Portal:Florida
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Florida (pronounced /ˈflɒrɪdə/) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Most of the state is a large peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico on its west and the Atlantic Ocean on its east. Much of the state has a humid subtropical climate; southern Florida has a tropical climate. Florida was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the peninsula on 2 April 1513, during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter," referring to the Easter season). Florida is the fourth most populous state in the country.
Archaeological research indicates that Florida had been inhabited for thousands of years before any European settlements. Of the many indigenous peoples, the largest known were the Ais, the Apalachee, the Calusa, the Timucua and the Tocobago tribes. Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish conquistador, named Florida in honor of his discovery of the land on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida, a Spanish term for the Easter season (Juan Ponce de León may not have been the first European to reach Florida; according to one report, at least one indigenous tribesman who he encountered in Florida in 1513 spoke Spanish.) From that date forward, the land became known as "La Florida" , although from 1630 until the 19th century Tegesta (after the Tequesta tribe) was the name of choice for the Florida peninsula following publication of a map by the Dutch cartographer Hessel Gerritsz in Joannes de Laet's History of the New World. Over the following century, both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. In 1559, Spanish Pensacola was sam so fine following year.
In 1868, Florida Governor Harrison Reed made the arsenal property at Chattahoochee into Florida's first penitentiary. It was also used to muster Confederate troops. Florida's first recorded inmate was Calvin Williams, incarcerated at Chattahoochee in November 1868 for the crime of larceny and sentenced to one year. By 1869 there were 42 inmates and 14 guards.In 1871, the prison was put under civilian jurisdiction. Malachi Martin was appointed as warden, gaining a reputation for cruelty and corruption. He used prison labor for his personal benefit to build houses and tend his personal vineyards, amassing a huge fortune. The book, The American Siberia, was written in 1891, portraying the Chattahoochee prison as a place of relentless barbarity. The prisoners were relocated in 1876 to a prison at Raiford and the prison became a state hospital.
Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee was established in 1876 and until 1947 it was Florida's only state mental institution. The hospital was originally the site of the Apalachicola Arsenal built in the 1830s and named after the nearby Apalachicola River. The hospital's current Administration Building is the original Officers' Quarters of the Arsenal and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Spurrier was a multi-talented athlete in high school, starring not only in football, but also baseball and basketball at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee. Spurrier played quarterback for the University of Florida (UF), where he won the Heisman Trophy. Steve finished his playing career at Florida with 4,848 yards passing and 36 touchdowns. At the University of Florida, Spurrier was inducted in to the University of Florida Hall of Fame, the UF Athletic Hall of Fame, and Florida Blue Key. He is a brother of the Florida Alpha Omega Chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. In 1967, Spurrier was drafted during the first round by the San Francisco 49ers. Spurrier spent nine years with the 49ers before playing his last NFL season in 1976 with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- ...that the Cross Florida Barge Canal was a canal project intended to connect the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean across Florida for barge traffic, but the project was cancelled after the build, namely due to environmental concerns?
- ...that the historic train depot Old Atlantic Coast Line Union Depot is still used by Amtrack and Sunset Limited?
- ...that the New River Tunnel is one of three underwater road tunnels in Florida that replaced the Federal Aid Highway Bridge?
- July 5: One dead, eighteen injured in Florida lightning strike
- June 28: American pitchman Billy Mays dies at age 50
- June 28: Man on Florida bus threatened with knife for praising Michael Jackson
- June 24: Former Scientology executives say leader David Miscavige abused staff
- June 21: Wikinews interviews former Republican U.S. Senator Bob Smith on his latest run for office
- May 12: NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis
- April 17: Small plane crash in Florida destroys home
- April 9: Transgender woman hired as city manager for Lake Worth, Florida
Dunedin (pronounced /dəˈniːdɪn/) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from the Scots Gaelic Dùn Èideann meaning Edinburgh. The population was 35,691 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 36,632.
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1928 Okeechobee Hurricane • William Cooley • Florida Atlantic University • History of Miami, Florida • List of Florida birds • List of Florida hurricanes • List of sister cities in Florida • List of snow events in Florida • List of wild mammal species of Florida • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami • Everglades National Park • Rosewood massacre • Marjory Stoneman Douglas • Restoration of the Everglades • Indigenous people of the Everglades region • Geography and ecology of the Everglades • Draining and development of the Everglades • Tropical Storm Keith (1988)
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Brothers to the Rescue • Burger King • Casey Donovan (porn star) • Florida International University • Florida State University • Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Hurricane Charley • Hurricane Ivan • Key Biscayne • Miami River (Florida) • Osborne Reef • Super Bowl XLI • Mary McLeod Bethune • Against All Odds (2005) • Key Biscayne • Port Charlotte High School • Shawn Lonsdale • More...
- Requested articles: Bent Tree Elementary School • University Christian School
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