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.

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.[2] Officially, West Florida neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons.