For the state in the HD Universe, see State of Leonida.
The State of Florida, nicknamed the Sunshine State, is a state located in the southeastern United States of America, featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Description[]
The State of Florida is a prominent state in the 3D Universe of the Grand Theft Auto series, being the first physical location in this universe's storyline in chronological order.
In the 2D Universe, the real-life state also appears in the chapter section menu in the original Grand Theft Auto, although it is not specified if it uses the real-life name or a fictional name. [1]
Florida is one of the few major Grand Theft Auto settings to use its inspiration's real-life name, alongside England cities in the 2D Universe.
Both the state of Florida and Vice City are also briefly mentioned in Rockstar North's Manhunt franchise as part of a shared universe.[2][3]
Influence[]
The state of Florida is inspired by the real-life state of the same name in the southeastern United States.
Overview[]
Skyline of Vice City Beach in Vice City, Florida, as seen from Ocean Bay.
Florida is a large, populous state located on a peninsula in the southeasternmost area of the country. It is bordered to the north by Georgia and Alabama.
The state in the 1980s was marked by the rise of pop culture, music, economic development, and immigration.
Vice City is the only accessible area of the state. Fictional adaptations of real-life cities such as Tampa, Reddick (from which originated the V-Rock radio station and Lazlow Jones's career) and Miami (exclusive to the 3D Universe) are briefly mentioned.
Swamplands and coral keys are also mentioned to exist, as in its real-life counterpart, although they do not play any role in the storyline and are not encountered. Florida is host to many types of maritime wildlife, including sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and many species of fishes and birds.
Alligators are also mentioned to inhabit the unseen swamplands, and it is considered the official state reptile of Florida.[4]
Similar to its real-life counterpart, Florida is famous for its large collection of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings, most of which are located on the Vice City Beach resort island.
Crime[]
Weather[]
The state's nickname is the "Sunshine State", but severe weather is a common occurrence in the state. The Hurricanes Gordy and Hermione play a major role in the storyline, serving as a plot device to prevent the player from accessing future unlockable areas.
Attractions and Landmarks[]
Florida is world-renowned for its beach resorts and amusement parks such as Fun World. NASA also operates a field center in the state.[5]
Transportation[]
Unlike the real-life counterpart, neither Florida nor Vice City have any metrorail systems, and they are not mentioned to exist in any form.
Florida has only one known/named public airport, that being the Escobar International Airport, serving Vice City.
Bayshore Avenue is also said to be part of Florida's highway system in promotional postcards.[6]
Sports[]
Florida has only one known football team, the Vice City Mambas. Media celebrity BJ Smith used to be a former tight end for the Vice City Mambas football team, as well as running illegal businesses in Florida.
The Mambas are not physically seen in-game, except for a cameo appearance in Grand Theft Auto Advance.
Religion[]
Florida in the 1980s has rich and diverse religious cultures, although they are never used as a plot device in the games.
The most notable religious figure is Florida's resident televangelist and celebrity Pastor Richards, originated from Mars, Alabama, depicted as a maniac firebrand preacher obsessed with money, who the authorities believe to be embezzling money from his "Salvation Statue" fund for a private mansion in Hawaii.[7]
Present Day[]
Little information is given about Florida in the 21st century.
The last chronological mention of the state in the GTA series occurs in Kent Paul's 80's Nostalgia Zone!, an in-universe blog written by Kent Paul in 2002 as part of his therapy. In the blog, Paul recalls his time in Florida in the 1980s and mentions Vice City's "social problems", with a little footnote directed to crime kingpin Tommy Vercetti, suggesting he is still a powerful person in Florida as of 2002.
Florida is also mentioned as a destination for vacations in Grand Theft Auto III and Manhunt 2.
Known Cities[]
A Florida state flag license plate used as decoration in The Greasy Chopper bar in Downtown Vice City.
- Vice City, Unidentified Southern Florida County – The main setting of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
- Miami, Miami-Dade County – Mentioned in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
- Tampa, Hillsborough County – Mentioned in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
- Reddick, Marion County – V-Rock's former headquarters mentioned in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Other Areas[]
- Everglades – Wetlands referenced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
- Gator Keys – Coral cay archipelago referenced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
- Fun World – Theme park mentioned in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
- NASA's Kennedy Space Center – Referenced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Postcards[]
Vice City postcards available on Kent Paul's 80's Nostalgia Zone! promotional website for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Billboards[]
License Plates[]
_(variant_1).jpg "Vehicle license plate (GTAVC) (variant 1).jpg (5 KB)")
_(variant_2).jpg "Vehicle license plate (GTAVC) (variant 2).jpg (4 KB)")
.jpg "Vehicle license plate (GTAVCS).jpg (3 KB)")
HD Universe[]
Main article: State of Leonida
"Vice City, Florida" mention on leftover-vacations.com in Grand Theft Auto IV, before being retconned as "Vice City, Leonida".
As Rockstar North preserved the previous fictional names of cities and states after the series' reboot in 2008, Vice City was also introduced originally as a city in the state of "Florida" in the HD Universe.[8]It was only mentioned in Grand Theft Auto IV and briefly in Grand Theft Auto V. In subsequent mentions in Grand Theft Auto Online, Vice City's mentions are no longer accompanied by the state's name, foreshadowing the state's rebranding.[9]
Florida was eventually rendered non-canon to the HD Universe, in favor of the addition of the State of Leonida in Grand Theft Auto VI, which hosts the cities of Vice City and Vice Beach (both originally treated as Florida locations) and several satirical reinterpretations of real-life Floridian counties.
The "Vice City, Leonida" rebranding is exclusive to the HD Universe and does not affect the established "Vice City, Florida" from previous titles, as the 3D Universe trilogy is set in a completely separate canon.
Trivia[]
- During the mission Jury Fury in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Tommy calls a hit and run driver a "dumb Florida moron".
- During The Introduction in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Salvatore claims "Sonny Forelli got himself pasted all over Florida", referring to Sonny's death in Vice City, Florida, during Keep Your Friends Close...
- Florida's retcon in the HD Universe is one of the three major location name retcons in the series, followed by recurring Hollywood actors from Grand Theft Auto III advertisements being mentioned as Vinewood actors in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- Similarly to Florida's retcon, the city of San Andreas from the original 1997's Grand Theft Auto was also briefly considered valid in the 3D Universe, with the real-life San Francisco being mentioned as "San Andreas" in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It was eventually retconned as the state's name in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
References[]
- ↑ Chapter Selection Menu in Grand Theft Auto
- ↑ “I need to go to Vice City, and just relax...”— "John A" during Bees' Honey Pot
- ↑ Florida license plates from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City appear on shared universe vehicles in Manhunt 2 (such as the Stinger), alongside Cottonmouth's ambiguous state's license plates.
- ↑ Bar decoration props at The Greasy Chopper.
- ↑ Pastor Richards' VCBI file on ViceCity.com
- ↑ Original file name "postcardHighway_siteLarge.jpg"
- ↑ Pastor Richards' VCBI Crime Record (ViceCity.com)
- ↑
There are in total eight subtle mentions to Florida by name in the HD Universe, now canonically Leonida mentions:
- On the website Leftover-vacations.com, Florida is mentioned in a deal for a vacation in Vice City.
- Hossan Ramzy refers to the major ports of Florida in an email, rebranded as many ports of Leonida including PortViceCity.
- When asked by Eddie Low if he is from Liberty City, Niko Bellic sarcastically says, "No, I'm from Florida."
- During a Weazel News report, it is said that a senator, Travis Evans, solicited gay sex in Florida.
- Another Weazel News report, which airs after completing Undress to Kill, says that fugitive Joshua Hampton and his mother are rumored to be escaping to Florida.
- Florida was mentioned on the website "Myonlineme.com".
- The term "Floridian" is used on "Craplist.net".
- Gordon Moorehead says he "fought fascism in Florida" during the war in the Grand Theft Auto V in-game TV show Moorehead Rides Again, itself a continuation of the radio show of the same name featured on Vice City Public Radio in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, in which Gordon Moorehead and the show's other main characters were based in Vice City.
- ↑ Rockstar North's plans to reboot Vice City were considered as earlier as 2012:
"Exploring Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s lasting impact on society with Rockstar’s Leslie Benzies" - Adam Rosenberg, Digital Trends (December 13, 2012)
