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Philip V wanted a bishop for the 50,000 FL Indians who pledged allegiance to him

Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122

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A Replacement for Resino
For the bishop of Cuba finding a successor for Resino was a vexing task, and initially he chose to ignore the problem by neglecting to report Resino’s death to his superiors in Spain. [Note 25: The date of the bishop’s letter informing the king of Resino’s death was 2/15/1713] He also subverted the issue by renewing his request for a separate bishopric in Florida, completely independent of his own episcopate. In November, 1715, therefore, Philip V again put the question before the pope. A short time later when the king learned that 50,000 Indians inhabiting 161 villages in the Southeast had expressed allegiance to Spain, he believed a separate bishopric even more vital. Philip V thus ordered the governor to delineate the territorial boundaries of the proposed new diocese and requested reports from Cuba and Florida on the feasibility of erecting a new bishopric. [Note28: king to bishop of Cuba 2/17/1716]

Opinions differed widely on whether to establish the new diocese. Religious leaders in Cuba seemingly wanted to rid themselves of Florida and strongly advocated its establishment. The Cubans realized no tithe from the poverty-stricken colony and spent 1,000 pesos a year in support of the auxiliary bishop. A separate diocese would put the financial burden on the governor of Florida and relieve the Cubans of onerous obligations. [Note 29: king to Cardenal Aquaviva 1/18/1717] On the other side, the Florida governor strongly opposed separation of his colony from the Cuban diocese and assailed the Cuban arguments on economic grounds. Not only were his Floridians too poor to support a new bishop but the great number of Indians now being maintained by the Spanish had put a severe strain on his treasury. Both reasons made it untenable to set up a separate diocese. The governor had all the financial burdens he could bear without assuming a new one.

(Tepaske GSF)