X-Nico

99 unusual facts about Florida


1986 Lipton International Players Championships

Both the men's and the women's events took place in Boca West, Florida from February 10 through February 24, 1986.

20 mph zone

Florida has school zones which usually have 10 mph to 20 mph limits.

Al Burt

He lived for many years in the picturesque historic town of Melrose, Florida, until declining health dictated a move to the larger city of Jacksonville not long before his death.

Alvah Chapman, Jr.

He was involved in an effort to rebuild portions of Homestead, Florida and Southern Miami-Dade County that had been severely damaged during 1992's Hurricane Andrew and was part of a $2 billion Downtown Miami renewal project.

ArenaCup V

ArenaCup V was the 2004 edition of the af2's championship game, in which the National Conference Champions Florida Firecats defeated the American Conference Champions Peoria Pirates in Estero, Florida by a score of 39 to 26 .

Barbara Bostock

Barbara Bostock (born December 19, 1935 in Palm Beach, Florida) is a retired American actress.

Barefoot Bay, Florida

It is located entirely within the unincorporated community of Micco on the Indian River Lagoon.

Black Helen Handicap

The Black Helen Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida from 1941 through 2001.

Blue Rock Partners

Holdings include 6,400 units in the Tampa Bay area and Orlando, including approximately 2,300 units in Brandon, Florida.

Bowman Foster Ashe

The University of Miami's administration building, the Bowman Foster Ashe Administration Building, and Bowman Foster Ashe Elementary School (located in West Kendall, Florida) are both named in his honor.

Carl Barger

Additionally, the Marlins designated the practice areas and fields next to Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida, as the Carl F. Barger Baseball Complex.

Carl Zimmermann

In 2006, when incumbent Republican State Representative Gus Bilirakis vacated his House seat due to term limits and ran for Congress, Zimmermann ran to succeed him in the 48th District, which included a few precincts in Pasco County and northern Pinellas County.

Carl Zimmermann (born February 24, 1951) is a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 65th District, which includes northern Pinellas County, since 2012.

Charles DeChant

DeChant also plays with several local bands in his home town, Orlando, Florida.

Chauliodes pectinicornis

pectinicornis has a wide distribution in the eastern United States, from Maine in the north-east to Alachua, Liberty and Santa Rosa counties in Florida to the south-east, and as far west as Kansas.

Claire Roche

Roche has performed as an opening artist for The Chieftains and The Fureys and has performed at venues including The Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida, and at Stephen Foster Memorial Park, on the banks of the Suwannee River in the Southern United States and at Old Government House, Parramatta in Australia.

Coton Colors

Coton Colors is a pottery and giftware design and manufacturing company based in Tallahasee, Florida.

DeLeon

De Leon Springs, Florida, a census-designated place in the US state of Florida

Dr. G: Medical Examiner

Dr. G, or Dr. Jan Garavaglia, is the Chief Medical Examiner with Florida's District Nine Medical Examiner's office in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. R. Moton High School

R. Moton High School was a segregated high school for black students in Brooksville, Florida, United States.

Drew Helm

Drew Helm (born November 9, 1984 in Jupiter, Florida) is an American soccer player, who currently plays forward for Orlando City U-23's of the Premier Development League, a fourth-tier football league in the United States.

Economy of the Bahamas

Merchants in southern Florida have found it profitable to advertise in Bahamian publications.

Edward Swann

Swann was buried at the St. Peter's Episcopal Cemetery in Fernandina Beach, Nassau County, Florida.

Edward Walton Wilcox

Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Wilcox earned a BFA in Painting with high honors from the University of Florida, where he also received the Presidential Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Egoraptor

He attended Wellington High School in Wellington, Florida.

Eldon Nelson

On February 28, 1949 at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida he rode Calumet's future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame colt Coaltown to a win that equalled the world record of 1:47 3/5 for a mile-and-an-eighth on dirt.

F. aurea

Ficus aurea, the Florida strangler fig, golden fig or higuerón, a tree species native to Florida, the northern and western Caribbean, southern Mexico and Central America south to Panama

FL1

Florida's 1st congressional district, a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida

Florida State Road 407

Within the SR 528/SR 407/I-95 triangle is a swampland containing the southern unit of St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, a popular resting area for migrating birds (the northern unit is two miles (3 km) to the north, adjacent to I-95 and SR 50), and just to the west of the triangle is Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, which extends from SR 50 southward to just south of SR 520 in nearby Orange County.

Florida State Road 590

Along Northeast Coachman Road, SR 590 runs northeast as it intersects another major county road known as CR 501 (Belcher Road), which runs from Gulfport to Tarpon Springs.

Florida, Missouri

When informed of this growing threat by Union sympathizers and Federal spies, Union commander Nathaniel Lyon in St. Louis ordered action be taken.

Freemanville, Alabama

For the black settlement in Florida see Freemanville, Florida

George W. Jenkins

He was transferred to the company's largest store in Winter Haven, which he managed for four years.

Gerardo Pelusso

Gerardo Cono Pelusso Boyrie (born February 25, 1954 in Florida), is a Uruguayan football manager.

Gibsonia

Gibsonia, Florida, a census-designated place in Polk County, Florida

Gillman v. Holmes County School District

In early September 2007, a lesbian student at Ponce de Leon High School in Ponce de Leon, Florida, reported anti-gay harassment from fellow students to the school's principal, David Davis.

Godfrey Darbishire

It was while living in Polk County that Darbishire died on 29 October 1889, after becoming ill from exposure while on a small boat in the sea off Key West; he was 36 years of age.

Goldsboro, Florida

Goldsboro is a community and former town Seminole County, Florida founded in 1891, and one of the oldest African-American-founded communities in the United States.

GP16

The first GP16 emerged from SCL's Uceta (Tampa) shop in June 1979 while the last was placed into service during November 1982.

Gus C. Henderson

Born near Lake City in Columbia County, Florida, Gus C. Henderson would remain in his home town for twenty years.

Hank Kaplan

Kaplan died on the morning of December 14, 2007 at his home in Kendall, Florida, after a brief battle with cancer.

History of Hispanic and Latino Americans

French Huguenots founded Fort Caroline in modern-day Jacksonville in 1564, but this fort was conquered by forces from the new Spanish colony of St. Augustine the following year.

Holopaw

The band was named after the town of Holopaw in Osceola County, Florida, although none of the members of the band have ever lived there.

Horatio Wright

He was sent to Florida in 1846, where he spent ten years working on the harbor of St. Augustine and the defenses of Key West.

Illicium parviflorum

The plant is currently known from fewer than 20 occurrences in Central Florida, within Polk, Marion, Lake, Volusia, and Seminole Counties.

Introspection Rundown

Church parishioner Lisa McPherson had a car accident in Clearwater, Florida on 18 November 1995, while studying at Scientology headquarters.

Jaguarundi

Their presence in Florida is said to have been the work of a writer who at some point imported the animals from their native habitat and released them near his hometown of Chiefland and in other locations across the state.

Jake Raburn

In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the Florida House of Representatives districts, Raburn ran in the newly created 57th District, which was based in the rural, eastern parts of Hillsborough County.

James A. Drake

Drake and his wife, Magali (Garriga) Drake, reside in Viera, Florida.

Jeff Faine

Faine is a 1999 graduate of Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida.

John Anderson Lodge

The John Anderson Lodge is an historic site in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States, built for Ormond Beach promoter John Anderson (1853–1911).

John O. Simonds

Pelican Bay, located in Naples, Florida, became one of Simonds' great large-scale projects.

John Tiedtke

He is noted for championing and supporting various fine arts programs in Central Florida including the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park and the Enzian Theater.

John W. Holland

Holland assumed senior status on July 1, 1955, and remained on the court until his death in Coral Gables in 1969.

Jordi Vilasuso

Vilasuso and Riley were married on August 25, 2012 in Islamorada, Florida.

Joseph A. Boyd, Jr.

He served as chairman of the commission and vice mayor of Dade County.

Joseph Bowne Elwell

Elwell ultimately became wealthy enough to own property in Palm Beach, 20 horses, 5 cars, and a yacht.

Joseph L. Carwise Middle School

Joseph L. Carwise Middle School is a grade 6–8 middle school in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Kathleen Passidomo

In 2010, incumbent Republican State Representative Tom Grady declined to seek another term in the House, Passidomo ran to succeed him in District 76, which included Collier County.

Kilcrease Light Artillery

Headed by Captain Patrick Houston and Captain Frederick L. Villepigue, it was formed in Leon County, Florida in the spring of 1863 upon the dividing of the Leon Light Artillery.

Leonard John Brass

He was associated with the Archbold Biological Station at Lake Placid, Florida, for which he helped to formulate the organizational structure it has today, and also where he lived between expeditions.

Luis Gil

Gil, who has partial Mexican ancestry through his father, attended the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida in 2008 as a youth player.

Maikon Bonani

When 11 years old, he moved from Brazil to the U.S. and lived in Lake Wales, in Polk County, Florida.

Marvis Martin

Martin was born in Tallahassee, Florida but grew up in Miami, and was singing professionally by the age of five.

Meteorological history of Hurricane Jeanne

Upon moving inland in east-central Florida, the hurricane produced a storm tide of up to 10 feet (3 m) in St. Lucie County.

Mod Mobilian

In 2012, it was the official interview crew for Deluna Fest in Pensacola, Florida.

Nerodia clarkii

A third subspecies, the Atlantic salt marsh snake (N. c. taeniata), is restricted to a small stretch of coastline in Volusia and Indian River Counties, Florida.

Olds Hall

The Olds Hall (also known as the Arroyo Gardens Hotel or Daytona Terrace Hotel) is a historic site in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States.

Orlando International Airport

The community of The Villages in Sumter, Lake, and Marion has shuttles operating between the community and Orlando International Airport.

PBA Flight 1039

PBA Flight 1039 was an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante that was operated by Provincetown-Boston Airline on a scheduled passenger flight from Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, to Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida.

Peter P. McCann

Peter P. McCann, of University Park, Florida, is a philatelist who has supported the hobby of philately on a national scale.

Psilocybe tampanensis

For almost two decades after its discovery, Psilocybe tampanensis was known only from the type locality, southeast of Brandon, Florida.

Ray Pilon

In 2010, when incumbent Democratic State Representative Keith Fitzgerald ran for a third term in the House, Pilon returned from political retirement to challenge him in the 69th District, which included a few precincts in southern Manatee County and northwestern Sarasota County.

Reuben's Restaurant

Arnold Reuben retired to Palm Beach, where he died on December 31, 1970 at the age of 87.

Richard A Neubauer

Neubauer obtained a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the early 1970s, and established and directed the Ocean Hyperbaric Neurologic Center in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida.

Ricky Samaratana

Samaratana started his professional boxing career in Miami Beach, Florida.

Rosie the Elephant

They worked to clear and protect land for development by building the Venetian Islands, a series of artificial islands in north Biscayne Bay.

SENSOR-Pesticides

In February 2005, three infants were born with birth defects to migrant farmworkers within eight weeks of each other in Collier County, Florida.

Sergei Raad

He moved to the United States in 1995 after his Russian club team came to Orlando, Florida to play in a tournament; he was sponsored by a local family and obtained a student visa so he could learn English, and eventually took on the surname of his adoptive family, Raad.

Sisco, Florida

During the 1920s, there was a steamboat stop along Dunn's Creek that provided wood and water to the ships loaded with citrus and it was used also as a post office for the towns of Pomona and Cisco.

Statutory college

Starting in 2004, the Miller School began offering instruction on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Suzuki Boulevard C50

Prior to 2005, this bike model was named the Volusia (for Volusia County, Florida) where it was unveiled at the 2001 Daytona Bike Week.

Tampa City Council

The Tampa City Council is the legislative body of the municipal government of the U.S. city of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida.

Tex Maule

Hamilton Prieleaux Bee Maule, commonly known as Tex Maule (May 19, 1915 in Ojus, Florida — May 16, 1981) was the lead American football writer for Sports Illustrated in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

The Lady in the Bottle

He says goodbye, and heads for home; but he doesn't see that the girl, smoking inside her bottle, rolls it into his duffel bag and returns to Cocoa Beach, Florida with him.

Torbert

Graftwood was given to the University of Miami's Experimental Farm in Perrine, Florida as well as to individuals in the area, and several trees were planted in home gardens around Miami-Dade County.

Tour de Turtles

After departing from some of the most important nesting sites in the Western Hemisphere, typically Vero Beach, Florida and Melbourne Beach, Florida, sea turtles will be monitored using Platform Terminal Transmitter (PTT) that send signals via satellite to record their locations and the distances traveled.

Troy Gentile

Gentile was born in Boca Raton, Florida, the son of Debbie Gentile, who once worked at the advertising department of the Boca Raton News, He moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was four.

Unsung Zeros

Unsung Zeros was a rock band that formed in 1998 in Orlando, Florida USA.

Walking catfish

Additional introductions in Florida, supposedly purposeful releases, were made by fish farmers in the Tampa Bay area, Hillsborough County in late 1967 or early 1968, after the state banned the importation and possession of walking catfish.

Walter Gassire

Born in Florida, Gassire began playing football with the youth teams of C.A. Peñarol.

Walter Irvin

In 1949, he and three other black men were accused of raping a white woman in Groveland, Florida.

WCTH

Licensed to Plantation Key, Florida, USA, the station serves the Florida Keys area.

Wekiwa Springs

Wekiwa Springs, Florida is a town located 45 miles north of Orlando, Florida

WGCT

WTBT-LD, a low-power television station (channel 45) licensed to serve Tampa, Florida, which held the call sign WGCT-LP or WGCT-LD from 2007 to 2012

WGCT-LD, a television station (channel 32) licensed to serve Crystal River, Florida, United States

WGPS

WGPS-LP, a low-power television station (channel 22) licensed to serve Fort Myers, Florida, United States

William Lundy

He moved his family to Laurel Hill in 1890, where he and wife, Mary Jane Lassiter, raised ten children.

Yamato Colony

Yamato Colony, Florida, an early 20th-century Japanese agricultural community between Boca Raton and Delray Beach


2009 Sony Ericsson Open

The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open was the 25th edition of the Miami Masters tournament and was held at Tennis Center at Crandon Park, Key Biscayne near Miami, Florida.

49th Air Division

Beginning in 1947, the 49th served in the Reserve for two years as a B-29 Superfortress organization, during which time it was redesignated as an Air Division and controlled the 100th Bomb Group (later Wing) at Miami AAF and the 380th Bomb Group (later Wing) at MacDill AFB in Florida

Apalachicola Regional Airport

He was survived by his wife Donna, of Pensacola, Florida, and his mother, Mrs. Katherine Neale, of Avalon, Pennsylvania.

Austin M. Knight

Born in Ware, Massachusetts to future American Civil War veteran Charles Sanford Knight and Cordelia Cutter Knight, Austin Melvin Knight was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from Florida on June 30, 1869, graduating in 1873.

Barend du Plessis

He also ran as the NP candidate in Florida in the same year and snatched the seat from the United Party.

Beirut Memorial

Other memorials to the victims of the Beirut barracks bombing have been erected in the United States, including those at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Bold Alligator

Bold Alligator 2012 was held ashore and afloat, in and off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, and it culminated in three large-scale operations - an amphibious assault at Camp Lejeune; an aerial assault from the sea into Fort Pickett; and an amphibious raid on Joint Expeditionary Base East.

Boomers! Parks

Parks is a chain of family entertainment centers which feature indoor activities such as carousels, kiddie swings, restaurants, musical shows, and amusement arcades, and outdoor activities such as miniature golf, kiddie rides, bumper boats, batting cages, go-karts, kiddie roller coasters, laser tag, and in the case of the Dania Beach, Florida location, a wooden roller coaster called the Dania Beach Hurricane.

Charles Fulton

Charles B. Fulton (1910–1996), United States federal judge from Florida

Citrus Hill

The launch of Citrus Hill occurred when P&G acquired Florida-based Ben Hill Griffin Inc. and created a brand to sell its juice products under, with national distribution.

Dinero

Don Dinero, an American-born Cuban Rap mobster music artist living in Miami, Florida.

Drew Bundini Brown

Brown, who was born in Midway, Florida, and raised in nearby Sanford, Florida, dropped out of junior high school after the eighth grade.

Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co.

The company also owned WMEL-AM 920 (now WDMC) Melbourne (1956 to 1993); WROD-AM 1340 Daytona Beach (1965 to 1982) and WELE-FM 105.9 (now WOCL) Deland - Daytona Beach - Orlando (1982 to 1986), all in Florida.

Fivay High School

Fivay High School was designed by Florida-based architecture firm Harvard Jolly.

Ford Amphitheatre

MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, in Tampa, Florida, an outdoor concert venue whose original name was Ford Amphitheatre

Garcinia prainiana

The fruit is cultivated in Southeast Asia, by a few backyard growers in South Florida, and at the Whitman Rare Fruit Pavilion of Florida's Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Hector MacQueen

Stetson University College of Law, Florida, appointed him Distinguished International Professor 2007-2009, and he taught European Copyright Law there.

Heritage College

Heritage College & Heritage Institute in Denver, Colorado, Kansas City, Missouri, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Fort Myers, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, Falls Church, Virginia, Manassas, Virginia, and Wichita, Kansas

J. W. Robinson's

In the 1970s ADG used the Robinson's name to open a new chain of department stores on Florida's Gulf Coast, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, starting with a store at Tyrone Square Mall in 1972.

Jacksonville Landing

The Landing hosts more than 300 events each year including Florida/Georgia Weekend Celebrations, the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, New Year’s Eve and Gator Bowl Celebrations, St. Patrick’s Day, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and July 4th fireworks.

James Alderman

On the afternoon of August 7, 1927, Alderman and his associate Robert Weech were intercepted by a Coast Guard cutter in the waters between Florida and Bimini.

Larry Nixon

Lawrence "Larry" Nixon (born September 3, 1950 - Bee Branch, Arkansas) is a professional fisherman whose career started at the 1977 Florida Invitational in Welaka, Florida.

Lippincott Mansion

The Lippincott Mansion (also known as the Melrose Hall) is a historic site in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States.

M. Athalie Range

Athalie Range (Born Mary Athalie Wilkinson on November 7, 1915 in Key West, Florida- November 14, 2006 in Miami, Florida) was a civil rights activist and politician who was the first African-American to serve on the Miami, Florida City Commission, and the first African-American since Reconstruction and the first woman to head a Florida state agency, the Department of Community Affairs.

Marlins Television Network

From 1993 to 2005, the Marlins Television Network aired games to homes not only in South Florida but to other parts of Florida.

Marwan al-Shehhi

That day, Atta and Jarrah were together, about 30 miles to the north, visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, to get Florida driver's licenses.

Mary Elise Hayden

She studied at the Young Actors Theater in Tallahassee, Florida, for seven years and attended the Middle School of the Arts in North Palm Beach, Florida, and, in West Palm Beach, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, where she majored in voice and theater.

MKY

Marco Island Airport (FAA: MKY) in Marco Island, Florida, United States.

MV Mercedes I

She was caught in a storm while at anchor off Palm Beach, Florida on 23 November 1984, and was driven ashore where she crashed into the seawall front of the home of Palm Beach socialite, Mollie Wilmot, who served the 12 Venezzuelan sailors caviar, finger sandwiches and freshly brewed coffee in her gazebo, offered martinis to journalists and photographers, and granted the stranded Venezuelans access to her swimming pool.

Ocoee High School

The Marching Band has performed in the Cotton Bowl Music Festival, the Florida Citrus Parade, the Ikea Thanksgiving Parade, multiple Under Armour Football All-American Games that were broadcast on Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), multiple Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades at Universal Studios Florida, and the New York City Veteran's Day Parade.

Phil Spitalny

Phil Spitalny (November 7, 1890, Tetiev, Ukraine (territory of Russian Empire) – October 11, 1970, Miami Beach, Florida) was a musician, music critic, composer and bandleader heard often on radio during the 1930s and 1940s.

Rick Doblin

In the early 1980s, Doblin owned and operated a company called Abraxas Construction, located in the Sarasota, Florida area, which specialized in relocating houses.

Ritch Workman

Workman was born in Belleville, Ontario, in 1973, and in 1980, his family moved from Canada to the state of Florida, despite never having been there before, due to the fact that Pierre Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada were successful in the 1980 federal election, and his father did not want to live in a socialist country.

Roy Powell

His composition "Bow Out" was adapted with a piece by David Bedford by the American choreographer Val Caniparoli to create the ballet piece "Bow Out", performed by ballet companies in Oakland, Richmond, Cincinnati and Florida.

Salsa d'Haïti

Additionally, jet-powered aircraft were to be added in 2011 to serve international destinations in Kingston, Jamaica and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Statewide opinion polling for the Republican Party presidential primaries, March 2012

Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Jeb Bush of Florida, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and John Thune of South Dakota all succeeded in leading polls in their home states at some point in 2011, although only Pawlenty actually launched a campaign.

Stun belt

Introduced in the United States in the early 1990s, by 1996 it was reportedly in use by the US Bureau of Prisons, the US Marshals Service, and 16 state correctional agencies including those of Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington.

Thomas Baron

After the Apollo 1 fire Baron wrote a 500-page report on NASA safety protocol violations, which he gave to Rep. Olin E. Teague's investigation at Cape Kennedy, Florida on April 21, 1967.

Thomas Shea

In 2004, he was the Florida campaign director for the Democratic national ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards.

Twisted Issues

Twisted Issues is a 1988 splatter film billed as a 'psycho-punk splatter-comedy,' It featured Gainesville, Florida punk bands such as Psychic Violents, Young Pioneers, Mutley Chix, Doldrums, Just Demi-gods, Cindy Brady's Lisp, Officer Friendly, and the Smegmas, as well as local speed metal band Hellwitch avante gard incidental music by The Bill Perry Orchestra.

Villa Aujourd’hui

She named this villa, Today, after her home in Palm Beach, Florida.

WBEC

WBEC-TV, a television station (channel 63) licensed to Boca Raton, Florida, United States

WCIE

WCIE (FM), a radio station (91.5 FM) licensed to New Port Richey, Florida, United States

Werf

WERF-LP, a low-power radio station (95.7 FM) licensed to Gainesville, Florida, United States

Ya-ha Hadjo

Ya-ha Hadjo (Mad Wolf Georgia ? - March 29, 1836 Florida) was a member of the Creek Nation who avoided forced relocation to Indian Territory with his band by moving south to the Florida Territory where he joined with the Seminole and retained his position as chief.

Yossi Gestetner

In early 2010, Gestetner led a PR effort in a campaign asking then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist to grant a 60-day clemency to Martin Grossman to make times for a court appeal.

Zach Azzanni

He was also the wide receivers coach at the University of Florida under former Florida coach, Urban Meyer.