On this day in 1514, the Spanish crown granted the explorer Juan Ponce de León a contract to settle the islands of Bimini and Florida — Ponce de León at the time believed Florida was also an island.

Of all the outlandish myths about Florida’s outlandish history, one of the most stubborn holds that Ponce de Leon discovered it in 1513 when he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. But evidence ...

James MacDougald believes he has rewritten Florida history and added further intrigue to the early story of the Tampa Bay area. St. Augustine, founded in 1565, is considered the first successful ...