In the Sunshine State on this day in:


1862 Floridians were voting today for state offices (Senate and House of Representatives) under the new Confederate Constitution of Florida.


1873 The Marine Hospital, homes and businesses were devastated in Key West by a violent hurricane.


1891 The 26th governor of Florida, David Scholtz, was born today in Brooklyn, New York.  Scholtz received his Bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1914 and a law degree from Stetson University in 1915.  In World War I, he served in the U.S. Navy. In 1917, Scholtz was elected to the Florida House of Representatives.  From 1919-1921, he was the state’s attorney for Volusia County and then served as a City Judge. Elected as governor in 1933, Scholtz was a strong supporter of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal. He also presided over the creation of the Everglades National Park. In 1938, he ran for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator.  Scholtz died on March 21, 1953, while in the Florida Keys.