THE   FACTS

                        THE FACTS

Florida was admitted to United States as a State on March 3, 1845 (27th State)

Governor - Charlie Crist

Capital - Tallahassee

Nickname - Sunshine State

State Flower - Orange Blossom

(Click Here) for Florida symbols

Number of Counties in Florida - 67

Form of Government - Governor and independent cabinet consisting of Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of Agriculture. (Click Here) for additional information on Florida's cabinet process.

Legislature - 120 House Districts, 40 Senate Districts, 23 Congressional Districts

Motto - (See Below) More Information
Economy, State Spending & Taxes | Geography | History | Population | Taxes | Weather & Seasons | Other Interesting Facts Florida Economy, State Spending & Taxes

Gross State Product:

$491 Billion (2001)

$472 Billion (2000)
Economy Strengths:

International Trade (40% of all U.S. exports to Latin and South America pass through Florida) Tourism - with 76.8 million visitors in 2004 (a record number), Florida is the top travel destination in the world. The tourism industry has an economic impact of $57 billion on Florida’s economy. Click here for additional tourism facts and statistics. Space Industry - The space industry represents $4.5 billion of the state's economy. The average annual wage of aerospace workers is approximately $52,000. The number employed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) alone is 15,000 and Florida ranks 4th among the states in overall aerospace employment with 23,000 jobs. Agriculture – Florida leads the southeast in farm income.
Florida produces about 75% of the U.S. oranges and accounts for about 40% of the world's orange juce supply. Construction - This industry's strength results from the steady stream of new residents and visitors who are welcomed to Florida each year. Services - growth in high tech, financial & back office operations Software - many small, entrepreneurial companies Health Technology (medical, biotech, laboratories) University Research - more than $500 million per year in sponsored research at Florida universities (Click Here) for more information on Florida's economy
State Budget Information | Governor's e-Budget Page

$64.7 Billion (2005-2006)

$57.3 Billion (2004-2005)

$53.5 Billion (2003-2004)

$50.4 Billion (2002-2003)

$47 Billion (2001-2002)
After December 2001 cuts amounting to $1 billion due to state revenue shortfall
Governor's Line Item Vetoes (Regular Legislative Session)

$51 Billion (2000-2001 Fiscal Year)
State Spending Per Capita 1998 - Florida Ranks 49th ($2,628)

Florida Taxes - Florida ranks low in terms of the tax burden placed on residents. Based on income, property and other state and local tax collections, the Tax Foundation research organization ranks Florida among the lowest tax states (Florida ranks #45 among the 50 states in 2004; only five states have a lower tax burden).

State Sales Tax - 6%

Corporate Tax - 5.5%

State Income Tax - None

Additional Tax Information - Florida Tax Guide (Click Here)

Additional Business & Economy Information:
Doing Business in Florida (State of Florida.com)


Florida Geography

Total Area - 58,560 Square Miles

Land Area - 54,252 Square Miles

Total Water Area - 4,308 Square Miles

Rank Among States in Total Area - 22nd

Length North to South - 447 Miles

Width East to West - 361 Miles

Distance from Pensacola to Key West - 792 Miles by Road

Highest Natural Point - 345 Feet near Lakewood in Walton County

Geographic Center - 12 miles northwest of Brooksville, Hernando County

Coastline - 1,197 Statute Miles

Tidal Shoreline - 2,276 Statute Miles

Beaches - 663 Miles

Florida has more than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams & waterways

Longest River - St. Johns at 273 miles

Largest Lake - Lake Okeechobee at 700 square miles
(the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the United States)

Largest County - Palm Beach at 2,578 square miles

Smallest County - Union at 245 square miles

Number of Lakes greater than 10 acres - Aprox. 7,700

Number of First Magnitude Springs - 27
(Florida has more first magnitude springs than any other state.)

Number of Islands Greater than 10 Acres - Aprox. 4,500
(Florida ranks 2nd in the nation by this measure and only Alaska ranks higher.)

More Florida water information: (Click Here)


Florida History

Juan Ponce de Leon discovers Florida in 1513 when he lands in NE Florida, possibly near present-day St. Augustine, to claim Florida for Spain. This is when written records about life in Florida began.

First permanent European settlement is established in 1565 in St. Augustine by Spain.

Florida becomes a U.S. Territory in 1821. General Andrew Jackson serves as military governor until Congress ratifies a territorial constitution.

William P. Duval, Florida's first civil governor, calls the first Legislative Council into session in Pensacola on June 19, 1823.

Admitted to U.S. as a State on March 3, 1845 (27th State)

See our front page for more "Historic" information links: (Click Here)


Florida Population

Population Rank - 4th in U.S. behind California, Texas & New York

Florida population estimates:

Florida's Population (2003) - 17,019,068


Florida's Population (2002) - 16,713,149
Florida's Population (2001) - 16,396,515
Florida's Population (2000) - 15,982,378
Population (1990) - 12,937,926
Population (1980) - 9,746,961
Population Growth Rate (1990-2000) - 23.5%

City Population Rank (2000):
(Rounded to the Nearest Thousand) Jacksonville - 736,000 Miami - 362,000 Tampa - 303,000 St. Petersburg - 248,000 Hialeah - 226,000 Orlando - 186,000 Ft. Lauderdale - 152,000 Tallahassee - 151,000 Hollywood - 139,000 Pembroke Pines - 137,000 Coral Springs - 118,000 Clearwater - 109,000 Cape Coral - 102,000 Gainesville - 95,000 Port St. Lucie - 89,000 Miami Beach - 88,000 Sunrise - 86,000 Plantation - 83,000 West Palm Beach - 82,000 Palm Bay - 79,000 Lakeland - 78,000 Pompano Beach - 78,000 Davie - 76,000 Boca Raton - 75,000 Miramar - 73,000
Most Populous Metro Areas (2000):
(Rounded to the Nearest Thousand) Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater - 2,396,000 Miami - 2,253,000 Orlando - 1,645,000 Ft. Lauderdale - 1,623,000 Jacksonville - 1,100,000 West Palm Beach/Boca Raton - 1,131,000 Sarasota/Bradenton - 590,000 Daytona Beach - 493,000 Lakeland/Winter Haven - 484,000 Melbourne/Titusville/Palm Bay - 476,000 Fort Myers/Cape Coral - 441,000 Pensacola - 412,000 Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie - 319,000 Tallahassee - 285,000 Ocala - 259,000 Naples - 251,000 Gainesville - 218,000 Fort Walton Beach - 170,000 Panama City - 148,000 Punta Gorda - 142,000
County Population (2000):
(Counties Listed in Alphabetical Order) | County Population Map
Alachua County - 217,955 Baker County - 22,259 Bay County - 148,217 Bradford County - 26,088 Brevard County - 476,230 Broward County - 1,623,018 Calhoun County - 13,017 Charlotte County - 141,627 Citrus County - 118,085 Clay County - 140,814 Collier County - 251,377 Columbia County - 56,513 DeSoto County - 32,209 Dixie County - 13,827 Duval County - 778,879 Escambia County - 294,410 Flagler County - 49,832 Franklin County - 11,057 Gadsden County - 45,087 Gilchrist County - 14,437 Glades County - 10,576 Gulf County - 13,332 Hamilton County - 13,327 Hardee County - 26,938 Hendry County - 36,210 Hernando County - 130,802 Highlands County - 87,366 Hillsborough County - 998,948 Holmes County - 18,564 Indian River County - 112,947 Jackson County - 46,755 Jefferson County - 12,902 Lafayette County - 7,022 Lake County - 210,528 Lee County - 440,888 Leon County - 239,452 Levy County - 34,450 Liberty County - 7,021 Madison County - 18,733 Manatee County - 264,002 Marion County - 258,916 Martin County - 126,731 Miami-Dade County - 2,253,362 Monroe County - 79,589 Nassau County - 57,663 Okaloosa County - 170,498 Okeechobee County - 35,910 Orange County - 896,344 Osceola County - 172,493 Palm Beach County - 1,131,184 Pasco County - 344,765 Pinellas County - 921,482 Polk County - 483,924 Putnam County - 70,423 St. Johns County - 123,135 St. Lucie County - 192,695 Santa Rosa County - 117,743 Sarasota County - 325,957 Seminole County - 365,196 Sumter County - 53,345 Suwannee County - 34,844 Taylor County - 19,256 Union County - 13,442 Volusia County - 443,343 Wakulla County - 22,863 Walton County - 40,601 Washington County - 20,973

Total State Population: 15,982,378 (2000)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census
More Florida Census Data

Go Directly to Florida Counties (Click Here)
Florida Weather & Seasons

Florida is known around the world for its balmy weather. The state's mild winters have made it a haven for retirees. Summers can be long and hot with showers providing much appreciated relief during the rainy season. Coastal areas also experience gentle breezes during the summer.

Average Annual Temperatures:

Summer:
80.5 (F) degrees (26.9 C) (North Florida)
82.7 (F) degrees (28.2 C) (South Florida)


Winter:
53.0 (F) degrees (11.7 C) (North Florida)
68.5 (F) degrees (20.3 C) (South Florida)

Get Current Weather Info.

The six-month hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30 and Floridians have learned to be ready when a storm threatens the area. More Information: National Hurricane Center

Tree planting season in Florida (December - February)


Other Interesting Florida Facts

Number of people who move to Florida each day - 1,000

Number of major commercial airports - 19

Number of international airports - 12

Number of deepwater ports - 14

Miles of sand beaches - 1,200

Miles of coastline - 1,800

Number of golf courses - more than 1,250
-Florida has more golf courses than any other state
-Palm Beach County has more golf courses than any other county in the country

Number of hotel rooms in Florida - more than 370,000

Number of campgrounds - 700 (100,000 campsites)

Number of people who camp in Florida each year - 6 million

There is no official designation of a "State Motto". The motto "In God We Trust" is widely used but has never been formally adopted by the Florida Legislature.

Sources: Florida Dept. of State; Visit Florida; U.S. Census Bureau; Bureau of Economic & Business Research (University of Florida); State of Florida.com research.



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