Florianópolis [key], city, capital of Santa Catarina state, SE Brazil, on Santa Catarina Island. An administrative and cultural center and a port city, it is linked with the mainland by a huge suspension bridge (built 1926). The city was founded as Destêrro in 1673 by colonists from São Paulo and became the capital of the captaincy of Santa Catarina in 1739. It was renamed (1893) for Floriano Peixoto, a president of Brazil. Its commercial importance began to decrease in the late 19th cent. as the interior of the state was developed. The Univ. of Santa Catarina is in Florianópolis.
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