Portal:Florida

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The Florida Portal

Florida (/ˈflɒrɪdə/ (listen)) is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive (65,755 sq mi or 170,300 km²), the 3rd-most populous (21,312,211 inhabitants), and the 8th-most densely populated (384.3/sq mi or 148.4/km²) of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

Florida's $1.0 trillion economy is the fourth largest in the United States. If it were a country, Florida would be the 16th largest economy in the world, and the 58th most populous . In 2017, Florida's per capita personal income was $47,684, ranking 26th in the nation. The unemployment rate in September 2018 was 3.5% and ranked as the 18th in the United States. Florida exports nearly $55 billion in goods made in the state, the 8th highest among all states. The Miami Metropolitan Area is by far the largest urban economy in Florida and the 12th largest in the United States with a GDP of $345 billion . This is more than twice the number of the next metro area, the Tampa Bay Area, which has a GDP of $145 billion. Florida is home to 51 of the world's billionaires with most of them residing in South Florida.

The first European contact was made in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who called it la Florida ([la floˈɾiða] "the land of flowers") upon landing there in the Easter season, known in Spanish as Pascua Florida. Florida was a challenge for the European colonial powers before it gained statehood in the United States in 1845. It was a principal location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans, and racial segregation after the American Civil War.

Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, as well as for its increasing environmental issues. The state's economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, winter vegetables, the Kennedy Space Center, and as a popular destination for retirees. Florida is the flattest state in the United States. Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida.

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Grooveshark was a web-based music streaming service owned and operated by Escape Media Group in the United States. Users could upload digital audio files, which could then be streamed and organized in playlists. The Grooveshark website had a search engine, music streaming features, and a music recommendation system.

The legality of Grooveshark's business model, which permitted users to upload copyrighted music, remains undetermined. The company won a major lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group concerning use of Universal's pre-1972 recordings. Grooveshark was also sued for copyright violations by EMI Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. Concerns about copyrights led Apple and Facebook to remove Grooveshark's applications from the iOS App Store and Facebook platform respectively. However, Grooveshark was available in alternative app stores, such as Cydia, Google Play and BlackBerry World. It was also a default application on Ubuntu Touch. Read more...

Did you know...

... that the Walt Disney World Railroad, with 3.7 million passengers each year, is one of the most popular railroads in the world powered by steam locomotives?
... that in order to increase his name recognition, Lawton Chiles walked 1,003 miles (1,614 km) across Florida for his United States Senate campaign in 1970?
... that the Miami Dolphins have not won a playoff game since the 2000 season?
... that Icebar Orlando is claimed to be the world's largest permanent ice bar?
... that the 2016 hurricane Hermine was the first to make landfall in Florida since Hurricane Wilma in 2005?
... that sites in Florida Bay with an abundance of loggerhead sponges experience few blooms of cyanobacteria?

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Florida from space, taken by Shuttle Mission STS-95 on October 31, 1998
The main street in Alachua downtown historic district
Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas

Current events

July 11, 2019 – Tropical Storm Barry (2019): Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Barry makes unprecedented levels of rainfall on Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. (CNN) (CNN²)
July 6, 2019 – Plantation explosion: 23 people are injured in a gas explosion at a shopping mall in Plantation, Florida. (WPLG), (CNN)
June 27, 2019 – 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums: The second of two Democratic Party debates for the nomination of the party's nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election is held in Miami, Florida. (The New York Times)
June 26, 2019 – 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums: The first of two Democratic Party debates for the nomination of the party's nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election is held in Miami, Florida. (Reuters)
June 25, 2019 –: A brush fire burns at least 32,000 acres of land in the Florida Everglades amid near record-breaking temperatures. (Accuweather)
June 20, 2019 – Computer ransomware: Riviera Beach, Florida, is paying $600,000 to a hacker who took over local government computers three weeks ago. (CNN)

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Mike Gioulakis (2019-04-20) • Florida shuffle (2019-04-09) • Marjorie Paxson (2019-04-05) • Wayne Messam (2019-03-15) • 2003 Budweiser Shootout (2019-03-05) • Gaspar Jiménez (2019-02-24) • Emilio Milián (2019-02-24) • Steve Swindal (2019-02-15) • 2018 Florida Amendment 4 (2019-02-09) • Steinbrenner family (2019-02-02) • Reticulated siren (2018-12-24) • Agnes Ballard (2018-12-15) • Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (2018-12-12) • Tallahassee shooting (2018-12-09) • Mako (SeaWorld Orlando) (2018-10-04) • Colonial Plaza (2018-10-03) • Ybor Stadium (2018-09-06) • Loxahatchee Groves, Florida (2018-08-02) • Bradenton Riverwalk (2018-05-10) • Tyler Kinley (2018-04-29) • 1989 Florida's 18th congressional district special election (2018-04-21) • Murder of Harry and Harriette Moore (2018-04-02) • Nancy Marcus (2018-03-18) • Savannah Jordan (2018-02-03) • Ochlockonee River State Park (2018-01-19) • Marvin Pipkin (2018-01-19) • Orchard Pond Parkway (2018-01-15) • Loggerhead Key (2017-10-18) • Reid Moore Jr. (2017-09-12) • John W. Martin (2017-08-22) • Disappearance of Tiffany Daniels (2017-08-12) • Frank J. Canova (2017-07-20) • Tomahawk chop (2017-06-04) • The Visionary (2017-05-30) • 1966 Miami Dolphins season (2017-05-28) • Maurice S. Osser (2017-05-15) • Monument of States (2017-04-10) • Detachment Hotel (2017-03-07) • Henry L. Reaves (2017-02-16) • 2000 Miami Dolphins season (2017-02-15) • Walt Disney World Railroad (2017-01-27) • Merian C. Cooper (2016-12-08) • Stephanie Murphy (2016-12-06) • Wink Groover (2016-11-29) • Ecology Party of Florida (2016-11-10) • 1970 United States Senate election in Florida (2016-11-04) • 1970 Florida gubernatorial election (2016-10-03) • 1928 Florida Gators football team (2016-09-28) • Daisy Earles (2016-07-21) • Chris Murphy gun control filibuster (2016-07-05)

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Tag all talk pages of Florida articles and categories with {{WPFlorida|class=|importance=}}
Ensure all Florida categories have a brief text description (e.g. Stuff in the U.S. state of Florida.)
Find images for articles (see Category:Wikipedia requested photographs in Florida)
Provide sources for unreferenced articles (see lists at Cite sources and Unreferenced BLPs)
Add county templates ({{Hamilton County, Florida}}, {{Jackson County, Florida}}, etc.) to appropriate cities.
Expand many, many articles and locate other articles that require expansion.