Florida

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Several Native American tribes have been documented to have inhabited the modern-day state of Florida as early as the 16th century. Some of these groups included the Tequesta who inhabited the southeastern part; the Timucua were in the central and northern regions of the state, the Tocobaga, who settled around the Tampa Bay area, and both the Apalachee as well the Ais in the central-Atlantic coast. Juan Ponce de Leon was the first European explorer to land in this area at around 1513 and named it La Florida; which meant the ‘Land of Flowers’ in Spanish.

The French and the Spanish had an interest in this area which saw them both establish various temporary settlements and trading posts as well. Tristan de Luna established a settlement in the modern-day Pensacola in 1559 but was abandoned two years later. The Spanish established the St. Augustine settlement which is identified as the earliest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. The Kingdom of Great Britain took over the control of region from Spain in 1763 in exchange for the Spanish being given Havana in the country of Cuba. The British divided this territory into two; West Florida and East Florida and started giving land grants to the soldiers who had participated in the French and Indian War.

With an estimated population of about 80,000 people, Florida was admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, making it the 27th state. It covers an area of 65,755 square miles making it the country’s 22nd most populous state. With its estimated 20+ million people calling this state home, it now ranks as the 3rd most populous US state. This state has been nicknamed the Sunshine State and is driven by the motto; In God we Trust. This state uses White, Red, and Orange as its official colors. The state falls in the south-eastern part of the United States and shares its borders with the states of Georgia and Alabama, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

This state earns its name of the Sunshine State for the consistently excellent temperature year round. Up in the northern part of the USA, things can get brutal with its terrible wind chill, snow storms and the general gloom of winter. However, down here in the sunny South, Florida tends to have average winter temperatures in the 60’s. Even in the spring when snow is still sometime on the ground where they live, it makes sense why so many people choose to spend their Spring Break here so that they can get a taste of warmth in a state that promises nearly year round sunshine.

The city of Tallahassee, nicknamed ‘Tally’, serves as the state capital. This town is known for holding various events and festivals such as the Southern Music Ring Festival, the Red Hills Horse Trials and Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival among many others.

There are various national monuments, preserves, and unique parks here. For instance, the Fort Caroline National Memorial in Timucan was erected to commemorate the hardships that many settlers went through as they tried to adapt to their new found homes. The Gulf Islands National Seashore is a recreational park that spans across both here and Mississippi and it is known for its sandy beaches and activities such as boating, fishing, and camping. The De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton appreciates the struggle and perseverance of Hernando de Soto and his army as they tried to settle in this state. The Dry Tortugas National Park in Key West is a unique recreational facility which can only be accessed using a seaplane or boat and features attractions such as coral reefs, blue waters and also houses the Fort Jefferson. The Everglades, which is a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve down in the southern tip of the state. It is one of the most underrated but important area of the state. In fact, it is the largest wetland in the country, hosting ecosystems and critical breeding grounds for a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Other popular places to experience here are the Naples Botanical Garden in Naples, St. Augustine Wild Reserve, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory in Key West.

Various museums help preserve the culture, heritage, and history of this state. Some of the most popular museums include the Earnest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, the Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, and the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville. Other popular museums and things to check out or do here include ones like the African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand, the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, St. Augustine Distillery Company in Saint Augustine, the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, the Ringling in Sarasota, Stetson Mansion in DeLand, and the La Nouba - Cirque du Soleil and the Discovery Cove in Orlando just to name a few.

The Sunshine State is never short on entertainment as it is home to many different theme parks, and beaches. There are many theme parks here, and some of the most visited ones are in Orlando, like Walt Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and SeaWorld, and also Busch Gardens in Tampa. With about 1350 miles of coastline, as you can imagine, this state has some fantastic beaches. Some of the most famous and top rated ones include Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, Siesta Beach near Sarasota, Saint Pete Beach in St Petersburg, Clearwater Beach, Pensacola Beach, St. Augustine Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Panama City Beach, and Hollywood Beach just to name just a few.

Floridians have access to various schools that offer advanced educational programs across different levels. Some of the major public universities in this state are; the FAMU in Tallahassee, FAU in Boca Raton, FGCU located in Fort Myers, FL Polytechnic University located in Lakeland, FSU in Tallahassee, the UCF in Orlando, UF in Gainesville, UNF in Jacksonville, the USF in Tampa, and UWF in Pensacola. Some of the major private universities in this state are the University of Miami in the town of Coral Gables and FIU in Miami.

This state has one of the best sports programs with various teams playing in major leagues and at college levels. Some of the major professional teams include; the NFL’s Mia Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars football teams; the NBA’s Miami Heat and Orl Magic basketball teams; the MLB’s Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays baseball teams; the NHL’s Fla Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning ice hockey teams. Some of the most notable college teams here that compete in NCAA Division I include the UF Gators, the FSU Seminoles, the FAU Owls, the FIU Panthers, the UCF Knights, the UM Hurricanes, and the USF Bulls. The state is also host to many postseason college football bowl games like the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, the Citrus Bowl and Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando, the St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, and the Outback Bowl in Tampa.

For racing fans, Fla. also boasts of hosting the headquarters of the NASCAR in the city of Daytona Beach and the PGA America in the town of Palm Beach Gardens. The Daytona International Speedway hosts the Daytona 500; which has been rated as the top race in the NASCAR. The Homestead-Miami Speedway also hosts various NASCAR races as well as Verizon IndyCar Series. For golf fans, some of the major PGA events held here are the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, and the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor. Some of the major tennis events here are the Delray Beach Open and the Miami Open.

The economy here receives contributions from economic sectors such as construction, tourism, banking, retail, food processing, agriculture, tourism, and biotechnology just to mention a few. Fla. is a major supplier of citrus to the U.S. and the rest of the world. In fact, fully 70% of all oranges in the US come from here. The state is home to around 15 Fortune 500 Companies like World Fuel Services, Publix Super Markets, Tech Data, AutoNation, NextEra Energy, Jabil Circuit, Office Depot, WellCare Health Plans, CSX, Fidelity National Financial, Darden Restaurants, Jarden, Lennar, Ryder System, and Fidelity National Information Services. Some of the other major employers include; the Publix Supermarket, Wal-Mart Stores, Disney, Universal City Development Partners, American Airlines, American Express, Sun Capital Partners, JM Family Enterprises, Elgin Air Force Base, Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, and Southeastern Grocers.

When buying or selling a house here, the real estate closing agent will typically use a Warranty Deed to convey the title of the property to the new owner. For the deed to be legally valid, the document must include the property’s exact legal description, which usually comes from language within the property’s original survey. This state primarily follows the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) methodology when surveying real estate. The initial starting point for their PLSS is the Tallahassee Meridian in Cascades Park.

If you aren’t paying cash for the home and are instead getting a loan to buy the real estate, then understand that it is primarily a lien theory state here. This just means that the raw title of the property will remain as collateral until the lien is ultimately paid off. The most common document that is used here to secure the lender’s interest in the title is called a Mortgage.

If for some reason the borrower cannot repay the home loan, then the lender must go to court and start a judicial foreclosure which typically takes about 135 days to complete so long as it remains uncontested. During this process, the mortgage company’s attorney will also typically file a lis pendens against the property so that the public is made aware of the pending foreclosure. Once the judge rules in favor of the mortgage company, then the court will issue a final judgment of foreclosure and the property will either revert back to the bank or will be awarded to the highest bidder at the foreclosure auction. The laws that pertain to the Fla. foreclosure process are mostly found in F.S. 702.01 et. seq..

However, if you are a Floridian landlord that needs to evict a non-paying tenant, then you would need to reference the statutes of Title VI, Chapter 83 instead. Whereas if you are looking to become a real estate agent, then you would just deal directly with the DBPR FL Real Estate Commission, which oversees all the licensing of the agents and most of the implementation and enforcement of the Florida Real Estate Laws. Amongst other things, the main requirements to get a real estate license here would be to be at least 18 years old, have at least a GED, complete at least 63 hours of approved FL real estate courses, successfully pass the written real estate state exam, pass certain criminal background checks, and pay the various required licensing fees.

There are so many reasons to love the gorgeous Sunshine State. With its beautiful cities, attractive beaches, famous parks, rich culture, favorable business environment, comprehensive education system and entertaining sporting action, it’s no wonder why so many residents call it home. Speaking of homes, if you happen to have one that you would like to sell, then we would be honored with the opportunity to purchase it from you. If the speed of selling your home is your concern, have no fear because we can close escrow very quickly. In fact, if you had only contacted Finally Sold ten days ago, your home could have already been Finally SOLD by now.

 

Some of the counties where we purchase properties in this state are: Alachua | Baker | Bay | Bradford | Brevard | Broward | Calhoun | Charlotte | Citrus | Clay | Collier | Columbia | DeSoto | Dixie | Duval | Escambia | Flagler | Franklin | Gadsden | Gilchrist | Glades | Gulf | Hamilton | Hardee | Hendry | Hernando | Highlands | Hillsborough | Holmes | Indian River | Jackson | Jefferson | Lafayette | Lake | Lee | Leon | Levy | Liberty | Madison | Manatee | Marion | Martin | Miami-Dade | Monroe | Nassau | Okaloosa | Okeechobee | Orange | Osceola | Palm Beach | Pasco | Pinellas | Polk | Putnam | St. Johns | St. Lucie | Santa Rosa | Sarasota | Seminole | Sumter | Suwannee | Taylor | Union | Volusia | Wakulla | Walton | Washington.

At Finally Sold, we buy most all single family homes in their as is condition. If you happen to have a property that you would like to sell, make sure you call us or fill out our short online form so that you too can once and for all get your property Finally SOLD!

Finally Sold is a national real estate investment company that specializes in helping homeowners sell quick for cash. We are not Realtors® or a real estate agency. We instead purchase houses and real estate for our benefit. No 'Agency' is created when selling a property to us. We are an Equal Housing Opportunity Provider. We do business in accordance to the Federal Fair Housing Law. One or more franchisees of Right Now Capital, LLC and the Finally Sold Brand may be licensed real estate agents.