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Florida's strategic location made the state vital for national defense, and
dozens of military installations were activated before and during the war.
Planes and ships from Florida's bases helped protect the sea lanes in the
Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Florida was viewed as an
important first line of defense for the southern United States, the Caribbean
Basin, and the Panama Canal. The defense industry also grew dramatically during
the war. Equipment and supplies necessary to conduct the war were produced in
the state, such as the Liberty Ships that were built by Tampa Shipbuilding, the
Wainwright Shipyards in Panama City, as well as shipyards at Pensacola and
Jacksonville. "Alligator" amphibious vehicles were designed and produced at
Dunnedin. Agriculture, however, remained Florida's primary economic contribution
to the war effort. The U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized the temporary
importation of 75,000 Bahamians and Jamaicans to work in south Florida fields.
Many Floridians were still recovering from the Great Depression, and
World War II presented economic opportunities. Wages improved and jobs became
plentiful due to the large number of men in service. Women, blacks and Hispanics
moved into professions previously dominated by white males. Despite some
friction, race relations were relatively peaceful during the war, as black
Americans in particular worked toward the "Double V" victory abroad against
fascism and victory at home against racial prejudice.
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Florida's tourist industry was initially hurt by restrictions on travel,
particularly during the early years of the war. To compensate for the loss of
tourist dollars, however, the military took over hotels for use as barracks and
restaurants as mess halls. By April 1942, for example, 70,000 hotel rooms on
Miami Beach were used by trainees attending various service schools run by the
Army Air Corps. Later in the war the tourist trade returned, with Florida
promoting itself as a vacation getaway for hard working, and now highly paid,
civilian workers. "Like a soldier YOU need a civilian furlough," claimed the
Daytona Chamber of Commerce, while Miami promoted the idea that one could "Rest
faster here."(1) Consequently, in 1943 tourism in Florida increased by 20% over
the previous year, and gambling at south Florida racetracks reached all-time
highs. Florida's promotion of its tourist industry during the latter stages of
the war drew criticisms in some quarters for its inappropriateness during a
period of national sacrifice.
Perhaps the most dramatic impact of the war on Florida was the many
military bases established throughout the state. Even before the outbreak of
fighting, new installations were built to house the prewar defense buildup. For
the army, Camp Blanding near Starke became one of the largest training bases in
the southeastern United States, with nine entire army divisions and many
independent units passing through its facilities. Later in the war, Camp
Blanding served as an Infantry Replacement Center, training thousands of
individual soldiers for combat duty. Other major bases included Eglin Field near
Pensacola where Jimmy Doolittle's bombers trained before their dramatic 1942
raid on Japan; Drew and McDill airfields at Tampa; Dale Mabry Field at
Tallahassee, where the famous, all-black, 99th Fighter Squadron trained; the
naval bases at Pensacola, Jacksonville, Key West, Miami and Ft. Pierce; and Camp
Gordon Johnston at Carrabelle, which was the Army's major amphibious training
center. By 1943 approximately 172 military installations of varying sizes were
in existence in Florida, compared to only eight in 1940.
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