West Florida

Republic of West Florida
Flag
Anthem: God Bless the Sun
Location of West Florida (dark blue)
Capital	Pensacola
Official languages	English
Recognised national languages	Spanish, French Creole
Demonym	West Floridian
Government	Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic
• President	Janine Davidson
• Vice-President	Sam Jones
• House Speaker	Phil Ehr
• Chief Justice	Tom Parker
Establishment
• Gulf Coast Defense Region	March 1993 – November 18, 1995
• Christmas Court Ruling	December 27, 1993
• Alabama and Mississippi Governments Dissolved	August 1994
• Independence	December 3rd, 1995 (As part of the Treaty of Washington)
• Founding of the House and Senate	March 5, 1996
• Current Constitution	July 5, 2007
Population
• 2022 estimate	7,110,617 (102nd)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$339,040 USD
• Per capita	$64,403 (13th)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$347.4 Billion
• Per capita	$56,910
Gini (2020)	31.4 medium
HDI (2022)	0.895 very high
Currency	Dollar ($)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+1
ISO 3166 code	WFR
Internet TLD	.wf

West Florida, officially known as the Republic of West Florida is a country along the coastal region of the Deep South. It is the only unified country in the Deep South, and has the largest population of the region. West Florida lies between the Mississippi River to the west, Apalachicola River to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. West Florida does not officially border any other nation-state, however it is bordered by the New Afrikan region to the north composed of terrorist regimes, cartels, and militarized local communities. The nation's capital and most populous city is Pensacola and its main financial center is Mobile.

West Florida has been described as a regional power with a strong economy; it has the largest economy in the deep south, the world's 26th-largest economy by nominal GDP. A global leader in oil and natural gas, West Florida's oil and natural gas reserves are the world's fourth and tenth-largest, respectively

The West Florida' oil and natural gas reserves are the world's fourth and tenth-largest, respectively. Former-President Ray Mabus, oversaw the development of West Florida by investing most of the nation's oil revenues during the oil crisis into healthcare, education, and infrastructure allowing relative economic stability in the post-collapse America. The country inherited several key large industries such as shipbuilding, arms production, and infrastructure construction. In the 21st century, West Florida has a stable diversified economy focusing on advanced shipbuilding industry, oil & gas production, and advanced technology.

Etymology

The first documentary evidence of the phrase "West Florida" dates back to the British colonial era in the Royal Proclamation of 1763, with West Florida and East Florida, separated by the Apalachicola River. The term "West Florida" is derived by Spanish translation "Florida Occidental", itself derived from the Spanish conqueror and explorer Juan Ponce de León's name for the region "Florida" meaning "full of flowers".

West Florida derived the name "Republic of West Florida" from the short-lived 1810 revolution in the region against colonial Spanish rulers in an attempt to create a independent democratic republic. In 1994 the Gulf Coast Defense Force reorganized using the old name for the region from the old revolutionary forces.

History

Colonial Era

First Spanish rule (1513–1763)

The first European exploration of the area began in the 16th century with Diego Miruelo may have been the first European to sail into Pensacola Bay in 1516. The first Spanish settlement expedition in the region was large at around 1,500 settlers, first settling in Pensacola on August 15, 1559. Weeks later, a hurricane would destroyed many of the settlements, with settlers surviving in Pensacola till 1561. Pensacola would officially be the first multi-year European settlement in the territory of what is the United States. Although the Spanish later concluded that northwest Florida was too dangerous to settle for the time period and abandoned efforts to colonize the region for 137 years.

The Spanish opted to resettle Pensacola in November 1698 as a buffer against French settlements in Louisiana and Mobile. However, in May 1719, Spain would lose Pensacola during the War of the Quadruple Alliance, when French forces led by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville took and occupied the settlement until a larger Spanish force came in August 1719 to recover the settlement, only to then be recaptured by France the following month in September 1719. In 1720 the war concluded, and the Pensacola territory was returned to Spain, although France did not retreat until 1726 back to its forts in Mobile and Biloxi further west.

After the French retreated from Pensacola, the city was rebuilt, but was ravaged by hurricanes in 1752 and 1761. However, in 1763 as part of Spanish concessions in the Treaty of Paris (1763) the the British took control of all Spanish colonial possession east of the Mississippi River, including all of West Florida ending Spanish rule in the region.

Louisiana (New France) (1703–1763)

In 1699, French colonists established the formed the first permanent European settlement in French Louisiana, at Fort Maurepas near present-day Pascagoula. However, in 1702 French Settlers opted to constructed Fort Louis de la Louisiane further east on the Mobile River in order to protect France's claims to the La Louisiane region, with the settlement La Mobile becoming the capital of La Louisiane.

In May 1719, Spain would lose Pensacola during the War of the Quadruple Alliance, when French forces led by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville marched eastward to capture the settlement of Pensacola. The French maintained their hold on the settlement until a larger Spanish force came in August 1719 to recover their lost territory, only to then be recaptured by the French Navy the following month in September 1719. In 1720 the war concluded, and the Pensacola territory was returned to Spain, although France did not retreat until 1726 back to its forts in Mobile and Biloxi further west.

In 1720, the current location of Biloxi was settled for the first time around Fort Louis. Similarly in during the same year, the French opted to change the administrative capital of La Louisiane from La Mobile (Mobile) to Bilocci (Biloxi).

In 1763 as part of French concessions in the Treaty of Paris (1763) the the British took control of all French colonial possession east of the Mississippi River, including the settlement of La Mobile and Bilocci, being renamed to Mobile and Biloxi by the British.

British West Florida (1763-1783)

In 1763, The first British troops arrived and took possession of their new colony of Florida. The British however in an attempt to organize the territories split the colony of Florida into two: British East Florida, with its capital in St. Augustine, and British West Florida, with Pensacola as its capital. In 1764, West Florida's colonial assembly was established with basis on that currently in use with the current structure of the Thirteen Colonies along the East Coast. Royal Navy Officer George Johnstone was appointed as the first British Governor for West Florida.

{British West Florida began to boom in the years following the British takeover, with thousands of new arrivals taking advantage of the new British lands and new government. West Florida's governmental structure included an appointed governor and lieutenant governor in an executive role. A legislature in the form of the General Assembly, with an appointer twelve-member advisory council serving as the "Upper House", and a House of Commons serving as the "Lower House", with fourteen elected members.

British West Florida was a rare exception to slavery and the slave trade, as although the practice did exist in the territory, the economy never relied on it and slavery itself remained a uncommon practice.

West Florida was invited by American colonists to send delegates to the First Continental Congress, however they declined the invitation due to the colonists remaining overwhelmingly loyal to the Crown during the American Revolution.

In the Treaty of Aranjuez (1779) the Spanish Empire entered the American Revolutionary War with Spanish troops marching eastward from Louisiana taking Biloxi, Mobile, and eventually the capital of Pensacola in 1781. As part of the Peace of Paris in 1783, Great Britain offically ceded the territory of West Florida back to Spain.

Second Spanish rule (1783-1821)

During the War of 1812, American troops led by General Andrew Jackson launched a series of offensive campaigns on Spanish West Florida against the Spanish and British garrisons protecting the city of Pensacola.

The first attempt to seize Pensacola in 1813 was inconclusive, however in 1814 General Andrew Jackson committed additional assets with 4,000 American infantry versus 100 British and 500 Spanish infantry. Gen. Jackson successfully seized Fort San Miguel on November 7th, 1813, however Fort San Carlos 14 miles to the west, remained in British hands. Gen. Jackson sought to seize Fort San Carlos the following day, however the British garrison blew up the fort before withdrawing from Pensacola.

General Andrew Jackson abandoned Pensacola to the Spanish as his forces set out to take the city of Mobile. However, when Andrew Jackson arrived to Pensacola, he had received orders to assist in the New Orleans campaign, culminating in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815 in which the British garrison suffered catastrophic losses to General Andrew Jackson's forces.

In 1815, Spanish forces returned to Pensacola, however Pensacola would briefly be conquered again by the US Army in 1818. In 1819, Spain and the United States signed the Adams–Onís Treaty, officially handing West Florida to the United States on February 22, 1821, ending colonial rule over West Florida.

Republic of West Florida (1810)

In June to September of 1810, locals of the furthest-western regions of Spanish West Florida organized an independence movement in order to create an independent Republic of West Florida. Several meetings of locals attempted to create an organized revolution, and on September 23, 1810, West Floridian armed rebels successfully stormed Fort San Carlos in Baton Rouge, raising the flag of the new republic and declaring independence from Spain three days later on September 26, 1810; with the capital for the Republic was located at St. Francisville, in present-day Louisiana along the Mississippi River.

U.S. President James Madison wanted the United States to seize the territory so that the region would not fall into British or French hands, however occupation was off of the table as any military action would have incurred the wrath of the Spanish Army.

On November 7, 1810 the rebel republic held its first elections, with Fulwar Skipwith elected as governor as well as a bicameral legislature. However in Baton Rouge on December 9th, Governor Skipwith opted rather to surrender the new nation to the United States in order to preserve the republican values of the state in fear of retaliation by the Spanish.

American Territory and Statehood

Following the the Adams–Onís Treaty in 1821, the U.S. military moved into West Florida, and the region was combined with East Florida into the Florida Territory with Andrew Jackson serving as governor. As a result of the state merger, the capital was established in Tallahassee, halfway between the old capitals of Pensacola and St. Augustine for West and East Florida. West Florida itself would be split between the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as well. The former West Floridian capital Pensacola would become Florida's western-most city.

American Civil War (1861-1865)

All of West Florida's former regions would opt to secede from the Union to join the pro-slavery Confederate States of America. However, Fort Pickens did remain in Union hands after the secession of the region, one of the small handful of forts that remained so during the American Civil War.

The Confederacy did attempt to seize Fort Pickens on October 9, 1861 however Union troops repulsed the attack with the fort remaining in Union hands during the war. In May of 1862, Pensacola was re-captured by Union troops after Confederate forces abandoned the city, setting it on fire as they left.

In 1864, Confederate forces attempted to break Admiral David Farragut's blockade in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Three Confederate gunboats and the ironclad CSS Tennessee attempted to break the twelve wooden ships, two gunboats, and four ironclad monitors, however the overwhelming Union force overpowered the Confederate Navy and in the following days the city surrendered to Union forces.

Early 20th Century

During the Reconstruction Era and the early-20th century, the region of West Florida saw large infrastructure developments including the reconstruction of the entirety of Downtown Pensacola and Mobile.

Into the 1910s and 1920s, the cities of Mobile and Pensacola had become large hub for shipping, manufacturing, and commerce thanks to their developed infrastructure developments. Pensacola notably would become a regional hub for dozens of military bases including the Pensacola Naval Base.

During World War II, the Gulf Coast would be one of the most important military regions in the United States, with Pensacola serving as a primary training center for naval aviation and Mobile serving as a large shipbuilding site producing Liberty Ships, freighters, Fletcher-class destroyers, and minesweepers; as well as helping produce aircraft for the USAAF. Between 1940 and 1943, 89,000+ people had moved into Mobile to work as part of war industries. During World War II, dozens off new airstrips would be constructed accross the Gulf Coast, including Keesler Field, Brookley Army Air Field (today known as the Brookley Aeroplex), Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Eglin Army Air Field, and Tyndall Army Air Field.

Cold War

During the Cold War, the Gulf Coast would continue to serve as primarily a military region, with all branches of the military represented in the region. Major shipbuilding for the US Navy would also show up in the form of Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Ms.. The Gulf Coast military bases would be mobilized a number of time due to threats by Communist Cuba continuously until the 1990s

Collapse of America & Independence (1993-1996)

Collapse of America

Researchers typically argue that the starting point of America's Collapse was Ronald Reagan's assassination by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30th, 1981 in Washington DC. Following the assassination, Vice-President George H. W. Bush would take office as the American public watched horrified as another president had been assassinated on live television. George H. W. Bush would take several measures to "ensure safety of the American public" including increased surveillance of American citizens. The measures taken were questionable, with many Democrat leaders questioning the legitimacy of the policies accusing Bush of having "Taken advantage of a time of tragedy".

Due to relative unpopularity, George H. W. Bush lost the Republican Primary to Bob Dole who promised to repeal Bush's unpopular laws. However, after ascending to the presidency in 1989, Dole double-backed his pledges to repeal Bush's laws as he claimed them now to be "necessary", sparking widespread protests against the government by democrats and moderates across the country. In 1992, the acquittal of 4 Los Angles Police Department (LAPD) officers recorded beating Rodney King sparks nearly a month of race-related protests and rioting, causing widespread crackdowns by police and the deployment of the national guard to various regions across the nation, with multiple large cities placed on lockdown such as LA, Atlanta, Montgomery, Chicago, and Washington DC. In response to the widespread riots, Republicans in Congress passed the Patriot Act, seeking to create a comprehensive "list" of those participating in "anti-democratic activities". The combination of the Rodney King riots and the Patriot Act as well as Democrats protesting the vote led to none of the candidates being projected to win the election outright.

On December 14th, 1992, the electoral college meet in order to select the winner of the election, but none of the candidates receive the 270 votes required to win. Various news agencies speculated if it could be possible to have "no leader" with rather Congress acting as the de-facto executive branch, however concerns regarding constitutional legitimacy sparked threats by far-right republicans who feared a forceful democratic takeover of the nation.

On January 6th, 1993 as Congress met to vote on the future of government, right-wing militants stormed the U.S. capitol, killing Vice-President Jack Kemp and several dozen members of Congress. State capitols in Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, California, South Dakota, South Carolina, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, and Virginia are also attacked with varying degrees of success. Throughout the deep south, the lingering pain of Rodney King led to man Black Power movements taking up radical Islamic thought, with a group of terrorists detonating a truck bomb at the base of 1 World Trade Center, causing over a thousand casualties.

The US Military on January 10th, 1993 is given the order throughout the Gulf Coast region to form the "Gulf Coast Defense Force", with the objective to protect several key military installations and cities across the region from potential terrorist attacks, with command for the Defense Force is based at NAS Pensacola. The Gulf Coast Defense Force had set up a "designated perimeter" of safety, with a number of troops having come into conflict with the radical Islamic African-American nationalists along the northern regions of the perimeter.

The Floridian government remains in tatters following its storming of the State Capitol. Various regions across Florida have essentially become politically separate, as South Florida argues that the state should move the capital to Miami, a plan that was in the works but was declined several times by the previous governments. Both Jacksonville and Pensacola argued that Tallahassee should remain the capital as moving the capital to Miami would disrupt the balance within the state, putting the full priority to the south of the state, ignoring the northern regions. The Florida Congress was set to hold a vote regarding the legitimacy of southern representative's intentions to move the capital. However, come the day of the vote, southern representatives refused to let the northern senators and representatives into the temporary capital building, causing the northern efforts to challenge Miami to collapse as no northern representatives were allowed to vote.

Northern representatives questioned the plausibility of appealing to the United States Supreme Court about the legality of moving the state's capital to Miami, calling it unlawful, as the southern representatives failed to allow for elections to take place as well as avoided quorum rules. Northern representatives, led by Katherine Harris, officially lodged their case against the south, suing Bob Butterworth in his capacity of Florida Attorney General for accepting the results of the voting process with the case is lodged in the Supreme Court docket as Harris v. Butterworth.

This fight between the north and south of Florida was slowly destroying the already differing cultural divide in the state, especially as the rest of the United States have begun to fight for their own independence such as California and Texas. Southern politicians continued to claim that the north is trying to keep the same policies that led to the chaos of previous administrations while the north claims that the south is trying to prioritize their region.

The US Supreme Court opted to stay in session over the typical winter break due to dozens of important cases needing rulings, with this became known as the "Christmas Court". The Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of Harris, with the majority justices calling for there to be elections, and that the election was unlawful as quorum was not reached. The dissenting opinion argued that it was in the representative's capacity, and that due to the total number of active members in the state congress, that the quorum of living representatives had been reached and therefore the vote was legal.

Following Harris v. Butterworth, the state of Florida was even more split than it had been before, as the only way to now declare elections was via Miami. Majority of Northern citizens called to abandon election efforts as even an attempt of an election would just favor the south.

The city of New Orleans in March 1994 formally requested that the Gulf Coast Defense Force leaves the city and the state of Louisiana as a whole. The force's leadership, led by Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and Russel L. Honoré, obliges to the request as the logistics of containing the city was becoming increasingly difficult as the rise of Black Rower rebels attacked logistics groups in the city and across the highway supply routes.

In April 1994, Miami continues to refuses to give up the capital, with even various Northern politician's properties ransacked by state troopers to find evidence on them. Following the raids, northern representatives meet and formerly discuss the prospect of forcing South Florida out of the Florida Union by dissolving Andrew Jackson's 1821 decree that had merged West and East Florida.

Miami on June 7th, 1994 officially declares intent to split the state of Florida in a "State Divorce" to settle the question of control over the state. The formal declaration would lead to the state to be split into 5 sections: West Florida, Jacksonville, South Florida, Conch Republic (led by Key West), and a buffer zone between all of the states. All sides of the debate agreed to this proposal, although West Florida and Conch Republic would remain as part of the United States under the Gulf Coast Defense Force.

The governments of Alabama and Mississippi officially are dissolved by Black Power rebels who had risen up against whites in the deep south seeking to create their own "New Afrika" in the deep south. Many southern politicians leave for the Gulf Coast Defense "safe zone". The leftover governments of Alabama and Mississippi operating out of Mobile and Biloxi petition to become closer with the region of West Florida, effectively combining to become one singular state, with a capital in Pensacola.

Independence

By August 1994, much of the South under rule of the "New Afrika" rebel groups, it became a logistical difficulty to deliver much-needed logistical support to West Florida and the Conch Republic from the United States. As a result, the United States asked local politicians if the regions would desire de-facto independence in order to properly set up proper trade lines for the millions along the Gulf Coast. The regional West Floridian and Conch governments delivered a joint note to the US Congress that stated that the debate over possible independence would have to be voted upon by both the political branch as well as the citizens.

West Florida states that should the state elect for independence, the US military equipment as part of the "Gulf Coast Defense Force" would be handed over and reorganized into the West Floridian Armed Forces. The United States Congress accepts the proposal as coordinating the military from Washington was becoming increasingly difficult. West Florida representatives propose that the US Armed Forces would be allowed deployments if independence is voted upon. Upon the return of the representatives the West Floridian Defense Force is officially founded on August 23, 1994 with the mission to be protection of the State of West Florida. West Florida and the United States sign an agreement called the "Treaty of Washington" stating that the United States will support West Floridian independence, if the public was to vote in favor.

On August 29th, 1994, the West Florida Congress votes in favor to hold a public vote on independence, with it set to take place in 1995. The West Floridian Congress on November 18th 1994 declares that the public vote for independence will be held on December 3, 1995. Following the announcement of voting, Congress introduced a single-time mandate that all adults over the age of eighteen would be required to vote in the independence vote in an effort to get the opinions of all adults. During this time, the United States would continue to collapse as entire regions across the United States declare total independence and hostility towards the remnant USA, who only still possessed New England and portions of the Eastern Seaboard. In mid-1995 the remnant USA would lose Washington DC as the capital, swaying voters in West Florida to look towards independence as the safest scenario for the region.

On December 3, 1995, West Florida voted 94%-6% in favor of political independence from the United States, marking West Florida as the only nation to have left the Union through peaceful means. Over the following days, West Florida notifies the US Congress that it will begin the separation proceedings, however it will establish a trilateral alliance with the USA-West Florida-Conch Republic for national security. on December 4, 1995 the United States formally recognizes West Florida's independence declaration, and will move to establish relations.

West Florida officially ratifies independence on March 5, 1996, declaring itself independent. The national government is formally established, as well as the Constitution is ratified with both the government structure and constitution mirroring that of the US Constitution. Israel is the second nation to have formally recognized West Florida, with the Israelis concerned about the future of the the Sa'ar 5-class corvette. West Florida opts to not seize the Israeli ships, instead offering to complete them with a partially renegotiated contract, officially launching the independent West Floridian defense and shipbuilding industry.

On April 7, 1996 an emergency United Nations session is called in Geneva, Switzerland regarding West Florida's independence as the only successor state of the USA formally recognized by the remnant USA. Due to the USA's endorsement, West Florida is officially recognized by the UN which begins the admission process and the joining of various UN councils and demarcation of land and sea borders.

West Florida in the post-independence world slowly becomes a key nation for oil supplies due the Oil Crisis caused by the collapse of the USA, Russia, and the overall global economy. Due to greater stability, dozens of oil companies had moved out of Louisiana to West Florida, giving West Floridian companies de-facto control of many oil platforms within New Orleans EEZ.

In 1997, West Florida officially declares the region of "New Afrika", composed of dozen of un-organized city-states, terrorist groups, private militaries, and warlords, as a threat to national security. The West Floridian Department of Defense places threat level presented by New Afrikan threats as the top-most threat to national security, with the implementation of conscription laws for all men over the age of 18 for the total of two years.

Government and Politics

Military

Main article: West Floridian Armed Forces

Nuclear Policy

West Florida is not confirmed to be in the possession of weapons of mass destruction, and has not ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has argued that West Florida is in possession of undeclared chemical warfare capabilities and a biological warfare program. Officially, West Florida neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons.