Under the glow of streetlights, a spectacular citrus-themed parade float glides down a packed Sarasota boulevard during the beloved Pageant of Sara de Sota — crowds pressing against storefronts draped in patriotic bunting, women and children perched on window ledges for a better view. The float, labeled "Margaret Ann," centers on a giant halved orange flanked by figures in elegant attire, the whole confection blanketed in cascading white floral décor that evokes old Florida glamour at its most theatrical. The Sara de Sota Pageant, launched by Sarasota pioneers to celebrate the city's Spanish heritage and legendary encounter with explorer Hernando de Soto, was an annual civic event drawing thousands each spring; by 1948 it had become one of Southwest Florida's premier community spectacles. On the back, Pearl and Carl dashed off a warm note to their Aunt Lena in Port Huron, Michigan — "Enjoying life here. Beautiful weather now" — a snapshot of the postwar snowbird migration that was reshaping Florida's demographics.