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Philip V rejected the Council's recommendations for Zuniga's replacement
Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122
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Appointment and Terms of the 18th Century Governors of Florida Each candidate for the governorship of Florida had to meet two requirements. He must have attained the rank of colonel and have been born in Spain. The first requirement was essential because of the purely military character of the colony, which required the disciplined hand of an experienced officer. A colonel had the necessary rank and training to handle such a difficult assignment. The second requirement, peninsular birth, ostensibly endowed the governor with administrative and moral qualifications denied pure-blooded Spaniards born in the Indies (Creoles). Spanish origin also helped to insure loyalty to the crown, a dubious quality in most colonials. Occasionally, authorities in Spain deviated from these requirements, particularly the first, and sometimes filled the governorship with soldiers below the rank of colonel whose outstanding record of loyalty and service merited the office. The requisite of Spanish birth, however, was more rigid. A qualified candidate for the governorship usually received his appointment from the king upon recommendation of the Council of the Indies. [Note: The Council of the Indies was the agency in Spain that deliberated on colonial affairs and problems. It was the king’s chief advisory body on the colonies and had important functions in determining colonial policy.] With notable exceptions the ten permanent governors of Florida between 1700 and 1763 obtained their posts in this manner. When a vacancy occurred in the governorship, the Council drew up a slate of three candidates (terna), listing them in order of preference. The Council then submitted this trio of names to the king, who had several alternatives once he received the nominations. [Note: AGI, Audiencia de Santo Domingo, Legajo 836. Consulta del Consejo de las Indias, November 22, 1714. This document is typical of the terna usually submitted to the king by the Council.] He might choose of the three as the new governor or reject all recommendations and call for a new terna. He might disregard the Council’s recommendations completely and make his own choice, or he might delegate the authority of appointing a new governor to a trusted official in the Indies. Normally, it was easier for the overworked monarch to accept the Council’s recommendations. Procedure varied in making appointments to the governorship of Florida. When he sought to replace Governor Joseph de Zuniga y Cerda in 1704, Philip V found the Council’s first list of candidates unacceptable, particularly the nomination of the veteran soldier Domingo de la Canal y Soldevilla, and requested a new slate. [Note: AGI, Santo Domingo, Legajo 851. Consulta de la Junta de Guerra, April 17, 1704.] AN290 (Tepaske GSF)
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