Portal:Florida

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The Florida Portal

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Florida's location within the United States

Florida /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 established by Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano 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 Huguenots founded Fort Caroline in modern-day Jacksonville in 1564, but the fort was conquered by Spanish forces from St. Augustine the following year. Florida is considered the fishing capital of the world. One of the finest estuaries can be found in the Palm Coast and St Augustine areas. Guided fishing charters and sightseeing tours are very popular in this area because of its unrivaled beauty. Companies such as Palm Coast Fishing Trips are a great way to experience this part of Florida.

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An American White Ibis flying across the National Park
Everglades National Park is a national park in the state of Florida. The largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, it contains the southern 25 percent of the original Everglades marshland region of southwestern Florida. Visited by one million people each year, it is the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley National Park and Yellowstone National Park. It has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance.

Unlike most other U.S. national parks, Everglades National Park was created to protect a fragile ecosystem instead of safeguarding a geographic feature. Thirty-six species designated as threatened or protected live in the park, including the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee. Protecting the largest U.S. wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, the park is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America, and contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere. More than 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles live within Everglades National Park. All of southern Florida's fresh water is recharged by the park, including that of the Biscayne Aquifer.

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The Myakka River
Credit: Wknight94

The Myakka River is a river in southwestern Florida. It arises near the Hardee-Manatee county line and flows southwest and then southeast through Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties to Charlotte Harbor, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. The river is 68 miles long and has a drainage basin of 235 square miles. The last twenty miles of the river is tidal and brackish.

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Bobby Bowden in November 2006
Robert Bowden (born November 8, 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama), better known as Bobby Bowden, is the former head college football coach of the Florida State University Seminoles. Since taking the position in 1976, Bowden has led FSU to an Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship National Title in 1999, as well as twelve Atlantic Coast Conference championships since FSU joined the conference in 1991.

Bowden has 373 career wins, thus making him one win ahead of Penn State's Joe Paterno(372) as the all-time winningest Division I-FBS coach by total victories. Bowden, along with Joe Paterno and Chris Ault, is one of three active coaches who have also been inducted in to the College Football Hall of Fame. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Bowden spent a portion of his childhood in bed, sick. When he was 13 years old, Bowden was diagnosed with rheumatic fever. After a six month hospital stay, Bowden was confined to his bed at home for just over a year with nothing more than his imagination to pass the time.

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The Bugaboo scrub fire burning in the forest

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American comedian Conan O'Brien
Yesterday, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would run for governor of California. The announcement was good news for Florida residents who now live in the second flakiest state in the country

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San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
Credit: Ebyabe

San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park in Alachua County, Florida. It is located northwest of Gainesville, Florida on CR 232 (Millhopper Road) and off U.S. 441, just south of the town of Alachua. Among the wildlife of the park are bobcats, white-tailed deer, gray foxes, turkeys, and many species of songbirds.

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1928 Okeechobee HurricaneWilliam CooleyFlorida Atlantic UniversityHistory of Miami, FloridaList of Florida birdsList of Florida hurricanesList of sister cities in FloridaList of snow events in FloridaList of wild mammal species of FloridaRoman Catholic Archdiocese of MiamiEverglades National ParkRosewood massacreMarjory Stoneman DouglasRestoration of the EvergladesIndigenous people of the Everglades regionGeography and ecology of the EvergladesDraining and development of the EvergladesTropical Storm Keith (1988)

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Brothers to the RescueBurger KingCasey Donovan (porn star)Florida International UniversityFlorida State UniversityUniversity of Central FloridaFort Lauderdale, FloridaHurricane CharleyHurricane IvanKey BiscayneMiami River (Florida)Osborne ReefSuper Bowl XLIMary McLeod BethuneAgainst All Odds (2005)Key BiscaynePort Charlotte High SchoolShawn LonsdaleMore...

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Counties: AlachuaBakerBayBradfordBrevardBrowardCalhounCharlotteCitrusClayCollierColumbiaDeSotoDixieDuvalEscambiaFlaglerFranklinGadsenGilchristGladesGulHamiltonHardeeHendryHernandoHighlandsHillsboroughHolmesIndian RiverJacksonJeffersonLafayetteLakeLeeLeonLevyLibertyMadisonManateeMarionMartinMiami-DadeMonroeNassauOkaloosaOkeechobeeOrangeOsceolaPalm BeachPascoPinellasPolkPutnamSaint JohnsSaint LucieSanta RosaSarasotaSeminoleSumterSuwanneeTaylorUnionVolusiaWakullaWaltonWashington

Regions of Florida: Apalachee ProvinceBig BendCentral FloridaEmerald CoastFirst CoastFlorida HeartlandFlorida KeysFlorida PanhandleFlorida SuncoastFun CoastGold CoastNature CoastNorth Central FloridaNortheast FloridaNorth FloridaRed Hills RegionSouthwest FloridaSpace CoastTampa Bay AreaTreasure Coast

Education in Florida: Broadway Theater ProjectCenter for Research and Education in Optics and LasersCongrès de la Culture Francaise en FlorideDLLIFTCEFlorida Comprehensive Assessment TestFlorida Distance Learning ConsortiumFlorida Literacy Coalition, Inc.Florida Music Educators AssociationHigh School Competency TestSilver Knight AwardsStenotype Institute

Transportation in Florida: Apalachee ParkwayCapital Circle, TallahasseeConners HighwayFlorida Department of TransportationJacksonville Transportation AuthorityJohn Anderson HighwayList of paved Florida bike trailsMiami-Dade Expressway AuthorityNortheast Florida Regional Transportation CommissionOrlando-Orange County Expressway AuthorityPeninsular Land, Transportation and Manufacturing CompanySouth Florida Auto ShowSunPassSunRailTampa Bay Area Regional Transportation AuthorityTampa-Hillsborough Expressway AuthorityVolusia County Public Transit System

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