St. Augustine and Pensacola were the two largest settlements in the Florida Territory. A council helped the governor make laws. The council first met in St. Augustine. Then it met in Pensacola.
These settlements were 400 miles apart. The council members had to travel around the southern tip of Florida. It was a long trip by sea. The distance was too far.
A new meating place was chosen. It became the capital. It was Tallahassee. Tallahassee is a Native American name. Some people believe Tallahassee means "sun town." Others believe it means "chief town." Still others believe it means "old town."
Today the capital is a city. The governor lives there. Others who help govern the state live there. Florida State University is in Tallahassee.
Tallahassee
secretary of state
commissioner of agriculture
comptroller
attorney general
commissioner of education
treasurer.
These people work to make the state a better place to live.
The legislature meets in Tallahassee. It makes laws. The governor must sign a bill before it becomes a law. The state courts settle disputes between people. They also try people accused of crimes.
Florida sends people to the nation's capital to represent the state. They are senators and representatives. Each of the fifty states elects two senators. The number of representatives a state may have depends on the number of people in a state.
Jeb Bush