In the Sunshine State on this day in:

1869 A proposal that called for the annexation of Florida lands west of the Apalachicola river into Alabama was approved by a nearly 2-1 margin of West Florida voters.  This proposal, one of several similar propositions to be offered in the state’s history, came to naught.  Even today there are “secessionist” ideas that occasionally come to the public’s attention in the Panhandle area.

1896 Seven thousand acres of Osceola County were purchased today for $94,500, the purchase of land was for the establishment of a “Shaker” community.

1948 Johnnie Wright of DeFuniak Springs was elected to the Florida State Senate on this date.  Wright, age 23 years and 7 months, was one of two members of  the Senate at this young age.  The other state senator,  D. J. O’Grady of Inverness, was 23 years and 3 months old when he was elected in 1967.

1982 Ileana Ros of Miami became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Florida Legislature.  Ms. Ros also added her name to the history of the Legislature when she wed a fellow representative, Dexter Lehtinen, in 1984.  Ms. Ros-Lehtinen is also a member of the United States House of Representative from South Florida.