Top 10 Florida Inventions Of All Time

Florida is home to beautiful year-round sunshine and the world’s brightest minds. And since all great innovations improve on past technologies, here is our tribute to the Top 10 Florida inventions of all time.

10. Suntan Cream

Invented by: Benjamin Green, 1944When you think of the question, “what was invented in Florida?” then this invention definitely wouldn’t be surprising. Thank you for providing an avenue for the beautiful Brazilian girls of South Beach to rub each other’s backs by the ocean.

9. Offshore Kite Fishing

Invented by: Drunk sport-fishermenThis method of running live bait on the surface of the water by attaching them to kites in hopes of catching monster fish is about as Florida as it gets.

8. Key Lime Pie

Invented by: Unknown, late 1800sStraight outta Key West and delicious, delicious, delicious.

7. Famous Amos Cookies

Invented by: Wally Amos, late 1940sOne of the best things invented in Florida. Wally used to send his special recipe cookies to celebrity entertainers in hopes of recruiting them as clients to the talent agency he worked for.

6. Possible Cancer Breakthrough

Invented by: John Kanzius, 2007Yes, we should inject patients with tiny gold particles and then blast them with radio waves. If it kills cancer, it’s probably worth it.

5. New Supercapacitor

Invented by: Jim P. Zheng, 2013Finally, a chance to eliminate that drawer full of old batteries crusted in alkaline that everybody seems to have.

4. Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice

Invented by: University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center, 1947This is definitely one of the most delicious inventions from Florida. It cures scurvy and it tastes incredible. And hey, we have a lot of oranges in Florida, so that’s like jobs and stuff.

3. Bondo

Invented by: Robert Merton Spink, 1955Anybody who has ever sold a junky car has probably used Bondo to patch all the rusted out spots first

2. Modern Mechanical Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology

Invented by: John Gorrie in 1851Without air conditioning, nobody would ever go to Florida, ever. It is the single biggest factor in attracting the state’s number one asset, tourists.

1. Gatorade

Invented by: University of Florida Scientists, 1965Who would have thought that an assistant football coach and a team of lab coat wearing scientists would create the greatest sports beverage revolution the world has ever seen.

Who knows, if these companies used Pacific 54’s marketing team..maybe these Florida inventions would’ve actually become something…

Frequently asked questions

Which Florida invention had the biggest impact on the state itself?

Air conditioning, hands down. John Gorrie's 1851 work on mechanical refrigeration made year-round life in Florida bearable, and it remains the single biggest factor in attracting the state's number one asset: tourists. Every other industry on this list benefits from it.

Who invented Gatorade and why does it top the list?

A team of University of Florida scientists created it in 1965, working alongside an assistant football coach. It earns the top spot because it did more than quench thirst: it kicked off the entire sports drink industry.

Is Florida still producing notable inventions today?

Yes. John Kanzius's 2007 gold-particle cancer treatment and Jim P. Zheng's 2013 supercapacitor both made this list, and both come from recent research rather than the state's citrus-and-sunshine past. The pipeline of bright minds has not slowed down.