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Zuniga could not leave SA to take his new job in Catagena for 3 years

Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122

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In Florida the time spent by the incumbent governor awaiting his replacement seemed interminable. By law the governor’s term was five years if he came from Spain and three years if he came from the Indies. Still, all terms were at the king’s discretion and subject to administrative inertia. Joseph de Zuniga y Cerda became governor of Florida in 1699 for a three-year term. Early in 1703, after serving one year more than the required three, he secured a new post as governor of Cartagena, but it took three more years before he could assume his new office. Procrastination in naming his successor, red tape, Andres de Arriola’s refusal to accept the governorship, and delays in sending Francisco de Corcoles y Martinez kept Zuniga in Saint Augustine until 1706, four years longer than his allotted term. He might have taken the chance of leaving before a replacement arrived, but the law specifically forbade such practice. Although colonial officials often disregarded laws governing their conduct, they rigidly adhered to this rule. Ignoring it might embroil them in long, costly litigations and jeopardize their future. Zuniga had secured the alluring governorship of Cartagena, and he meant to take that office.
(Tepaske GSF)