Government in the Sunshine State
Florida Since Statehood
by David
R. Colburn and Lance deHaven-Smith
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this Book now
From the foreword:
"I strongly encourage all citizens to read this
important book so that they will understand how
Florida’s history has shaped its current political
environment and helped determine the issues that are
crucial to the state’s development. . . . This
wonderful book provides a starting point for Floridians
to recommit themselves to the American
experiment."—Governor Reubin O’D. Askew
"The general public will join Florida historians in
welcoming this succinct and artfully told story of
Florida’s state, county, and municipal governments
since statehood in 1845. The authors, who are among the
most accomplished scholars in their field, have taken a
complex historical chronology and organized it into
easy-to-grasp central themes. As a result, the reader
readily understands that this is not a fact and
date-ridden textbook but an attractive, fast-moving
narrative garnished with pithy insights, unusual
juxtapositions, and unexpected wit. The amount of
information here is impressive, but political science in
Florida has rarely been rendered so palatable. Savor
it!"—Michael Gannon, author of Florida: A Short
History
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 21st century, the authors offer
a concise, readable history of the state’s political
development over the last 150 years and of the issues
facing it today, information essential to all Floridians,
including new voters, new residents, and newly elected
officials, as well as seasoned political observers.
David R. Colburn is professor of history and director of
the Reubin O'D. Askew Institute on Politics and Society
at the University of Florida. He is the coeditor of The
African American Heritage of Florida (UPF, 1995),
author of Racial Change and Community Crisis: St.
Augustine, Florida, 1877-1980 (UPF, 1991), and
coauthor of Florida's Gubernatorial Politics in the
Twentieth Century (UPF, 1981). He writes regularly
on state and national politics in the Orlando
Sentinel.
Lance deHaven-Smith is professor of public administration
and associate director of the Florida Institute of
Government at Florida State University. He is the author,
coauthor, or editor of ten books, including Environmental
Concern in Florida and the Nation (UPF, 1991), The
Florida Voter, and Almanac of Florida Politics.
He and David Colburn coedited Amid Political,
Cultural and Civic Diversity: Building a Sense of
Statewide Community in Florida.
The
Florida History and Culture Series
1999. 192pp. 6 X 9.
62 b&w photos, 5 drawings, bibliography, index.
ISBN 0-8130-1652-5 Cloth, $19.95
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"Residents of the state will find this a helpful starting point for understanding Florida's complex and chaotic political history and practices." --
Choice
"David Colburn and
Lance deHaven-Smith have long been two of Florida’s
most respected and insightful political commentators, so
it comes as no surprise that they have authored such an
interesting and eminently readable analysis of the
Sunshine State’s dynamic political history and
culture. [They] powerfully demonstrate how Florida’s
eclectic mix of people, ideas, economic activities, and
environmental treasures gives us a preview of the
challenges and opportunities that the United States will
confront in the 21st century."— Bob
Graham, U.S. Senator
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