Florida's Missing Brunswick County

There is no Brunswick County in Florida. However, the city of Brunswick, Georgia, is approximately 30 miles from the Florida border. In John Grisham's novel, 'The Whistler', the fictional location of Brunswick County, Florida, is the setting for the story. The novel centres on the legal and moral problems involved in Native American gaming.

The city of Brunswick, Georgia, is near the Florida border

The city of Brunswick, Georgia, is approximately 40 miles (60 km) north of the Florida border. It is the county seat of Glynn County and the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline, after Savannah. Brunswick has a rich history and was established as "Brunswick" after the German Duchy of Brunswick–Lüneburg, the ancestral home of the House of Hanover. The city has a diverse racial and ethnic makeup, with a significant population of African Americans and a variety of religious groups.

Brunswick is known for its progressive economy, largely based on tourism and logistics, with a GDP of $3.9 billion as of 2013. The Port of Brunswick, one of Georgia's two seaports, is a vital part of the city's economy and is recognised as one of the most productive ports on the East Coast. The city is also a centre for the automotive industry, serving as the primary export facility for Ford, General Motors, and Mercedes-Benz.

In addition to its economic significance, Brunswick has a thriving cultural scene. The Coastal Symphony of Georgia, the city's most significant professional performing arts group, has been in existence since 1982 and hosts productions at Glynn Academy's Memorial Auditorium. The city is also home to various art galleries, such as Art Downtown, which features a fine art gallery, studio, and production company.

Brunswick's historic Old Town district reflects the city's past as an important port and includes the Brunswick Old Town Historic District. The city has played a strategic role in military history, particularly during World War II, when it served as a base for escort blimps and shipbuilding. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, located north of the city, is a large agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The city experiences a humid subtropical climate, with high temperatures and humidity during the summer months. Winters in Brunswick are fairly temperate, with mild temperatures. The city receives a high amount of rainfall annually, with the peak season being during August and September, which is also the peak of hurricane season.

There are 67 counties in Florida

Florida is a US state with 67 counties. It became a US territory in 1821 with two counties: Escambia and St. Johns, which were divided by the Suwannee River. All other counties were later created from these two original counties. Florida became the 27th US state in 1845, and its last county, Gilchrist, was created in 1925 from a segment of Alachua County.

Florida's counties are subdivisions of the state government. They gained the power to develop their own charters in 1968. All but two of Florida's county seats are incorporated municipalities: Crawfordville, the county seat of rural Wakulla County, and East Naples, located outside Naples city limits in Collier County, are the exceptions.

The names of Florida's counties reflect their cultural heritage. Some are named for Confederate political leaders and Spanish explorers, while others are named for Christian saints, Native American sites, and natural features of the region, including rivers, lakes, and flora. Florida has counties named for participants on both sides of the Second Seminole War: Miami-Dade County is partially named for Francis L. Dade, a major in the US Army; Osceola County is named for the war's native Muscogee-Seminole resistance leader Osceola.

The population of Florida is 22,610,726, with an average of 337,474 people per county. The most populous county is Miami-Dade County, with 2,686,867 people, and the least populous is Liberty County, with 7,706. The average land area of a county in Florida is 805 sq mi (2,085 km2). The largest county is Collier County, at 1,998.32 sq mi.

Florida has at least one fictional county, Brunswick County, which is the setting of John Grisham's novel 'The Whistler'.

The Tappacola Indians have their reservation in fictional Brunswick County, Florida

There is no Brunswick County in Florida. However, in John Grisham's novel 'The Whistler', the Tappacola Indians have their reservation in fictional Brunswick County, Florida. The Tappacola Nation is a small Native American tribe located in the northern part of Florida. In the novel, the Tappacola establish a casino on their reservation, bringing economic prosperity to the tribe. However, it also brings the potential for corruption and involvement with organised crime.

The Tappacola Indians are a fictional tribe, but there are two federally recognised Indian tribes in Florida today: the Miccosukee Tribe and the Seminole Tribe. The Seminoles were not originally a single tribe but an alliance of Northern Florida and Southern Georgia natives that banded together in the 1700s to fight European invaders. The Seminole Nation has five different reservations in Florida, but all of them are governed by the same tribe. The original homelands of Florida's Creek and Miccosukee Indians were in the northern part of the state, but they retreated to the southern areas after the Spanish conquered and shipped the native tribes there to Cuba.

The issue of Indian gaming is a highly political and controversial topic. While some assume that Indians are getting rich from tribal casinos, the reality is more complex. Only 42% of federally recognised tribes operate gaming facilities, and the rural locations of many Native American nations discourage gaming. Additionally, up to 75% of the jobs created by Indian gambling go to non-Indian employees, and the wages are often low compared to national averages.

Indian gaming is regulated by the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which categorises gaming into three classes. Class I consists of ceremonial and social gaming for nominal prizes and is subject only to tribal regulation. Class II and III gaming, which include bingo, poker, and casino-style games, are subject to regulation under IGRA and require tribal-state compacts or agreements. Indian gaming activities may only occur in states where gaming is legal, and tribes must follow strict rules regarding the use of net profits.

The Treasure Key Casino is located in the fictional county

The Treasure Key Casino is located in the fictional Brunswick County, Florida. This is distinct from the real-world Brunswick County in North Carolina and Virginia. In the novel, the Treasure Key Casino is situated in the Tappacola Indian Reservation, where the small Native American tribe establishes a casino, bringing economic benefits to the tribe members. The casino, however, also opens up opportunities for corruption and involvement with organised crime.

The fictional county seat of Brunswick County is the town of Sterling, Florida, where the character McDover lives and works. The Treasure Key Casino is located in this county, adding to the complex dynamics between the Native American community, the judicial system, and organised crime.

The novel, "The Whistler," written by John Grisham, centres around the legal and moral issues surrounding Native American gaming. It explores the impact of the casino on the Tappacola Nation, the involvement of corrupt judges, and the potential for criminal activities, including murder.

While Florida has 67 counties with a rich variety of names reflecting the state's cultural heritage, a history of Spanish sovereignty, and Native American influence, Brunswick County is not among them. The closest real-world location to the fictional county is the city of Brunswick, Georgia, which is approximately 30 miles from the Florida border.

The Treasure Key Casino, in the fictional Brunswick County, serves as a central location in "The Whistler," where the intersection of Native American interests, judicial corruption, and organised crime unfolds, ultimately leading to investigations, plot twists, and justice being served.

The county is named after the Duke of Brunswick

There is indeed a Brunswick County in Florida, and it is named after the Duke of Brunswick. The Duke of Brunswick was a title held by various members of the Welf family, who ruled several small territories in northwest Germany. The specific duke that the county is named after is likely Charles William Ferdinand, who was the prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was a military leader and served as a Field Marshal in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was a cultured and benevolent despot and was married to Princess Augusta, the eldest sister of King George III of Great Britain.

Charles William Ferdinand was a recognised master of 18th-century warfare and played a significant role in the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. He joined the north-German forces of the Hanoverian Army, which aimed to protect Hanover and the surrounding states from French invasion. During the Battle of Hastenbeck in 1757, he led a charge at the head of an infantry brigade, gaining him renown. He went on to participate in several other battles, including Minden and Warburg, where he proved himself an excellent commander.

In addition to his military prowess, Charles William Ferdinand was also known for his interest in the well-being of his subjects and his support for enlightenment arts and sciences. He sponsored the young mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, paying for his university education. As a ruler, he was characterised by economy and prudence, and he successfully restored the state's finances and improved the economy during his reign.

The Duchy of Brunswick, of which Charles William Ferdinand was a part, was a historical German state established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1815. The duchy was part of the German Confederation and the North German Confederation and later became part of the German Empire in 1871. It was disestablished after World War I, and its territory was incorporated into the Weimar Republic.

Frequently asked questions