Florida NY Chamber of Commerce
![panel-01-js](https://floridanychamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/panel-01-js.jpg)
Rows of Lettuce
Black Dirt Region
![seward-monument](https://floridanychamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/seward-monument.jpg)
Seward Monument
William H. Seward
![rockeller-center-tree Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree](https://floridanychamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/rockeller-center-tree.jpg)
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
2019 Christmas Season
The Quiet Village with a National Impact
Florida is the birthplace for notables such as Elijah Churchill, who, as a sergeant in the Connecticut Dragoons, received the first Purple Heart in 1783 from General George Washington. And William Henry Seward, Governor of New York, Secretary of State for Presidents Lincoln and Johnson and the purchaser of “Seward’s Folly,” now known as the State of Alaska. In 2019 a handsome Norway spruce from Florida NY was chosen from numerous submissions to “bring joy to the millions who visit Rockefeller Plaza during the holiday season,” as the official Christmas tree. Jimmy Sturr, renowned American polka musician, trumpeter, clarinetist, saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra is based here in the Village. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album. Bobby Matuszewski, owner of Quaker Creek Store, has created such an amazing reputation for his family’s gourmet store in the Black Dirt Region that it’s attracted the likes of Food Network’s Chef celebrities like Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain. Meanwhile Ciarán McGoldrick, who operates Glenmere Farm, participated in The Food Network Chopped Champion show on December 26, 2023 winning the grand prize of $10,000.
![Village of Florida NY](https://floridanychamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/aerial2.jpg)
Aerial photo Village of Florida NY: Courtesy of John Stage, used with permission