Various American Indian tribes 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 (land of flowers) ([la floˈɾiða]). Florida subsequently became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently settled by Europeans, with the settlement of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest continuously inhabited city. Florida was frequently attacked and coveted by Great Britain before Spain ceded it to the U.S. in 1819 in exchange for resolving the border dispute along the Sabine River in Spanish Texas. Florida was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845, and was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the American Indian Wars. The state seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861, becoming one of the seven original Confederate States, and was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War on June 25, 1868.
Formed in 1958, the archdiocese added many Cuban members following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. It was involved in Operation Pedro Pan, a clandestine operation to bring Cuban children to South Florida. Starting in the late 1990s or early 2000s it has faced a sexual abuse scandal in which at least 90 minors made claims of sexual abuse as of 2003. (Full article...)
... that a jury awarded $225,000 to the prospective owners of Florida radio station WODX because of poor record-keeping and breaches of their lease agreement?
... that the launch of a Florida TV station was brought forward nearly two months because the local ABC affiliate stopped airing more than half of its prime-time shows?
... that the show Protection Court continued to air episodes during an investigation launched by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission alleging that litigants were filmed without their consent?
... that in the span of three days, a Florida man was approved by bankruptcy courts to buy TV stations in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia, and then arrested on charges of laundering millions in drug money?
The following are images from various Florida-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1Juan Ponce de León was one of the first Europeans to set foot in the current United States; he led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named. (from History of Florida)
Image 26Snow is very uncommon in Florida, but has occurred in every major Florida city at least once; snow does fall very occasionally in North Florida (from Geography of Florida)
Image 31A 1527 map by Vesconte Maggiolo showing the east coast of North America with "Tera Florida" at the top and "Lavoradore" at the bottom. (from History of Florida)
Ben Hill Griffin Jr. (October 10, 1910 – March 1, 1990) was a prominent American businessman, citrus producer, politician, and philanthropist who was a native and resident of Florida. He was an alumnus of the University of Florida, a former legislator, one-time candidate for governor, and a patron of college sports and higher education in Florida. Several of his grandchildren remain active in Florida politics. Griffin is the subject of the final chapter of John McPhee's work of creative nonfictionOranges. (Full article...)
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![Image 1A Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that originated among the Cuban workers in the cigar factories in Key West, Florida[1][2]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Key_West_Cuban_mix.jpg/240px-Key_West_Cuban_mix.jpg)
