Lived there 29 years. Nothing to worry about. Go camping you will meet many spiders, maybe a bear, but black bears there are small and only protective over their cubs. Swamp puppies (alligators) can be dangerous if you bring your dog to the river to fish, just leave him home and your fine. Bring him/her on hikes and to the springs and you are fine. The water is "cold’ and alligators won’t hang out there. Manatees are beautiful, so are many other things people fear You won’t see a cougar outside a animal refuge unless you spend your life looking for them. That said, if you go south west, you can explore the Everglades and it is rare to do. The Seminoles are a combination of many tribes who have become from accepting all those subjugated by Europeans that came here, whether they be native and even those freed or escaped from the slave trade. They hold a special place in my heart. Florida is obviously a Spanish name, same with many of the changed names throughout the state. Spain/Portugal influenced it, but the natives hold many streets/roads/area names as well, but now Puerto Rico (U.S. Territory) Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica and many others have influenced its form. The laws of Cubans being able to immigrate to the U.S. have not followed U.S. law since the 90s(?).

Several laws were created that had to do with “if you touched land” you could stay. Because people of the Florida legislature didn’t care what the U.S. immigration law was, they fought to allow Cuban immigrants to freely stay when Fidel Castro vowed to execute them if they were returned.

The U.S. didn’t argue it, didn’t subjugate it, they saw it as a states right and freedom to accept someone that would otherwise be killed.

Now the majority of Florida voters wants to take the people who are holding their insurance companies from leaving, and put them in camps. I have never been so ashamed to be born there. Both of my families sides immigrants 2 generations before