A Case Study: The Residencia of Governor Francisco del Moral Sanchez No governor of Florida during the 18th century held out more promise than Francisco del Moral Sanchez, yet none created more problems and unrest. An appointee of the governor of Cuba, Moral obtained his post on the strength of 30 years of outstanding military service on the island. AN354 As an army officer he had demonstrated those qualities essential to success in Florida—loyalty, initiative, and ability to command—and these qualities won him the governorship. During his first few months in office, he seemed to bear out the governor of Cuba’s high estimate of his talents. Moral’s proposals for the development of pearl fishing, silver mining, farming, and shipbuilding all showed an enthusiastic concern for the economic future of Florida. In a strong letter to Philip V he asked for a number of hard-working Spanish immigrants would be willing to bend their efforts to these new enterprises and revive the colony. In his view immigrants would stop the expansion of the “ambitious and covetous” English settlers in the Southeast and pave the way for a renewal of mission work among the Indians. [Note: Gov to king 8/31/1734] These early proposals gave Moral’s superiors confidence that the Cuban governor had made an able choice, but later reports from the colony changed this view. In May, 1735… (Tepaske GSF)