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95-689: Langerado Music Festival was an annual music festival, taking place in early spring in South Florida, first organized in 2003 by Ethan Schwartz. In 2008, the festival was held at the Seminole Big Cypress Indian Reservation in the Everglades . The festival featured primarily music of the jamband genre, but also offered a wide selection of other musical styles and traditionally offered a stage for local bands, as well. On June 1, 2011, tickets went on sale for

190-632: A billion dollars to construct. The word "Seminole" may be derived from the Creek word simanó-li . This has been variously translated as "frontiersman", "outcast", "runaway", "separatist", and similar words. The Creek word may be derived from the Spanish word cimarrón , meaning "runaway" or "wild one", historically used for certain Native American groups in Florida. The name "Seminole" likely

285-664: A company in the field, this letter shows how the Confederacy attempted to use Seminole warriors against the Union. Other leaders, such as Halleck Tustenuggee and Sonuk Mikko (Billy Bowlegs), refused to sign, withdrew from Florida, and joined with the Union. After the war, the United States government declared void all prior treaties with the Seminoles of Indian Country because of the "disloyalty" of some in allying with

380-467: A few times each decade. The USDA Hardiness Zones for the state range from Zone 8B (15°F to 20°F) in the extreme northwestern panhandle , to Zone 12A (50°F to 55°F) in the lower Florida Keys . The Gulf Stream running through the Florida Straits and then north of the eastern Florida coast keeps temperatures moderate a few miles inland from around Stuart on the east coast to Fort Myers on

475-469: A halt to international fashion trade), all contributed to a major decline in the demand for Seminole goods. In 1930, they received 5,000 acres (20 km ) of reservation lands. Few Seminoles moved to these reservations until the 1940s. They reorganized their government and received federal recognition in 1957 as the Seminole Tribe of Florida . During this process, the more traditional people near

570-547: A heterogeneous tribe made up of mostly Lower Creeks from Georgia, who by the time of the Creek War (1813–1814) numbered about 4,000 in Florida. At that time, numerous refugees of the Red Sticks migrated south, adding about 2,000 people to the population. They were Creek-speaking Muscogee, and were the ancestors of most of the later Creek-speaking Seminole. In addition, a few hundred escaped African-American slaves (known as

665-647: A high-stakes bingo game on their reservation in the late 1970s, winning court challenges to initiate Native American gaming , which many tribes have adopted to generate revenues for welfare, education, and development. After removal, the Seminoles in Oklahoma and Florida had little official contact until well into the 20th century. They developed along similar lines as the groups strove to maintain their culture while struggling economically. Most Seminoles in Indian Territory lived on tribal lands centered in what

760-402: A nearby fire, visibility was reduced to nearly zero. As a result, five individuals died in a 70-car pileup. Statewide, the highest rainfall amounts occur during the summer months. In northern Florida, there is a weak winter secondary maximum while statewide the driest months of the year are during the spring. During El Niño , Florida sees greater rainfall between November and March. Due to

855-452: A noticeable economic effect on citrus growers, prompting them to shift groves further southward. These impact freezes are indicated by asterisks in the following: Great Freeze of 1894-1895*, February 13–14, 1899, February 2–6, 1917, December 12–13, 1934, January 1940, December 12–13, 1957, December 12–13, 1962*, January 18–20, 1977 , January 12–14, 1981, December 24–25, 1983*, January 20–22, 1985 , and December 22–26, 1989* . Despite being

950-475: A society based on a matrilineal kinship system of descent and inheritance: children are born into their mother's band and derive their status from her people. To the end of the nineteenth century, they spoke mostly Mikasuki and Creek. Two of the fourteen are "Freedmen Bands," composed of members descended from Black Seminoles, who were legally freed by the U.S. and tribal nations after the Civil War. They have

1045-554: A syncretic Christianity that has absorbed some tribal traditions. In 1946, the Department of Interior established the Indian Claims Commission , to consider compensation for tribes that claimed their lands were seized by the federal government during times of conflict. Tribes seeking settlements had to file claims by August 1961, and both the Oklahoma and Florida Seminoles did so. After combining their claims,

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1140-747: A syncretic indigenous-Western practice. For example, Seminole hymns sung in the indigenous (Muscogee) language are inclusive of key Muscogee language terms (for example, the Muscogee term "mekko" or chief conflates with "Jesus"). Also, hymns are frequently led by a song leader (a traditional indigenous song practice). In the 1950s, federal projects in Florida encouraged the tribe's reorganization. They created organizations within tribal governance to promote modernization. As Christian pastors began preaching on reservations, Green Corn Ceremony attendance decreased. This created tension between religiously traditional Seminoles and those who began adopting Christianity. In

1235-469: A thriving trade business with white merchants during this period, selling alligator hides, bird plumes, and other items sourced from the Everglades. Then, in 1906, Governor Napoleon B. Broward began an effort to drain the Everglades in attempt to convert the wetlands into farmland. The plan to drain the Everglades, new federal and state laws ending the plume trade, and the start of World War I (which put

1330-560: A tradition of accepting escaped slaves from Southern plantations , infuriating planters in the American South by providing a route for their slaves to escape bondage. After the United States achieved independence, the U.S. Army and local militia groups made increasingly frequent incursions into Spanish Florida to recapture escaped slaves living among the Seminole. American general Andrew Jackson 's 1817–1818 campaign against

1425-483: A tradition of extended patriarchal families in close communities. While the elite interacted with the Seminoles, most of the Freedmen were involved most closely with other Freedmen. They maintained their own culture, religion and social relationships. At the turn of the 20th century, they still spoke mostly Afro-Seminole Creole , a language developed in Florida related to other African-based Creole languages. The Nation

1520-480: A village known as Red Bays on Andros. Under colonists' pressure, the U.S. government made the 1823 Treaty of Camp Moultrie with the Seminoles, seizing 24 million acres in northern Florida. They offered the Seminoles a much smaller reservation in the Everglades , of about 100,000-acre (400 km ). They and the Black Seminoles moved into central and southern Florida. In 1832, the U.S. government signed

1615-665: Is a dialect. This is the primary traditional language spoken today by the Miccosukee in Florida. Joining them were several bands of Choctaw , many of whom were native to western Florida. Some Chickasaw had also left Georgia due to conflicts with colonists and their Native American allies. Also fleeing to Florida were African Americans who had escaped from slavery in the Southern Colonies . The new arrivals moved into virtually uninhabited lands that had once been peopled by several cultures indigenous to Florida, such as

1710-682: Is a large variability in the dust transport to the Caribbean and Florida from year to year. Dust events are possibly linked to a decline in the health of coral reefs across the Caribbean and Florida, primarily since the 1970s. On average, Florida has the mildest winters in the continental United States. Average lows range from 65°F in Key West to nearly 41°F degrees at Tallahassee , while daytime highs range from 62°F at Tallahassee to 77°F at Miami. Predominant tropical easterly winds across central and southern Florida keep temperatures warm during

1805-423: Is also the highest known point storm total maximum related to any tropical cyclone which has impacted Florida, and by itself would be the highest known rainfall total for any month from any location within Florida. This rainfall amount remained the national 24-hour rainfall record until Tropical Storm Claudette (1979) . Heavy rainfall events have fallen due to stalled fronts near the state as well, and occur during

1900-500: Is derived from the Spanish cimarones , meaning "wild or untamed", as opposed to the christianized natives who had previously lived in the mission villages of Spanish Florida (In the 17th century the Spanish in Florida used cimaron to refer to christianized natives who had left their mission villages to live "wild" in the woods. ). Some of the Hitchiti - or Mikasukee -speakers who had settled in Florida identified themselves to

1995-485: Is expressed through the stomp dance and the Green Corn Ceremony held at their ceremonial grounds. Indigenous peoples have practiced Green Corn rituals for centuries. Contemporary southeastern Native American tribes, such as the Seminole and Muscogee Creek , still practice these ceremonies. As converted Christian Seminoles established their own churches, they incorporated their traditions and beliefs into

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2090-465: Is found along an area stretching from Ocala to Pensacola . USDA Zone 8B, the coolest zone found within the state, with average annual lows between 15°F and 20°F, is located in extreme northwestern Florida along the northern portions of Escambia , Santa Rosa , Okaloosa , Walton , and Holmes counties. Florida has experienced 12 major freezes. This includes four "impact" freezes, sufficiently severe to kill entire groves of citrus trees, resulting in

2185-535: Is found in coastal South Florida and much of the Everglades . USDA Zone 10A, with annual average lows between 30°F and 35°F, is found in the rest of South Florida, and in certain coastal regions as far north as St. Petersburg on the western coast of the state, and roughly Vero Beach on the eastern coast of the state. USDA Zone 9B, with average annual lows between 25°F and 30°F, is found in interior Central Florida , continuing north towards Fernandina Beach . USDA Zone 9A, with average annual lows between 20°F and 25°F,

2280-602: Is less than the remainder of the Southeast. The annual number of heavy fog days (with visibility of .25 miles (0.40 km) or less) has ranged from 50 in Tallahassee, to 1 in Key West, the least foggy region in the state. The two types of fog that are most common in Florida are advection and radiational. Fog can be hazardous to early morning commuters. On January 9, 2008, when fog on Interstate 4 combined with smoke from

2375-472: Is now Seminole County of the state of Oklahoma. The implementation of the Dawes Rolls in the late 1890s parceled out tribal lands in preparation for the admission of Oklahoma as a state, reducing most Seminoles to subsistence farming on small individual homesteads. While some tribe members left the territory to seek better opportunities, most remained. Today, residents of the reservation are enrolled in

2470-489: Is now restricted to Florida, where it was the native language of 1,600 people as of 2000, primarily the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida . The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is working to revive the use of Creek among its people, as it had been the dominant language of politics and social discourse. Muscogee is spoken by some Oklahoma Seminoles and about 200 older Florida Seminoles. The youngest native speaker

2565-558: Is ruled by an elected council, with two members from each of the fourteen bands, including the Freedmen's bands. The capital is at Wewoka, Oklahoma . The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma has had tribal citizenship disputes related to the Seminole Freedmen, both in terms of their sharing in a judgment trust awarded in settlement of a land claim suit, and their membership in the Nation. Climate of Florida The climate of

2660-559: The American Civil War , the Confederate government of Florida offered aid to keep the Seminoles from fighting on the side of the Union. The Florida House of Representatives established a Committee on Indian Affairs in 1862 but, aside from appointing a representative to negotiate with the Seminole tribe, failed to follow its promises of aid. The lack of aid, along with the growing number of Federal troops and pro-unionists in

2755-477: The Apalachee , Timucua , Calusa and others. The native population had been devastated by infectious diseases brought by Spanish explorers in the 1500s and later colonization by additional European settlers. Later, raids by Carolina and Native American slavers destroyed the string of Spanish missions across northern Florida . Most of the survivors left for Cuba when the Spanish withdrew, after ceding Florida to

2850-707: The Black Seminoles ) had settled near the Seminole towns and, to a lesser extent, Native Americans from other tribes, and some white Americans. The unified Seminole spoke two languages: Creek and Mikasuki (mutually intelligible with its dialect Hitchiti ), two among the Muskogean languages family. Creek became the dominant language for political and social discourse, so Mikasuki speakers learned it if participating in high-level negotiations. The Muskogean language group includes Choctaw and Chickasaw , associated with two other major Southeastern tribes. In part due to

2945-519: The Everglades to land that was not desired by settlers. They were finally left alone and they never surrendered. Several treaties seem to bear the mark of representatives of the Seminole tribe, including the Treaty of Moultrie Creek and the Treaty of Payne's Landing . The Florida Seminoles say they are the only tribe in America never to have signed a peace treaty with the U.S. government. During

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3040-547: The Second Seminole War . Drawing on a population of about 4,000 Seminoles and 800 allied Black Seminoles, he mustered at most 1,400 warriors (President Andrew Jackson estimated they had only 900). They countered combined U.S. Army and militia forces that ranged from 6,000 troops at the outset to 9,000 at the peak of deployment in 1837. To survive, the Seminole allies employed guerrilla tactics with devastating effect against U.S. forces, as they knew how to move within

3135-669: The Seminole Tribe of Florida in 1957. The more traditional people living near the Tamiami Trail received federal recognition as the Miccosukee Tribe in 1962. The Seminoles were organized around itálwa , the basis of their social, political and ritual systems, and roughly equivalent to towns or bands in English. They had a matrilineal kinship system, in which children are considered born into their mother's family and clan, and property and hereditary roles pass through

3230-641: The Southeastern United States during the summer, by adding to the count of airborne particulates. This is in sharp contrast to the normally clean air over Florida and the southeastern USA, which on average is the cleanest air in the USA. Over 50% of the African dust that reaches the United States affects Florida. Since 1970, dust outbreaks have worsened due to periods of drought in Africa. There

3325-592: The Tamiami Trail defined themselves as independent. They received federal recognition as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians in Florida in 1962. During World War II , roughly sixty-five Seminoles fled into the Everglades to avoid registering for the draft. The superintendent of the Seminole Indian agency in Dania was able to convince all but two of the group to eventually register. In the 1950s,

3420-484: The Treaty of Payne's Landing with a few of the Seminole chiefs. They promised lands west of the Mississippi River if the chiefs agreed to leave Florida voluntarily with their people. The Seminoles who remained prepared for war. White colonists continued to press for their removal. In 1835, the U.S. Army arrived to enforce the treaty. The Seminole leader Osceola led the vastly outnumbered resistance during

3515-541: The U.S. government , including the Treaty of Moultrie Creek and the Treaty of Paynes Landing . Seminole culture is largely derived from that of the Creek. One of the more significant holdovers from the Creek was the Green Corn Dance ceremony. Other notable traditions include use of the black drink and ritual tobacco . As the Seminoles adapted to Florida environs , they developed local traditions, such as

3610-784: The Yamasee War in South Carolina, migrated into Spanish Florida in the early 18th century. More arrived in the second half of the 18th century, as the Lower Creeks , part of the Muscogee people, began to migrate from several of their towns into Florida to evade the dominance of the Upper Creeks and pressure from encroaching colonists from the Province of Carolina . They spoke primarily Hitchiti , of which Mikasuki

3705-455: The 1700s, the various new arrivals intermingled with each other and with the few remaining indigenous people. In a process of ethnogenesis , they constructed a new culture which they called "Seminole", a derivative of the Mvskoke' (a Creek language ) word simano-li , an adaptation of the Spanish cimarrón which means "wild" (in their case, "wild men"), or "runaway" [men]. The Seminole were

3800-614: The 18th century by Cowkeeper . Beginning in 1825, Micanopy was the principal chief of the unified Seminole, until his death in 1849, after removal to Indian Territory. This chiefly dynasty lasted past Removal, when the US forced the majority of Seminole to move from Florida to the Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma) after the Second Seminole War . Micanopy's sister's son, John Jumper , succeeded him in 1849 and, after his death in 1853, his brother Jim Jumper became principal chief. He

3895-556: The 1930 through 1997 period was 115 miles per hour at Miami International Airport during Hurricane Andrew . In July, the trade winds south of the northward-moving subtropical ridge expand northwestward into Florida. On occasion, dust from the Sahara moving around the southern periphery of the ridge moves into the state, suppressing rainfall and changing the sky from a blue to a white appearance and leading to an increase in red sunsets. Its presence negatively impacts air quality across

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3990-720: The 1960s and 1970s, some tribal members on reservations, such as the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation in Florida, viewed organized Christianity as a threat to their traditions. By the 1980s, Seminole communities were even more concerned about loss of language and tradition. Many tribal members began to revive the observance of traditional Green Corn Dance ceremonies, and some shifted away from Christian observance. By 2000, religious tension between Green Corn Dance attendees and Christians (particularly Baptists) decreased. Some Seminole families participate in both religions; these practitioners have developed

4085-582: The 2011 festival. Seminole Old crafts and traditions were revived in both Florida and Oklahoma in the mid-20th century as the Seminole began seeking revenue from tourists traveling along the new interstate highway system . In the 1970s, Seminole tribes began to run small bingo games on their reservations to raise revenue. They won court challenges to initiate Indian gaming on their sovereign land. Many U.S. tribes have likewise adopted this practice where state laws have gambling, in order to generate revenues for welfare, education, and development. Since

4180-644: The American Civil War, the members and leaders split over their loyalties, with John Chupco refusing to sign a treaty with the Confederacy . From 1861 to 1866, he led as chief of the Seminole who supported the Union and fought in the Indian Brigade. The split among the Seminoles lasted until 1872. After the war, the United States government negotiated only with the loyal Seminole, requiring

4275-552: The Black Seminoles also owned or controlled land that was seized in this cession, they were not acknowledged in the treaty. In 1976, the groups struggled on allocation of funds among the Oklahoma and Florida tribes. Based on early 20th century population records, at which time most of the people were full-blood, the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma was to receive three-quarters of the judgment and the Florida peoples one-quarter. The Miccosukee and allied Traditionals filed suit against

4370-689: The British as "cimallon" ( Muskogean languages have no "r" sound, replacing it with "l"). The British wrote the name as "Semallone", later "Seminole". The use of "cimallon" by bands in Florida to describe themselves may have been intended to distinguish themselves from the primarily Muskogee -speakers of the Upper Towns of the Muscogee Confederacy (called the "Creek Confederacy" by the British). After 1763, when they took over Florida from

4465-563: The British in 1763, following Britain's victory in the French and Indian War . While John Swanton stated in the mid-20th century that the Seminole encountered and absorbed the Calusa who had remained in southwest Florida after the Spanish withdrew, more recent scholarship since the turn of the 21st century holds that there is no documentary evidence of that assertion. As they established themselves in northern and peninsular Florida throughout

4560-568: The Commission awarded the Seminole a total of $ 16 million in April 1976. It had established that, at the time of the 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek , the Seminole exclusively occupied and used 24 million acres in Florida, which they ceded under the treaty. Assuming that most blacks in Florida were escaped slaves, the United States did not recognize the Black Seminoles as legally members of the tribe, nor as free in Florida under Spanish rule. Although

4655-546: The Confederacy. They required new peace treaties, establishing such conditions as reducing the power of tribal councils, providing freedom or tribal membership for Black Seminoles (at the same time that enslaved African Americans were being emancipated in the South), and forced concessions of tribal land for railroads and other development. The 1868 Florida Constitution , developed by the Reconstruction legislature, gave

4750-503: The Everglades and use this area for their protection. Osceola was arrested (in a breach of honor) when he came under a flag of truce to negotiations with the US in 1837. He died in jail less than a year later. He was decapitated, his body buried without his head. Other war chiefs, such as Halleck Tustenuggee and John Jumper, and the Black Seminoles Abraham and John Horse , continued the Seminole resistance against

4845-526: The March through May and October through November timeframe. The wettest month recorded at a Florida climate station was during May 1891 when Gainesville, Florida received 30.90 inches (785 mm). The wettest year on record for a Florida climate station was during 1879 when 127.24 inches (3,232 mm) fell at Pensacola, Florida . The driest year for a climate station statewide was during 1974 when only 19.99 inches (508 mm) fell at Key West. One of

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4940-702: The Midwest or Deep South. Strong tornadoes do occasionally form in Florida, usually in conjunction with a cold frontal passage in the winter or spring. A total of 42 people died in February 1998 from the deadliest such tornado outbreak in Central Florida, which occurred during the nighttime hours. While tornadoes in the Midwest are more severe, a higher rate of deaths are experienced in Florida, and Brevard County, specifically, due to higher population density and quantity of manufactured homes. The earliest in

5035-425: The Oklahoma and Florida Seminole tribes filed land claim suits, claiming they had not received adequate compensation for their lands. Their suits were combined in the government's settlement of 1976. The Seminole tribes and Traditionals took until 1990 to negotiate an agreement as to division of the settlement, a judgment trust against which members can draw for education and other benefits. The Florida Seminoles founded

5130-586: The Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma and one-quarter to the Seminoles of Florida, including the Miccosukee. By that time the total settlement was worth $ 40 million. The tribes have set up judgment trusts, which fund programs to benefit their people, such as education and health. As a result of the Second Seminole War (1835–1842), about 3,800 Seminoles and Black Seminoles were forcibly removed to Indian Territory (the modern state of Oklahoma ). During

5225-669: The Seminoles became known as the First Seminole War . Though Spain decried the incursions into its territory, the United States effectively controlled the Florida panhandle after the war. In 1819, the United States and Spain signed the Adams-Onís Treaty , which took effect in 1821. According to its terms, the United States acquired Florida and, in exchange, renounced all claims to Texas . President James Monroe appointed Andrew Jackson as military governor of Florida. As European American colonization increased after

5320-485: The Seminoles one seat in the house and one seat in the senate of the state legislature. The Seminoles never filled the positions. After white Democrats regained control over the legislature, they removed this provision from the post-Reconstruction constitution they ratified in 1885. In the early 20th century, the Florida Seminoles re-established limited relations with the U.S. government. The Seminoles maintained

5415-593: The Spanish, the British called all natives living in Florida "Seminoles", "Creeks", or "Seminole-Creeks". The people who constituted the nucleus of this Florida group either chose to leave their tribe or were banished. At one time, the terms "renegade" and "outcast" were used to describe this status, but the terms have fallen into disuse due to their negative connotations. The Seminole identify as yat'siminoli or "free people" because for centuries their ancestors had successfully resisted efforts to subdue or convert them to Roman Catholicism . They signed several treaties with

5510-478: The U.S. of Florida in 1821, many American slaves and Black Seminoles frequently escaped from Cape Florida to the British colony of the Bahamas , settling mostly on Andros Island . Contemporary accounts noted a group of 120 migrating in 1821, and a much larger group of 300 enslaved African Americans escaping in 1823. The latter were picked up by Bahamians in 27 sloops and also by travelers in canoes. They developed

5605-580: The accuracy. The earliest in the season that frozen precipitation has fallen was during the Late November 2006 Nor'easter on November 21 across central Florida. The latest in the season that snow or sleet has fallen was on April 8, 2007. Snow flurries have been reported in the air (not on the ground) as far south as Homestead , during a January 19, 1977 event. Florida reports more thunderstorms than any other US state. Some places report in excess of 90 thunderstorm days per year, making Florida one of

5700-566: The army. After a full decade of fighting, the war ended in 1842. Scholars estimate the U.S. government spent about $ 40,000,000 on the war, at the time a huge sum. An estimated 3,000 Seminoles and 800 Black Seminoles were forcibly exiled to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi, where they were settled on the Creek reservation. After later skirmishes in the Third Seminole War (1855–1858), perhaps 200 survivors retreated deep into

5795-621: The arrival of Native Americans from other cultures, the Seminole became increasingly independent of other Creek groups and established their own identity through ethnogenesis . They developed a thriving trade network by the time of the British and second Spanish periods (roughly 1767–1821). The tribe expanded considerably during this time, and was further supplemented from the late 18th century by escaped slaves from Southern plantations who settled near and paid tribute to Seminole towns. The latter became known as Black Seminoles , although they kept many facets of their own Gullah culture. During

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5890-486: The cases occurred indoors to people using electronic devices. Severe thunderstorms can sometimes produce hail, very strong straight line winds and tornadoes . Very heavy rainfall from thunderstorms can result in flash flooding. Thunderstorms occur most often during the summer but can occur at any time of the year. There are more tornadoes per square mile in Florida than any other state. However, these tornadoes tend to be much weaker and short-lived than in other states like

5985-408: The coastline have the lowest return period, or the frequency at which a certain intensity or category of hurricane can be expected within 86 miles (138 km) of a given location, in the country. Monroe County was struck by 26 hurricanes since 1926 , which is the greatest total for any county in the United States . El Niño has the following effects on Florida climate: above average rainfall in

6080-424: The colonial years, the Seminole were on relatively good terms with both the Spanish and the British . In 1784, after the American Revolutionary War , Britain came to a settlement with Spain and transferred East and West Florida to it. The Spanish Empire 's decline enabled the Seminole to settle more deeply into Florida. They were led by a dynasty of chiefs of the Alachua chiefdom, founded in eastern Florida in

6175-460: The construction of open-air, thatched-roof houses known as chickees . Historically the Seminoles spoke Mikasuki and Creek , both Muskogean languages . Florida had been the home of several indigenous cultures prior to the arrival of European explorers in the early 1500s. However, the introduction of Eurasian infectious diseases, along with conflict with Spanish colonists, led to a drastic decline of Florida's original native population. By

6270-412: The early 1700s, much of La Florida was uninhabited apart from Spanish colonial towns at St. Augustine and Pensacola . A stream of mainly Muscogee Creek began moving into the territory at that time to escape conflict with English colonists to the north and established their own towns, mainly in the Florida panhandle. Native American refugees from northern wars, such as the Yuchi and Yamasee after

6365-534: The end of the month in deep southern Florida) and lasts until late April most years. Fronts from mid-latitude storms north of Florida occasionally pass through northern and central parts of the state which bring light and brief winter rainfall. Mid and late winter can become severely dry in Florida. In some years the dry season becomes quite severe and water restrictions are imposed to conserve water. While most areas of Florida do not experience any type of frozen precipitation, northern Florida can see fleeting snow or sleet

6460-407: The federally recognized Seminole Nation of Oklahoma , while others belong to unorganized groups. The Florida Seminole re-established limited relations with the U.S. government in the early 1900s and were officially granted 5,000 acres (20 km ) of reservation land in south Florida in 1930. Members gradually moved to the land, and they reorganized their government and received federal recognition as

6555-427: The lack of the secondary maximum across the peninsula, a distinct dry season is seen in the averages from winter through spring. This dry season provokes brush fires annually as temperatures rise during the late spring, before they fade during early June as the rainy season gets underway. The heaviest rainfall to occur in 24 hours was measured in Yankeetown during Hurricane Easy (1950) , 38.70 inches (983 mm). This

6650-413: The late 20th century, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has been particularly successful with gambling establishments, attracting many of the numerous tourists to the state. In 2007 it purchased the Hard Rock Café and has rebranded or opened several casinos and gaming resorts under that name. These include two large resorts on its Tampa and Hollywood reservations; together these projects cost more than

6745-494: The maternal line. Males held the leading political and social positions. Each itálwa had civil, military and religious leaders; they were self-governing throughout the nineteenth century, but would cooperate for mutual defense. The itálwa continued to be the basis of Seminole society in Oklahoma into the 21st century. Historically, the various groups of Seminoles spoke two mutually unintelligible Muskogean languages : Mikasuki (and its dialect, Hitchiti) and Muscogee . Mikasuki

6840-617: The mildest on average, the winter climate was a crucial contributing factor of the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986, in which overnight temperatures at Titusville , adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center , had dropped as low as 24°F and were still below freezing at 28.0°F to 28.9°F on launch day. The severe cold had caused the O-Rings on the right-side SRB to crack as they only had a redline tolerance of 39°F. During

6935-617: The most thundery regions outside of the tropics. Florida receives the highest density of lightning strikes within the United States . Several deaths per year are blamed on lightning, making lightning one of the deadliest weather-related phenomenon in the state. However, since 1992, the number of lightning deaths has been slowly dropping despite a rising population, suggesting that lightning awareness programs are effective. The most likely targets of lightning strikes are construction workers and others who work outside, though 12 percent of

7030-416: The north across the panhandle south to near Orlando , but are variable in the rest of the state. The summer season sees generally east and southeast winds across the peninsula. During the summer months, the average wind pattern implies a surface ridge axis which normally lies across central Florida, with easterly winds from Tampa southward and southwest winds across northern Florida. The peak wind gust during

7125-405: The north and central parts of the U.S. state of Florida is humid subtropical . South Florida has a tropical climate . There is a defined rainy season from May through October when air-mass thundershowers that build in the heat of the day drop heavy but brief summer rainfall. In October, the dry season sets in across much of Florida (starting early in the month in northern Florida and near

7220-508: The relatively cooler ocean, and during the passage of a tropical cyclone. The record high temperature for the state is 109 °F (43 °C) at Monticello in 1931. Like the remainder of the Southeastern United States, Florida has a winter maximum in dense fog conditions. Unlike the remainder of the region, the maximum in Florida contains roughly half of the annual occurrences per year, on average. Its summer minimum

7315-401: The settlement in 1976 to refuse the money; they did not want to give up their claim for return of lands in Florida. The federal government put the settlement in trust until the court cases could be decided. The Oklahoma and Florida tribes entered negotiations, which was their first sustained contact in the more than a century since removal. In 1990, the settlement was awarded: three-quarters to

7410-517: The spring. This is followed by wildfire threat when rain dries up. Northern Florida is more susceptible to severe weather; below normal temperatures, increased number of low pressure systems in the Gulf of Mexico during the winter, and "almost always" reduces the frequency of storms and hurricanes. La Niña has the following effects: often dry conditions prevail in late fall, winter and early spring, increased risk of wildfires in spring and summer months,

7505-469: The state in one season is four in 2004. Hurricanes typically spawn tornadoes within their northeast quadrant. Tropical cyclones have affected Florida in every month of the year but March. Nearly one-third of the cyclones affected the state in September, and nearly three-fourths of the storms affected the state between August and October, which coincides with the peak of the hurricane season. Portions of

7600-606: The state is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa ), though the Miami Metropolitan Area , southwest Florida from Fort Myers southward, and all of the Florida Keys, qualify as tropical wet-and-dry (Köppen Aw ). Florida counties with tropical climates include Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. A narrow eastern part of the state including Orlando and Jacksonville receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. The rest of

7695-418: The state, led the Seminoles to remain officially neutral throughout the war. In July 1864, Secretary of War James A. Seddon received word that a man named A. McBride had raised a company of sixty-five Seminole who had volunteered to fight for the Confederacy. McBride claimed to have an understanding of Florida because of the time he had spent there fighting during the Seminole wars. While McBride never put such

7790-478: The summer, average high temperatures range from near 95 °F (35 °C) in northern Florida to near 90 °F (32 °C) in the Keys. Maximum temperatures during the summer average in the higher 90s  Fahrenheit statewide. Heat indexes can easily reach 103°F–110°F. Relief from the heat during the summer comes in the form of afternoon and evening thunderstorm activity, late morning and afternoon sea breezes off

7885-481: The temperatures average slightly above normal, and the chance of hurricane activity increases substantially. Long term forecasts are made based on these effects. However, they are easily overridden, in winter, by the Arctic oscillation and North Atlantic oscillations , which can only be predicted about two weeks in advance. These can drop the temperature noticeably from seasonal norms. The climate regime for much of

7980-401: The treaty, colonists pressured the federal government to remove Natives from Florida. Slaveholders resented that tribes harbored runaway black slaves, and more colonists wanted access to desirable lands held by Native Americans. Georgian slaveholders wanted the " maroons " and fugitive slaves living among the Seminoles, known today as Black Seminoles , returned to slavery. After acquisition by

8075-410: The tribe to make a new peace treaty to cover those who allied with the Confederacy, to emancipate the slaves , and to extend tribal citizenship to those freedmen who chose to stay in Seminole territory. The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma now has about 16,000 enrolled members, who are divided into a total of fourteen bands; for the Seminole members, these are similar to tribal clans . The Seminole have

8170-513: The warmest zone found within the state, with average extreme annual lows between 50°F to 55°F, is found in the Dry Tortugas area. USDA Zone 11B, with average annual lows between 45°F and 50°F, is found between Key West and Marathon . USDA Zone 11A, with average annual lows between 40°F and 45°F, is found in the remaining Florida Keys , Miami Beach , and parts of downtown Miami . USDA Zone 10B, with average annual lows between 35°F and 40°F,

8265-522: The west coast of the state year-round, with few extremes in temperature. The tropical ocean current also provides warm sea surface temperatures , giving Florida beaches the warmest ocean surf waters on the United States mainland. Florida's geography also makes it vulnerable to the effects of climate change , both in the intensification of extreme weather such as intensified hurricanes as well as coastal flooding and other effects of sea level rise . The low pressure measured from an extratropical cyclone

8360-404: The winter. Occasional strong cold fronts move southward down the peninsula with freezing or near-freezing temperatures on a few nights into inland areas of central Florida every few years. A few times each decade Miami might see a winter nightfall below 45°F. El Niño winters tend to be cooler due to increased cloud cover, but tend to have fewer freezes. Five hardiness zones exist. USDA Zone 12A,

8455-580: The worst years for wildfires was in 1998 , at the end of an El Nino cycle. 480 wildfires consumed 500,000 acres (2,000 km ) statewide. In 2010, the National Weather Service issued more fire alerts in Florida than anywhere else in the nation. A statewide drought began in November 2005, one month after Hurricane Wilma 's passage through the state, and persisted until 2009. The previous significant drought occurred in 2000, which

8550-555: The year a tropical cyclone has struck the sunshine state was the Groundhog Day Tropical Storm in 1952. The latest impact was from a hurricane which struck near Tampa on December 1, 1925. The strongest hurricane to strike Florida was the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 . Hurricane Easy in 1950 produced the wettest known point total from any tropical cyclone. The record number of hurricane strikes on

8645-589: Was 28.84 inches/976.7 hPa during the Storm of the Century (1993) . From a tropical cyclone, the lowest pressure measured was 26.35 inches/892 hPa in the Florida Keys during the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 . The highest known pressure measured statewide was 30.74 inches/1041.1 hPa in Tallahassee on February 5, 1996, and January 4, 1979. Over the winter prevailing winds are out of

8740-552: Was born in 1960. Today, English is the predominant language among both Oklahoma and Florida Seminoles, particularly the younger generations. Most Mikasuki speakers are bilingual. The Seminole use the spines of Cirsium horridulum (also called bristly thistle) to make blowgun darts. During the Seminole Wars, the Seminole people began to divide among themselves due to the conflict and differences in ideology. The Seminole population had also been growing significantly, though it

8835-691: Was diminished by the wars. With the division of the Seminole population between Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and Florida, they still maintained some common traditions, such as powwow trails and ceremonies. In general, the cultures grew apart in their markedly different circumstances, and had little contact for a century. The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma , and the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida , described below, are federally recognized, independent nations that operate in their own spheres. Seminole tribes generally follow Christianity, both Protestantism and Catholicism . They also observe their traditional Native religion , which

8930-405: Was in power through the American Civil War, after which the U.S. government began to interfere with tribal government, supporting its own candidate for chief. After raids by Anglo-American colonists on Seminole settlements in the mid-18th century, the Seminole retaliated by raiding the Southern Colonies (primarily Georgia ), purportedly at the behest of the Spanish. The Seminoles also maintained

9025-474: Was the state's driest year on record. Snowfall is rare in Florida. The earliest recorded occurrence of snow or sleet occurred in 1774 in the far northern portion of the state. The latest occurrence of snow or sleet fell on January 16, 2022 as a winter storm brought snow flurries into Crestview and northern portions of the state. The state record for snowfall is 5 inches (13 cm), set in northern Florida during January 1800, though some debate exists about

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