They aren’t even THAT close to the equator. Like I can understand Central America and South America being very warm but Florida is pretty far from those countries and the equator.
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Mainland Florida reaches south of 25°N with the Tropic of Cancer, the line marking the edge of the tropics, at 23.4°N, just over 100 miles away. So Florida is almost in the tropics and the sun can be almost directly overhead in midsummer.
Florida sits in a big warm bathtub.
Remember that Florida is located on the Gulf of Mexico, which is sort of a colossal heat engine that sucks up heat from the sun and pushes it (in the form of warm water) through the Florida straights and up and around Florida’s Atlantic coast. This massive channel of warm water is called the[ Gulf Stream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream) and it stretches all the way to Newfoundland.
In short, Florida is surrounded by a constant flow of very warm water, all day and all night, all year long.
Add to this that Florida has massive wetlands, lakes, rivers, marshes, and prairies from end to end, all of which serve to both trap and release heat and all of which contribute to the state’s relatively high humidity.
So I’m going to openly combine /u/Glade_Runner and /u/jaa101 answers, plus a little more.
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So, first off, Florida is pretty close to the equator – it’s about the same distance from the equator as North Africa, as Baja California, or as the Middle East. Yes, the equator is farther south – but it’s close enough that, during the summer, the sun is close to overhead (the “Tropic of Cancer” – the northermost place the sun is directly overhead – is between Florida and Cuba, less than 150 miles south).
But that only explains the summers. The second reason is the amount of water around Florida. Water holds a LOT of energy – there’s enough around Florida that the heat from the summer would keep it warmer in the winter than it would be otherwise. You can contrast Arizona, which gets much colder in the winter than northern Florida, despite being the same distance from the equator – there’s no water to store heat in Arizona, there is in Florida.
The third reason is that water doesn’t stay still – ocean water is moving, always. The main rule of this is that, because of the Earth’s rotation and the Coreolis Effect (which I can explain more separately), at the equator, water flows towards the East. This means that water between Africa and the Americas flows towards the Americas, warming up as it goes; and then hits the coast of the Americas and follows the coast – up through the Carribean, some into the Gulf of Mexico, some along the “Gulf Stream” that flows up the east coast of North America. That means that the water near Florida has it’s temperature based on the temperatures at or near the equator – which means it’s warmer than it would be otherwise. Which just warms up Florida more.
The state is located in the southeastern United States, which generally has a warmer climate than the rest of the country. Additionally, Florida is a peninsula, meaning it is surrounded by water on three sides. The water helps to moderate the temperature, making it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than inland states. Finally, the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, flows past Florida, helping to keep the water and air warm.
The state is located in the southeastern United States, which generally has a warmer climate than the rest of the country. Additionally, Florida is a peninsula, meaning it is surrounded by water on three sides. The water helps to moderate the temperature, making it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than inland states. Finally, the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, flows past Florida, helping to keep the water and air warm.
Closer to the equator so it gets more light. The hole in the Ozone layer can really burn your skin while in the ocean.
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