Florida has seven floral zones: flatwoods, scrublands, grassy swamps, savannas, salt marshes, hardwood forests (hammocks), and pinelands. Flatwoods consist of open forests and an abundance of flowers, small sand pines are common in the scrublands while savannas consist of water lettuce, American lotus, and water hyacinth. Cacti, orchids, ferns and petals are regarded as threatened. Some of the endangered species include the key tree-cactus, Chapman rhododendron, Harper's beauty, fragrant prickly-apple, two species of pawpaw, four species of ming, and Florida torreya.

Florida once claimed more than 80 land mammals. The white-tailed deer, wild hog, and gray fox can still be found in the wild while small mammals like the raccoon, eastern gray and fox squirrels, and cottontail and swamp rabbits remain common. Florida has a vast number of bird population. The Arctic tern stops in Florida during its remarkable annual migration between the North and South poles.

Common Florida reptiles are the diamondback rattler and various water snakes. The peninsula is famous for its marine life as well. Some of the state's list of threatened and endangered wildlife includes the American crocodile, shortnose sturgeon, six species of sea turtle, red-cockaded woodpecker, and Florida panther.