World War II represents a transition period in Florida's recent history. The southernmost state went from a sparsely settled frontier-like environment before the war to one of the nation's most populous and fastest growing areas soon after the war. Much of the historical literature focusing on this period described the impact of military and naval installations, as well as the shipbuilding industry, on the state's economy and population. Other works note the affect of the war on the citrus and tourism industry. Very little, however, has been written about how the war influenced politics in the Sunshine State during this pivotal period. Forces of geography, economics, and demography profoundly shaped Florida politics during the twentieth century. A relatively large, linear state, Florida featured an extraordinary range of differences between its northern regions bordering Alabama and Georgia to its southernmost keys less than one hundred miles from Cuba. In general, the panhandle featured staple crop agriculture, expansive rural areas, and traditional southern culture. The central and southern regions of the state, for the most part, produced a more varied array of farm products - winter vegetables and citrus, had a higher percentage of urban population, and contained the state's highest proportion of northern migrants and seasonal visitors. The state's four largest cities - Pensacola, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami - were separated by miles, economic interests, and culture. The diversity of qualities between the regions prompted pundits to refer to northern residents as "Pork choppers" and inhabitants of the southern region as "Lamb choppers." These divergent qualities resulted in extreme factionalism in politics as each group sought representation and voice in state government. Rather than one or two powerful factions leading state politics like many of its regional neighbors, Florida had numerous blocs centered on local or economic interests competing for influence. Florida reached a cross roads in race relations during the war era. While few acknowledged it, the days of universal white hegemony had passed but the era of greater liberties for African Americans had not yet dawned. During this period authorities and private citizens worked to defeat the ever-present threat of lynch violence in Florida. The following study explores how the state's political leaders responded to the many and varied challenges initiated by World War II. For instance, how did the war color political campaigns and shape the voters' choice of leaders? What affect did the state's atomized political structure have on governance during the war? How did the state's problematic system of governance deal with wartime challenges? What forces did the war exert on the state and how did its elected leaders respond? These are some of the questions considered in the following study.