Florida+State+Facts

=Florida State Facts= presented by Mr. Wolfrath's 3rd Graders Shorecrest Preparatory School St. Petersburg, Florida

__**History Facts**__
 * The first semi-permanent settlement appeared in Florida around 3,000 BC. - Pablo
 * Florida means “feast of flowers.” It was claimed for Spain by Ponce de Leon in 1513. – Evan S.
 * Britain gained control of Florida in 1763 in exchange for Havana, Cuba which they had captured from Spain during the Seven Years War. – Will
 * Florida was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. - Mitchell
 * Hurricane Andrew hit Florida on August 23, 1992. It is the costliest Florida disaster. – Alexander

__**Geography Facts**__
 * The highest elevation in Florida is Britton Hill at 345 feet. – Mav
 * Florida is the only state that has two rivers with the same name, Withlacoochee. - Joshua
 * The longest river in Florida is the St. John’s with a length of 273 miles. – Kim

__**Government and Economy Facts**__
 * Florida has had 43 governors. Our current governor is Charlie Crist. – Coco
 * Florida has 41 million visitors each year. – Kayelin
 * Walt Disney World attracts more visitors than any other single attraction in the world. – Tyler
 * An annual harvest of oysters from Apalachicola Bay produces enough meat to cover an entire football field. – Melanie

__**Weather**__
 * -2˚ is the lowest temperature ever recorded in Florida, the highest is 109˚. - Caya

__**Cities and Counties**__
 * Jacksonville is the largest city in land area in the United States. – Jessie
 * St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America. – Luis
 * There are more than 1,250 golf courses in Florida. Palm Beach county has the most, more than any other county in the country. - Sarah

__**Animals and Plants**__
 * Animals native to Florida include manatees, dolphins, brown pelicans, American alligators, blue crabs, and Florida panthers, our state animal. – Hannah
 * Our state tree is the sabal palm. - Hannah

__**Fun Facts**__
 * Gatorade was named after the University of Florida Gators, where it was invented (Gainesville, FL). – Mariah
 * People get together and toss dead fish into Alabama each year. Called the Annual Mullet Toss hosted by Flora-Bam Beach Bar in Pensacola. It’s a sill excuse for a big beach party. - Luke
 * Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, is one of the world’s longest continuous sidewalks in the world. - Reid