Florida Strait

1. Southern state of the SE U.S., mostly on a peninsula between the Atlantic & the Gulf of Mexico: admitted, 1845; 53,927 sq mi (139,670 sq km); pop. 15,982,000; cap. Tallahassee: abbrev. FL or Fla
2. strait between the S tip of Fla. & Cuba on the south & the Bahamas on the southeast: it connects the Atlantic & the Gulf of Mexico

   also called Florida Strait

Origin: Sp < L, lit., abounding in flowers < flos (gen. floris): see bloom: so named by Juan Ponce de León