What is Floridas maritime history?
Once, Florida was about twice as large as it is today, but rising sea level has reduced its size. As a result, many of the coastal and riverine sites of the earliest inhabitants of Florida, from about 12,000 years ago, are now underwater and located mostly offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and in sink holes across the state. Florida’s inland and coastal waters served as the area’s primary transportation highway for over 6,000 years until the advent of the railroad and the automobile. First used by Native Americans, Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon “discovered” Florida’s waters in 1513. In the ensuing centuries, countless people in ships from around the world have passed through Florida’s waters. Given the state’s unique geological, geographical, and meteorological conditions, the seas can be treacherous. Vessels face many hazards, including strong currents, the Gulf Stream, reef systems, and hurricanes. Consequently, a considerable number of shipwrecks lie off the coast of Florida. Each wreck
