Ever since Florida’s first governor under statehood, William Mosely, took the oath of office in 1845, gubernatorial inaugurations have taken place in and around the historic Capitol building in Tallahassee.

In the 20th century, developments in communications technology made it increasingly possible for Florida’s incoming chief executives to expand the inaugural experience beyond Tallahassee.

Motion picture cameras first captured the inaugural ceremony of Sidney Catts in 1917, while Governor Dave Sholtz’s 1933 inauguration was the first to be broadcast by radio.

Television entered the scene in 1957, when a mobile unit from a Tampa TV station used the microwave facility at Tallahassee’s WCTV to relay a signal to the AT&T station in Thomasville, Georgia. From there, Governor LeRoy Collins’ second inauguration was sent across the Sunshine State.

For the first time, Floridians who could not travel to Tallahassee were able to witness both the sights and sounds of Inauguration Day celebrations.

Courtesy of the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources