ponce de leon landed somewhere else. if the viva 500 celebration wasn't taking place, the island would be left alone!
native populations should be honored by renaming the barrier islands: "ais islands."
you're on top of the game. thanks for sharing.
i personally believe it's 500 years too late in recognizing the historical importance, if indeed, this is where ponce de leon first touched land. the area has never done anything to acknowledge its role. st. augustine has for years, perhaps decades, commemorated its historical importance. it seems inappropriate to do this now.
the spanish historian herrera had access to ponce's logbooks and stated that the noon sun shot taken the day before the landing was 30.8 degrees north latitude. ponce's ship drifted slowly northward until about 5 p.m. when they anchored for the night. the next morning, he and his crew went ashore. 30.8 is just north of st. augustine and south of ponte vedra. his landing spot was obviously in this vicinity.
ponce de leon's landing was recorded as occurring at 30º.8', which would be between st. augustine and ponte vedra beach in st. johns county.
the original inhabitants, the ais tribe, should have this exact same area named after them... it is about time...
since only one of the reasons to respond "no" will take, i think there are multiple reasons to vote no to this question. the motives and actions of ponce de leon were not as altruistic as we might like to see, but i think renaming the area is really a kind of chamber of commerce approach to florida history.
i lived in melbourne for many years and still have property there. we've got enough named after ponce de leon. how about naming it after someone who has done a lot for the area over the years - past or present?
there is no way he landed in melbourne beach. what a dreadful precedent this would set! misrepresenting history so that 300 years from now people will actually accept this as fact. the third bridge and frank thomas need to consider what they are doing.