Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León accidentally discovered Florida.
He held a royal contract that granted him the right to settle and govern the island of Bimini. Ponce’s fleet of three ships sailed from Puerto Rico, passing northwest through the Bahamas, and was surprised to find Florida’s southeastern shore.
The Spanish explorer was searching for the “Fountain of Youth,” a fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. Ponce de León named the peninsula he believed to be an island “La Florida” because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast, or Pascua Florida.