While Juneteenth, or June 19, commemorates the day in 1865 when slavery was ended in the United States in 41 states, Florida has its own Emancipation Day on May 20. On that day in 1865 the Emancipation Proclamation was read in the capital city of Tallahassee and slaves in the state were officially freed.

Observances in Florida have included staged reenactments of Major General Edward McCook reading the proclamation from the steps of the Knott House surrounded by union soldiers.