in 2005 showing an increase in global hurricane intensity, with a doubling of the number of Category 4 or 5 hurricanes since 1970. That increase coincides with a rise of nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit in ocean surface temperatures. They argue that there is a connection, while Florida's state climatologist, James O'Brien, argues the increase in stronger storms is merely part of a natural cycle.

History

Five of the flags that have been flown over Florida throughout the centuries.

Archaeological finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for thousands of years before any European settlements. Of the many indigenous people, the largest known were the , the , the , the and the tribes. , a Spanish , named Florida in honor of his "discovery" of the land on , , during , a Spanish term for the . 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 Indian that he encountered in Florida in 1513 could speak .. Alternatively, the Spanish-speaking Indian could have been in contact with areas where Spanish settlements already existed, and Ponce de León was indeed the discoverer).

Over the following century, both Spanish and intruders established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. In 1559, Spanish was established by Don as the first European settlement in the continental United States, but it had become abandoned by 1561 and would not be reinhabited until the 1690s. French founded in modern-day in 1564, but this fort was conquered by forces from the new Spanish colony of the following year. After Huguenot leader had learned of the new Spanish threat, he launched an expedition to sack the Spanish settlement; en route, however, severe storms at sea waylaid the expedition, which consisted of most of the colony's men, allowing St. Augustine founder time to march his men over land and conquer 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 executed beside a river subsequently called ( for 'killings'). St. Augustine came to serve as the capitals of the British and Spanish colonies of and Florida, respectively. The Spanish never had a firm hold on Florida, and maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the local tribes, briefly with and later with friars. The local leaders () demonstrated their loyalty to the Spanish by converting to Roman Catholicism and welcoming the Franciscan priests into their villages.

The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of colonies to the north and colonies to the west. The English weakened Spanish power in the area by supplying their allies with firearms and urging them to raid the and client-tribes of the Spanish. The English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times, while the citizens hid behind the walls of the . The Spanish, meanwhile, encouraged slaves to flee the British-held and come to Florida, where they were converted to Roman 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 gained control of Florida diplomatically in 1763 through the (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 and , but this project ultimately failed. Spain regained Florida after England's defeat by the American colonies and the Treaty of Paris, in 1783. Finally, in 1819, by terms of the , Spain ceded Florida to the United States in exchange for the American renounciation of any claims on . On , , Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America. On , , before the formal outbreak of the , Florida seceded from the ; ten days later, the state became a founding member of the . The war ended in 1865. On , , Florida's representation was restored.

Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern state; however, the local climate, tempered by the growing availability of , made the state a haven, and migration from the and the Northeast sharply increased the population. Today, Florida is the most populous state in the South besides , and the fourth most populous in the United States.

Languages

As of 2000, 76.9 percent of Florida residents age 5 and older speak at home, and 16.5 percent speak . is the third most spoken language at 2.2 percent, followed by at 0.6 percent and at 0.4 percent.

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

The basic structure, duties, function, and operations of the government of the State of Florida are defined and established by the , which establishes the basic law of the state and guarantees various rights and freedoms of the people. The state government consists of three separate branches: judicial, executive, and legislative. The enacts bills, which, if signed by the , become .

The has a Senate of 40 members and a House of 120 members. The current is , brother of U.S. President and son of former President .

Florida was traditionally a state; at one time, of all Floridians were registered Democrats. In the last decades of the twentieth century, the realignment of the "" led many conservative Democrats of Florida to vote with the Republican Party. This tendency, combined with explosive population growth, which has brought many into the state, has given Florida a Republican edge in practice, though registered Democrats still outnumber registered Republicans. As a result, Republicans control the governorship and most other statewide elective offices: both houses of the state legislature, 18 of the state's 25 seats in the , and one of the state's two seats. The was extremely close. Because of the state's population and number of electoral votes, political analysts consider it to be a key in elections. The area, once a major center of Democratic support, is now almost evenly split between registered Republicans and Democrats, making it part of the important Corridor swing region.

Economy

The gross state product of Florida in 2003 was $599 billion. Personal income was $30,098 per capita, ranking 26^th in the nation.

Florida's economy relies heavily on tourism. About 60 million visitors visit the state every year. Warm weather and hundreds of miles of beach attract vacationers from around the world. The —with four theme parks and more than twenty hotels, plus countless water parks, shopping centers, and other facilities—located in , drives the economy of Central Florida, along with more recent entries into the theme-park arena, such as the . Sales- and tourist-tax revenue allows the state to remain one of the few not to levy a personal income tax. Other major industries include and juice production, banking, and mining within the region. With the arrival of the space program at in the 1960s, Florida has attracted a large number of aerospace and military industries. The state did not have any state minimum wage laws until , , when voters passed a constitutional amendment establishing one and mandating that it be adjusted for inflation every six months.

Historically, Florida's economy was based upon cattle farming and agriculture (especially , , , and ). In the early 1900, land speculators discovered Florida, and Plant and Henry Flagler developed railway systems, which led people to move in, drawn by the weather and local economies. From then on, tourism boomed, fueling a cycle of development and tourism that overwhelmed a great deal of farmland.

In 2004 and 2005, key industries along the west coast—commercial fishing and water-based tourist activities (sports fishing and diving)—were threatened by outbreaks of red tide, a discoloration of seawater caused by an efflorescence of toxin-producing dinoflagellates.

Florida is one of the nine states that do not impose a personal (). The state imposes a tax on "intangible personal property" (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds, etc.), but in April, 2006, the state legislature was considering a repeal of the tax. The state rate is 6% . Local governments may levy an additional local option sales tax of up to 1.5%. A locale's 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 six 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 .

Florida's public-school revenue per student and spending per $1000 of personal income usually rank in the bottom 25 percent 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 percent of many national surveys and average test-score rankings. Many education surveys are not scientific, but do measure prestige. has been criticized by many Florida educators for a program that penalizes underperforming schools (as indicated by , most prominently the ) 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 (for details on scaled test scores, see ).

Despite the inadequacy of the primary and secondary schools, Florida is home to many well-respected institutions, such as , the , and .

In 2000, the governor and the state legislature abolished the , which long had governed the , and created boards of trustees to govern each university. As is typical of executive-appointed government boards, the appointees so far have overwhelmingly belonged to the governor's party. This effect has not been without controversy. In 2002, former governor and then () led a -amendment ballot referendum designed to restore the board-of-regents system. Voters responded by creating the ; however, each university still maintains a board of trustees, which works under the new board.