Florida is a Spanish adjective that means "flowery." The USS Florida was named in honor of this state.

Juan Ponce de León goes down in American history for having discovered the peninsula on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1513 and permanently affixing it to the map of the United States.

Though Florida has been nicknamed the "Sunshine State" with seasons referred to as "Hot and Hotter," the state is often subjected to extreme weather conditions. Central Florida is known as the Lightning capital of the United States as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country. The climate of Florida is influenced by its close proximity to water. Snow is a rare occurrence.

The economy of the state is heavily dependent on tourism. Bright sunshine and miles of beach lure travelers and hardcore beach lovers from around the world into exploring the Florida scenery. The large Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista is a driving force in the economy with its four theme parks and over twenty hotels plus countless water parks and shopping centers. A more recent addition to the theme park repertoire of Florida is the Universal Orlando Resort. The amount of sales and tourist tax revenue being raked in by the state allows its residents to be exempted from personal income tax.

Florida has almost 100 different specialty license plates to choose from for automobiles. Public transportation systems exist in many major cities. Amtrak service operates in Florida. Miami has a monorail system. Most cities have bus service.

• floridatoday.com Serving Florida's Space Coast