Florida Info

Capital: Tallahassee

Population: 18,089,888

Total Area: 65,795 square miles

Top Industry: Tourism

The state of Florida is located in the southeastern region of the United States.  It is a peninsula surrounded by water with the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the right.  To the north, Florida borders the states of Georgia and Alabama.

Florida is the fourth most populous state with more than 18 million residents.  The state has two successful major industries, tourism and agriculture, that are rapidly growing, so truck drivers are in high demand throughout the entire state.

Florida Industries

Warm weather and miles of sandy beaches make tourism one of Florida's biggest industries, attracting nearly 60 million tourists every single year.  Beach resorts and amusement parks are some of the biggest draws in Florida, especially in Orlando.  Attractions in the state include the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and several other parks.

Agriculture is Florida's other main industry.  The state produces the majority of citrus fruit grown in the United States, 67-percent.  Florida's major citrus fruit is oranges; the state produces nearly 75-percent of all oranges grown in the U.S.  Other agricultural products grown in the state include sugarcane and celery.

Florida has also experienced flourishing medical and bio-tech industries, especially in the major metropolitan areas.  The aerospace industry is present in Florida's economy, with Cape Canaveral and NASA launch sites, most particularly the Kennedy Space Center. 

Florida Climate

Florida has a humid and subtropical climate, while the most southern portion of the state has a true tropical climate.

Winters are typically dry with mild to cool temperatures while the spring and summer seasons are hot, humid, and rainy (known as the wet season).

It rarely snows in Florida, but severe weather is quite common; thunderstorms and lightening occur frequently and Florida as the highest average precipitation of any state.

Tropical storms and hurricanes also occur commonly during hurricane which lasts from June through November; however, August through October are when hurricanes are most likely to occur.