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Arriola pled ill health to avoid governing FL
Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122
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The Florida governorship was not always an easy post to fill. Service in the colony, even in the prestigious governor’s office, had little appeal. For many ambitious Spanish officers it seemed far wiser to seek a position in more important areas of the Empire, where they could more easily put their talents on display and be more fully appreciated by their superiors. Tucked away in Florida, even the most efficient administrator could gain little attention. For most Spanish officials service in Florida was a curse, a terrible burden to be avoided if at all possible. Two appointees even went so far as to risk the king’s wrath by refusing to take the governorship. [Note: Andres de Arriola in 1705 and Francisco de Bustamante in 1714 both pled ill health in order to avoid taking the governorship. AGI, SD L836. Consulta de Consejo de las Indias 2/26/1705; AGI SD L833 Consulta del Consejo de las Indias 11/22/1714.] Such refusal threw Spanish officialdom into great turmoil. In Spain the king and the Council of the Indies had to repeat the laborious, time-consuming process of nomination and appointment. In Florida the incumbent governor had to sit back to await his replacement before he could assume another post, a waiting period that often lasted years. This failure to fill the governorship was often critical, for it paralyzed the movement of administrators all over the Indies. Since the crown periodically shifted its colonial officials from place to place, the inability of one individual to take a new post prevented the quick, efficient shift or realignment of administrative personnel throughout the colonies. [Note: The delays in sending dispatches between Spain and the Indies also helped to lengthen the process considerably. Dilatory administrative procedures were not always completely responsible.] (Tepaske GSF)
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