The Florida quarter is the second of 2004, and the 27th in the United
States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. On March 3, 1845, Florida
became the 27th state to be admitted into the Union.
The design incorporates a 16th-century Spanish galleon, a space shuttle
and the inscription "Gateway to Discovery." A strip of land with Sabal
palm trees is also depicted.
On Easter in 1513, while searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth,
Ponce de Leon named the region "Pascua Florida," meaning "Flowery Easter."
In 1539, Hernando de Soto and other explorers continued the exploration of
the New World through the region.
Florida, home to the Kennedy Space Center, has been the starting
point for most of the modern era’s most significant scientific space
expeditions – from Man’s first moon landing to the Voyager probe currently
exploring deep space outside our solar system. From 16th-century Spanish
galleons to 21st-century space exploration, Florida has played a continuing
role in humanity’s quest for knowledge and discovery. With the highest
average temperature of any state, and the second longest shoreline, Florida
is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
On April 9, 2002, Governor Jeb Bush appointed a nine-person Florida
Commemorative Quarter Committee. In May 2002, the Committee reviewed over
1,500 design concepts and narrowed the candidates to 25. The Committee met
again in June 2002 and selected 10 candidate design concepts to forward to
Governor Bush, who selected five concepts – including "The Everglades,"
"Gateway to Discovery," "Fishing Capital of the World," "St. Augustine," and
"America’s Spaceport." In a three-week public vote, Floridians chose
"Gateway to Discovery" as the winning design.
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