Destin/Fort Walton Beach
Famous for 38km (24 miles) of sugar-white sands and brilliant green waters, these southern sea towns both offer some of the world’s finest shells and superb seafood. The Henderson Beach State Park offers acres of unspoilt coastal terrain. Hailed as the ‘World’s Luckiest Fishing Village’, Destin’s East Pass is only 16km (10 miles) from 30m (100ft) depths. Harbouring the largest and most elaborately equipped charter-boat fleet in Florida, more billfish are caught on the Northern Gulf each year than by all the other Gulf ports combined. There is also a wider variety of game fish than elsewhere, from cobia and scampi to triggerfish and king mackerel. Numerous deep-sea excursions are available for both first-time fishers and the more experienced angler.

Panama City Beach
Watersports are high on the list of attractions at Panama City Beach, which boasts a network of waterways, bays and lagoons. St Andrews State Recreation Area is made up of more than 1000 acres of nature trails and beaches. Visitors can take a shuttle to Shell Island from Treasure Island Marina. The Museum of the Man-in-the-Sea explores the ocean, while other attractions include the Miracle Strip Amusement Park, Shipwreck Island Water Park and Alvin’s Magic Mountain Mall, which houses sharks and alligators in a 30,000 gallon tank.

Apalachicola
Apalachicola has a rich heritage. Once, it was the third-largest cotton port on the Gulf Coast, serving as a base for the Confederate forces trying to run the Union blockades during the Civil War. Today, this protected region of swamps and springs enjoys acclaim as the center of Florida’s seafood industry. Its large oyster beds are responsible for a high percentage of the State’s exports.

Travel
Destin/Fort Walton Beach Airport is located 2km (1 mile) east of Destin; Panama City/Bay County International Airport (website: www.pcairport.com) lies 6km (4 miles) north of Panama City. The Panama City Beach Trolley shuttles along the beach, making various flag stops. Taxis run on a grid system and fares increase as one moves away from Harrison Avenue.

Special events
The following is a selection of special events occurring on the Emerald Coast in 2005:
Apr 21-24 19th Annual Sandestin Wine Festival, Destin. May Annual Destin Mayfest, Destin; Seaside Spring Wine Festival, Seaside. Jun 3-6 Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, Fort Walton Beach/Okaloosa Island. Oct Annual Indian Summer Seafood Festival, Panama City.

Climate
There are warm temperatures all year round with a summer high of 31°C (88 ºF).

North Central Florida
The North Central region lies between the Gulf of Mexico and Georgia at the base of the Appalachians. This region is bisected by the Suwannee River, which was immortalized in Florida’s official state song, written by Stephen Foster. Tallahassee, the state capital and the only uncaptured Confederate capital east of the Mississippi, has preserved the famous battle site of Natural Bridge where the Union forces suffered a defeat in 1865. Today, the city is a wonderful haven of color - azaleas, dogwoods, daphne, magnolias and camellias are all to be seen in bloom here. The Museum of Florida History and the Black Archives Research Center can also be found here.

One of the area’s most notable natural features is Wakulla Springs, which delivers more than 15,000 gallons of water per second.

Seafood was the staple of one of the region’s historic sites, Cedar Key, which is one of the oldest ports in the State. This island became a major supplier of seafood and timber products for the northeastern States during the Railroad era. Today, it is noted for its shopping, Victorian architecture and artistic flair.

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, a state of the United States of America. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 156,512 [1], while Tallahassee metro is estimated at 255,500. It is the county seat of Leon County.

Tallahassee is the home of Florida State University, Florida A and M University, and Tallahassee Community College. It is also a regional center for trade and agriculture.

The city is served by Tallahassee Regional Airport.

History

The name “Tallahassee” is a Muskogean Indian word often translated as “old fields,” or “old town.” This likely stems from the Creek (later called Seminole) Indians that migrated into this region in the 18th century recognizing that it had previously been occupied by the powerful Apalachee Indians, who cultivated large fields of crops in the region’s red clay hills.

The Apalachee’s success as agriculturalists did not go unnoticed by the Spanish, who sent missionaries to the area throughout the 17th century. Several mission sites were established with the aim of procuring food and labor for the colony at St. Augustine. One of the most important mission sites, Mission San Luis de Apalachee, has been partially reconstructed as a state historic site in Tallahassee.

The Spanish missionaries were not the first Europeans to visit Tallahassee, however. The Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto spent the winter of 1538 - 1539 encamped at the Apalachee village of Anhaica, which he had taken by force. De Soto’s brutal treatment of the natives was fiercely resisted, and by the following spring De Soto was eager to move on. The site of Anhaica, near present day Myers Park, was relocated by Florida archaeologist, B. Calvin Jones, in 1987.

The founding Tallahassee was largely a matter of convenience. In 1821, Florida was ceded by Spain to the United States. A territorial government was established, but the impracticalities of alternately meeting in St. Augustine and Pensacola - the two largest cities in the territory at the time - led territorial governor William Pope Duval to appoint two commissioners to establish a more central meeting place.

In October of 1823, John Lee Williams of Pensacola and Dr. William Simmons of St. Augustine selected the former Indian settlement of Tallahassee (roughly midway between the two cities) as a suitable place. Their decision was also based on it’s location near a beautiful waterfall - now referred to as the Capital Cascades - and the old capital of the Apalachee chiefdom. In March of the following year it was formally proclaimed the capital. Florida did not become a state, however, until 1845 (Tebeau:122)

On the 1st of November, 1823, John Lee Williams (1823:22-23) wrote to Congressional Delegate (and later Florida Governor), Richard Keith Call, about the location of the capital:

“Doct. Simmons has agreed that the Site should be fixed near the old fields abandoned by the Indians after Jackson’s invasion, but has not yet determined whether between the … old fields, or on a fine high lawn about a mile W. In both spots the water is plenty and good.”

Tallahassee was prominent during the 2000 United States Presidential Election as the capital of the state whose votes were disputed.

Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union forces during the American Civil War.

Florida’s public school revenue per student and spending per USD 1000 of personal income usually ranks in the bottom 25% of U.S. states. Average teacher salaries rank near the middle of U.S. states.

Florida public schools have consistently ranked in the bottom 25% of many national surveys and average test score rankings. It should be noted that many education surveys are not scientific, but do measure prestige. Governor Jeb Bush has been criticized by many Florida educators for a program that penalizes underperforming schools (as indicated by standardized tests, such as the FCAT) with fewer funding dollars. Major testing organizations frequently discount the use of state average test score rankings, or any average of scaled scores, as a valid metric (see psychometrics for more details on scaled test scores).

In 2000, Governor Bush and the state legislature acted to abolish the Board of Regents that governed the State University System of Florida. Instead, each public university is now controlled by its own Board of Trustees who are directly appointed by the governor. As is typical of executive-appointed government boards, the appointees so far have been overwhelmingly Republican. This has not been without controversy. [1] In 2002, Democratic Senator Bob Graham started a ballot referendum designed to revert to the Board of Regents system.

Colleges and universities
Barry University
Bethune-Cookman College
Brevard Community College
Broward Community College
Carlos Albizu University Miami campus
Clearwater Christian College
Eckerd College
Edward Waters College
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Flagler College
Florida AandM University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Christian College
Florida Community College at Jacksonville
Florida College
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Florida Memorial College
Florida Metropolitan University
Florida Southern College
Florida State University
Full Sail Real World Education
Heritage College and Heritage Institute
Hobe Sound Bible College
International College
International Fine Arts College
Jacksonville University
Jones College
Lake-Sumter Community College
Lynn University
New College of Florida
Northwood University
Nova Southeastern University
Okaloosa-Walton Community College
Palm Beach Atlantic College
Palm Beach Community College
Pensacola Junior College
Pensacola Christian College
Polk Community College
Ringling School of Art and Design
Rollins College
Saint John Vianney College Seminary
Saint Leo University
St. Petersburg College
St. Thomas University
Seminole Community College
South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary
Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God
Stetson University
Trinity College of Florida
Troy State University Florida Region
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of North Florida
University of South Florida
University of Tampa
University of West Florida
Valencia Comunity College
Warner Southern College
Webber College

Florida’s interstates, state highways and U.S. Highways are maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Florida’s interstate highways include:
I-4, which bisects the state, connecting Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, and Daytona Beach
I-10, which traverses the panhandle, connecting Jacksonville, Lake City, Tallahassee, and Pensacola
I-75, which enters the state near Lake City and continues southward through Gainesville, Ocala, and Tampa’s eastern suburbs to Naples, where, as a toll road it crosses the “Alligator Alley” to Ft. Lauderdale

I-95, which enters the state near Jacksonville and continues along the Atlantic Coast through Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Palm Bay, West Palm Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale before terminating near Miami
I-110, a spur from I-10 into downtown Pensacola.
I-175, which connects I-275 to southern downtown St. Petersburg
I-295, a beltway in Jacksonville
I-375, which connects I-275 to northern downtown St. Petersburg
I-595, which connects I-75, I-95, and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
I-795, proposed near Jacksonville

Florida’s interstate highway system contains 1,473 miles of highway, and there are 9,934 miles of non-interstate highway in the state, such as Florida state highways and U.S. Highways.

Florida has several toll roads. The state has 515 miles of toll roads in the state highway system. The section of Interstate 75 passing through the Everglades is a toll road. The Florida Turnpike, which begins off of Interstate 75 just south of Ocala, continues southeast to Orlando, and down to West Palm Beach is also a toll road. Connecting I-75 to the southwest Tampa area is the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

Florida has nearly 100 different specialty license plates to choose from for automobiles. There are plates for various issues and causes, such as environmental, and as well for various organizations and colleges.

In 2000, voters approved a constitutional amendment to construct a high speed rail system to interconnect Florida’s major cities. A committee was formed by the Florida Legislature to oversee the project. However, Jeb Bush and other lawmakers pushed for an amendment in 2004 to remove the amendment, which succeeded. They stated that the cost would have been too high to construct the system; however, proponents of the system have said the claims regarding high cost were exaggerated and taken out of context, compared with the cost of building roads, maintaining automobiles, and so forth.

Amtrak service exists in Florida, but it is considered by many not to be extensive or convenient enough for anything but vacation travel.

Public transportation systems exist in many major cities. Miami has a monorail system, and most cities have bus service. However, the bus service is often criticized for being poorly funded, and too infrequent, sparse, inconvenient and spotty for serious use. Efforts, such as the high speed rail system, monorails, and improved bus service, have been proposed by many to help remedy this situation.

Greyhound provides bus service between different cities in Florida. The service here as well is said to be too infrequent and slow. A trip between Tampa and Miami can take 10 hours, for instance.

All major cities in Florida have airports, such as Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport. There are many other smaller regional and international airports, including one in Key West.

Florida is mostly Protestant, but with a growing Roman Catholic community due to immigration. There is also a sizable Jewish community in some parts of Florida which makes Florida unique among Southern states (no other Southern state has a large Jewish community). Florida’s current religious affiliations are shown in the table below:

Christian - 82%
Protestant - 54%
Baptist - 19%
Methodist - 6%
Presbyterian - 4%
Episcopal - 3%
Lutheran - 3%
Pentecostal - 3%
Other Protestant - 16%
Roman Catholic - 26%
Other Christian - 2%
Jewish - 4%
Other Religions - 1%
Non-Religious - 13%