Located only 1 1/2 hours from New York City, Florida, one of the villages which comprises the Town of Warwick, New York, has a distinctly rural character featuring beautiful scenery of farmland, mountains, streams and lakes.

Florida has a rich and colorful history which dates back to before the Revolutionary War. It was first settled in the early 1700's and became a way station for travelers going to and from Warwick and the harbor town of Newburgh on the Hudson River.

Known as the Brookland at the end of the 18^th century, it became a supply depot for the Town of Newburgh where George Washington had his headquarters for a short period. After the ratification of the U.S. Constitution the settlement was renamed Florida after the abundance of red flowers found there.

The first settlers in Florida were English and Irish Catholics who had emigrated to escape religious persecution in their homelands. They purchased farmland in Florida because of its fertile black dirt which brings a high yield per acre. Potatoes and hemp were the first crops grown with moderate success. Almost by accident, the onion crop began as an experiment by a farmer who planted several in a corner of his acreage. The onions grew to a very large size and were gradually adopted as the main crop by the other farmers of the area. Onion farming became the primary source of agricultural revenue, resulting in the area being known as "The Onion Capital of the World." Growing, packing, and distribution of this crop continues to be Florida's most important industry. Today additional crops are grown including lettuce, carrots, celery and pumpkins.

An influx of Polish immigrants in the late 1800's first worked as farm laborers. They eventually purchased their own land, transformed 10,000 acres of black dirt swamps into one of he most productive agricultural areas in the United States.

From 1850 to 1910 the village of Florida was one of the most impressive settlements in Orange County. It was a stagecoach and railroad stop, and it was known for the many taverns and businesses there, many of which are still present.

Florida was home to Judge Samuel S. Seward whose son, William Henry, became governor of New York and later Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. William Henry Seward engineered the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. The Seward family was responsible for the development of the Florida school system, which began with a private school and is now S.S. Seward Public High School.