Author: Joey deVilla

As far as I’m concerned, every day is National Florida Day, but in the official sense, that day happens today and every January 25th.

For the past nine years — yes, it’s been that long since I moved here — the Sunshine State has also been the Accordion Guy State. I’ve made a home and found my place here, and I’ve somehow managed to not become a “Florida Man” news story (I still have time…).

Florida became a state on March 3, 1845, but “for reasons” — a perfectly legal defense in Florida — National Florida Day is celebrated on January 25 each year.

I am now legally required to present a list of Florida facts, so here you go:

• Wherever you are in Florida, you are never more than 60 miles (100 km) away from the ocean.
• The average Florida temperature ranges from 65° to 70° F (18° to 21° C) in the northern region and 74° to 77° F (23° to 25° C) degrees in the southern region.
• No dinosaur fossils have ever been found in Florida. [Joey’s note: Clearly whoever wrote this fact has never been to The Villages.]
• The only place on the planet where crocodiles and alligators live together is in the Florida Everglades.
• Every public building in Florida has an outward opening door due to strong winds during hurricane season.
• Florida is the flattest state in the United States of America. Florida is so flat in fact that its highest point is the lowest high point of any state in the USA. At just 345 feet (105 meters), Britton Hill, Florida’s highest peak, is lower than many of Miami’s skyscrapers.
• Florida got its name from Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who named it ‘La Florida’, meaning “land of flowers”.
• Florida has the longest coastline in the continental US.
• Florida is the only state that borders the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
• Florida is the southernmost point in the USA. Technically Hawaii is the southernmost state in the country, but geographically, Florida is the southernmost point.
• Greater Miami is the only metropolitan area in the country with two national parks. Miami is home to Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park.

How do I plan on celebrating National Florida Day? The Florida Way, of course: golf and drinks! Anitra and I both won a raffle that gets us a free session at Top Golf this evening!

I may also have to pick up some Florida Man comics…