Juan Ponce de Leon Landing - Melbourne Beach, FL, USA
N 28° 00.669 W 080° 31.835
17R E 546149 N 3098526
The Juan Ponce de Leon Landing is a small Brevard County oceanfront park located in Melbourne Beach, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WM6QY2
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2009
Views: 8
From the
Brevard County Parks and Recreation website:
Juan Ponce de León Landing
4005 Highway A1A
Melbourne Beach
Parks Referendum Project
On SR-A1A 6.2 miles south of US-192 (Melbourne Cswy).
Open after 7:00 a.m. until dark, except for scheduled use.
This 25.57-acre regional beach park features 2 beach crossovers, a small pavilion, restrooms, and parking.
Historic Interest Feature
The park commemorates the epic 1513 voyage of Ponce de Leon and his landing on the shore of Florida on April 2 and at the exact site of the park.
ADA ACCESSIBLE: Parking, Restrooms
ACTIVITY FEATURES
• Fishing (surf)
• Swimming (unguarded)
DOS & DON’TS: 1) Service animals only. 2) Alcoholic beverages in designated areas only. 3) Other restrictions as posted.
An historical marker in the park provides the following information: "While there is disagreement among scholars, it is believed that this site may be in an area where Juan Ponce de Leon made landfall in April 1513. It has long been thought that this event took place near St. Augustine, based upon studies of de Leon's compass headings that did not account for the inability of 16th century navigators to accurately determine longitude, magnetic compass deviations, or the effects of the Gulf Stream and prevailing winds. Professional navigator Douglas Peck re-traced Juan Ponce de Leon's route in a sailboat, however, and found a more likely landing site. Peck, who sailed the same waters for 30 years, has an "intimate geographical knowledge of the route" Juan Ponce de Leon took. When he re-sailed the route at the same time of year as the 1513 voyage, he reached Florida's eastern shore at 28 degrees North Latitude and 80 degrees 29 minutes West Longitude, just south of Melbourne Beach. He can place the accuracy to within 5 to 8 Nautical Miles on either side of this navigational fix. Many historians now conclude that an area south of Melbourne Beach, such as this site, was a more probable location for Juan Ponce de Leon's first landing. This Brevard County Park, Juan Ponce de Leon Landing, was created in 2005."