Whether new to Florida or a rare native, you probably find the state's government confusing, if not downright mystifying -- the role of southern politics in a state that seems so unsouthern bewilders more than a few newcomers. In this lively introduction to Florida's political history, David Colburn and Lance deHaven-Smith explain the evolution of Florida's government, and the forces that affected that evolution, from 1845 to the present.

Florida's heritage has been shaped by Native American and Spanish roots, colonial ties to Great Britain, a Deep South culture marked by racial strife and the Civil War, and, most recently, economic and immigration dynamics that link it to the Sunbelt States, the Caribbean, and South America. These richly diverse ethnic, racial, and regional influences combine to make Florida politics complex, contradictory, occasionally bizarre, but seldom dull.

Addressing how all this diversity has shaped government, and what it means for the twenty-first century, the author's offer a concise, readable history of Florida's political development over the last 150 years and of the issues facing the state today -- information essential to all Floridians, including new voters, new residents, and newly elected officials, as well as seasoned political observers.