The Inauguration Ceremony Unlike the pageantry attending inaugural rites for the viceroy in Lima and Mexico City, the ceremony in Florida was short and simple. In Saint Augustine there were no parades, tournaments, bull fights, lavish banquets, poets’ contests, or eulogistic speeches to celebrate the arrival of a new governor. Florida was a rude military outpost. A change in governors meant little more than a shift in commanding officers of a military garrison. Such an occasion hardly merited extreme formalities or pompous displays of love, loyalty, and affection. The inaugural procedure followed a simple pattern. Immediately upon the arrival in Saint Augustine, the new governor presented his credentials to the incumbent governor and his two treasury officials. They checked and certified the appointee’s dispatch of title and other documents. They then administered the oath of office of the incoming governor, who pledged three times to obey all royal laws and statutes, to act always in the royal interest, to attend to the well being of those residing in Florida, and to provide adequate defenses for the colony. He then received the keys to Fort San Marcos and to the gates of Saint Augustine, symbol of his inauguration as governor. [Note: Governor to king 8/13/1749. This letter describes the ceremony in detail.] AN384 An inspection of the fort and the town followed this short ceremony. Accompanied by the outgoing governor, the accountant, and the treasurer, the new governor surveyed the walls and defenses of Saint Augustine and Fort San Marcos. He also inspected the arms, powder, and supply warehouses and checked the condition of the artillery. The two treasury officials provided him with certified inventories of the supplies, equipment, and money contained in the colony. He then checked this list against one prepared on his original tour of inspection. All discrepancies between the two inventories were reported to the Council of the Indies. There were also informal briefing sessions between the old and the new governor concerning conditions, problems, and personnel in Florida. [Note: Two letters mention these informal conversations: Benavides to king 11/3/1734, Gov to king 5/31/1758.] Occasionally the outgoing governor was not available to inaugurate his successor, but there was little change in the inaugural procedure. Temporary governors took their oath of office from the accountant, treasurer, public secretary, and a high-ranking military officer. Temporary governors inaugurated their permanent replacements by administering the oath and awarding them the keys to the fort and the town. (Tepaske GSF)