Florida is more like NY south.
Tim Kaine and Mark Warner from Virginia.
Most dictionaries define the Deep South as usually comprised of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Deep+South
Florida and Texas share geography and many characteristics with those Deep South states, but migration flows have altered their characteristics (e.g. Florida panhandle is Deep South, but South Florida is not).
While it is true Florida was part of the Confederacy and was once part of the Old South, they have evolved. The last vestiges of their evil ways were wiped out many years ago, beginning with the arrival of the first Snow Birds. Then came the Retirees from the north and the Cubans from the south. Florida is now “Progressive, Multicultural & Cosmopolitan” ,all the things the elites dream of and can in no way be associated with those Knuckle-draggers” from the rest of the “Old South”. At least that is how the news media seems to see it.
Virginia is well on it’s way to becoming like Florida.
Florida hasn’t been Deep South for many decades. It can be lumped with beltway VA and most recently North Carolina as contaminated by migrant liberals.
Yep, half of the people voting in South Florida are from New York. I still remember traveling there, being in the airport, and thinking, geeze, these are REALLY RUDE people. Then I started hearing their New York accents and it came to me.
North Florida is still the South, but it’s difficult to consider Florida as a Southern State, due to all these interlopers.
If we could take away voting privileges from all of the morons who moved down here from the northeast, Florida would be solid red.
What about Warner and Kaine from Virginia. Is Virginia no longer a southern state?
Since Northern transplants and their decendents became the majority of the population? Only North Florida is 'Southern' in character now. So to refer to Florida politically as part of the "Deep South" does not make sense.
-PJ