Ponce de Leon landed on the Florida coast in 1513, and the Sunshine State has been commemorating the anniversary all year long with festive celebrations and historical and cultural programs.
And Florida has even more to celebrate, as tourism statistics for 2012 revealed another record-breaking year, with 89.3 million visitors entering the state, a 2.3 percent increase from 2011. This also led to an increase in industry jobs, with more than a million Floridians employed in the tourism industry.
Also this year, Gov. Rick Scott recommended increasing statewide tourism funding for the 2013-14 budget, upping allotted public funding to $75 million.