USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Juan Ponce de León is credited with being the first European to reach Florida. In April 1513 he landed on the coast of Florida at a site between Saint Augustine and Melbourne Beach. He named the region Florida because it was discovered at Easter time (Spanish: Pascua Florida).

Detailed explanation-2: -De Leon initially believed he had discovered a large island but later learned it something more. Due to the landscape’s lush vegetation and the Catholic holiday Pascua Florida (Feast of Flowers) during which it was “discovered, ” Ponce de León named the region La Florida.

Detailed explanation-3: -For the next several days the fleet crossed open water until 2 April 1513, when they sighted land which Ponce de León believed was another island. He named it La Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers).

Detailed explanation-4: -Because historical documents identifying the exact landing location have been lost, whether or not Ponce landed on Florida’s Historic Coast has been debated. Scholarly studies indicate that Ponce de León first sighted and named the land La Florida on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1513, and sailed north.