Top photo: Southernmost point buoy, NE view ↗ by Radomianin, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗, from Wikimedia Commons.
1stFlorida.com
Blog Sources
Where the facts in each 1stFlorida blog article come from, article by article.
How 10 Florida Towns Got Their Names
Its facts come from the 1stFlorida pages it links to.
Citrus County: Where the Manatees Spend the Winter
These sources were read online on October 26, 2026.
- Florida Population Estimates by County and Municipality, April 1, 2025 (UF BEBR, published by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research) ↗
- Historical sketch of Citrus County, WPA Historical Records Survey, 1936 (Florida Memory) ↗
- The First Citrus County Commissioners (Old Courthouse Heritage Museum) ↗
- Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) ↗
- Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge: Visit Us (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) ↗
- Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge fact sheet, 2025 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) ↗
- Three Sisters Springs: By the Boardwalk (City of Crystal River) ↗
- Manatees in Crystal River and Homosassa (Citrus County Visitors and Convention Bureau) ↗
- The Top 4 Springs in Citrus County (Citrus County Visitors and Convention Bureau) ↗
- Contact the Citrus County Visitors Bureau ↗
- Floral City (Citrus County Visitors and Convention Bureau) ↗
- The Old Courthouse Heritage Museum (Citrus County Visitors and Convention Bureau) ↗
- Fort Island Gulf Beach (Citrus County Visitors and Convention Bureau) ↗
- Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Homosassa Springs park page (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Crystal River Archaeological State Park (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Crystal River Preserve State Park (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Withlacoochee State Trail (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Fort Cooper State Park brochure (Florida State Parks) ↗
- 1 Courthouse Square, the Old Citrus County Courthouse (City of Inverness) ↗
- Inverness Depot District (City of Inverness) ↗
- City Parks (City of Inverness) ↗
- Historic Floral City state historical marker (Florida Division of Historical Resources) ↗
- Coastal Access Guide: Citrus County (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) ↗
- Fort Island Gulf Beach birding site listing ↗
- Fort Island Gulf Beach (Florida Nature Coast) ↗
- Citrus County Government contact information (Citrus County) ↗
- Bay Scallops (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) ↗
- Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) ↗
- Bay scallop season news release, Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties, 2026 (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) ↗
- QuickFacts: Citrus County, Florida (U.S. Census Bureau; no 2025 figure shown, so the BEBR 2025 estimate is used) ↗
Top photo: Florida Manatee FWS 20 ↗ by Keith Ramos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
Cranes, Claws and Whale Calves: Florida's Cool Season
These sources were read online on November 2, 2026.
- Atlantic hurricane season climatology (National Hurricane Center, NOAA) ↗
- Rainy Season in West Central and Southwest Florida (National Weather Service, Tampa Bay) ↗
- Florida's Rain Machine: wet and dry seasons in east central Florida (National Weather Service, Melbourne) ↗
- South Florida's summer and winter seasons (National Weather Service, Miami) ↗
- Stone crab recreational regulations (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) ↗
- Stone crab commercial regulations (FWC) ↗
- Stone crab season starts Oct. 15, news release (FWC) ↗
- Florida stone crab season opens Thursday (WWSB, Oct. 13, 2026) ↗
- Stone crab rule 68B-13.004 (Florida Administrative Code) ↗
- Sandhill crane species profile (FWC) ↗
- Living with sandhill cranes (FWC) ↗
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail) ↗
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, gateway site (Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail) ↗
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (Florida State Parks) ↗
- Paynes Prairie La Chua Trail (Visit Gainesville, Alachua County) ↗
- Bald eagle (FWC) ↗
- Bald eagle biology (FWC) ↗
- Bald eagle management (FWC) ↗
- Bald eagle FAQs (FWC) ↗
- Bald eagle nest monitoring (FWC) ↗
- Manatee (FWC) ↗
- Manatee habitat (FWC) ↗
- Manatee protection zones (FWC) ↗
- Where to see manatees in Florida (FWC) ↗
- Wildlife Alert Hotline (FWC) ↗
- North Atlantic right whales (FWC) ↗
- About North Atlantic right whales (FWC) ↗
- What to do if you see a right whale (FWC) ↗
- Right whale guidelines for boaters (FWC) ↗
- North Atlantic right whale (NOAA Fisheries) ↗
- Florida Strawberry Growers Association, home page ↗
- About the Florida Strawberry Growers Association ↗
- Facts about Florida strawberries (Florida Strawberry Growers Association) ↗
- History of Plant City (City of Plant City) ↗
- Florida Produce Seasonal Availability Calendar (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) ↗
- Types of oranges, grapefruit and tangerines in Florida (VISIT FLORIDA, content from the Florida Department of Citrus) ↗
- Florida Grapefruit League, home page ↗
- Florida Grapefruit League teams ↗
Top photo: Solo Sandhill Crane ↗ by Don Miller, licensed CC BY 2.0 ↗, from Wikimedia Commons.
Tupelo to Orange Blossom: The Sweet Story of Florida Honey
These sources were read online on November 9, 2026.
- Honey, released March 13, 2026, 2025 data (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service) ↗
- Honey Bee Colonies, released August 3, 2026 (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service) ↗
- Keeping Bees in Florida, ENY-134 (UF/IFAS Extension, 2026) ↗
- Florida Honey Bee Plants, ENY-171 (UF/IFAS Extension) ↗
- Bottling, Labeling, and Selling Honey in Florida, ENY-159 (UF/IFAS Extension) ↗
- Honey and Its Uses, abstract (UF/IFAS EDIS) ↗
- About Us, Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (University of Florida) ↗
- Frequently Asked Questions, Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (University of Florida) ↗
- It's Honey Season (UF/IFAS Extension Duval County, June 26, 2026) ↗
- The Buzz about Local Honey: Why Honey Season Matters (UF/IFAS Extension Volusia County, June 2025) ↗
- Beekeeping in Florida: Important Beekeeping Regulations (UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, August 7, 2025) ↗
- The Bees Are Coming (UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County) ↗
- Protecting honey bees in citrus groves (UF/IFAS, Citrus Industry magazine) ↗
- Tupelo Honey: Rich in Local History and Medicinal Value (UF/IFAS Extension Gulf County) ↗
- Tupelo Honey (Visit Gulf, Gulf County Tourist Development Council) ↗
- Tupelo Honey, Ark of Taste (Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity) ↗
- Beekeepers tending tupelo honey beehives in Apalachicola, 1948 (Florida Memory, State Archives of Florida) ↗
- Tupelo honey beehives in Wewahitchka, 1960 (Florida Memory, State Archives of Florida) ↗
- Apiary on the Apalachicola River, 1948 (Florida Memory, State Archives of Florida) ↗
- Rule 5K-4.027, Standard of Identity: Honey (Florida Administrative Code) ↗
- Rule 5K-4.027, Standard of Identity: Honey, full text (Legal Information Institute copy) ↗
- Honey Varietals (National Honey Board) ↗
- Backyard beekeeping is booming in Florida (WFSU/WUSF Public Media, September 22, 2025) ↗
- Beekeeper resources (Hillsborough County) ↗
- Tupelo Honey Timberlands, Florida Forever project summary 2026 (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) ↗
- L.L. Lanier & Son's Tupelo Honey Farm: a sweet legacy since 1898 (WMBB, via Yahoo News) ↗
- L.L. Lanier and Son's Tupelo Honey, home page (page text did not load; not used for facts) ↗
Top photo: Bienenkoenigin 43a ↗ by Waugsberg, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗, from Wikimedia Commons.