Florida

Florida hosts a significant number of Baltic expatriates. Many members of this diaspora first settled in northern US states and moved to Florida in retirement. Community hubs include St. Petersburg for Lithuanian and Latvian communities; West Palm Beach with its Lithuanian Garden at the Royal Palm cemetery; and Naples, which hosts a designated Floridian Latvian consulate. Baltic communities gather together to celebrate shared history and holidays, such as the anniversary of the 1989 peaceful protest, the Baltic Way.

  • There are two main organizations for the Estonian community in Florida. Kesk Florida Eesti Selts hosts potluck lunches, spring picnics, and celebrates traditional Estonian holidays in Central Florida. They also host occasional consular outreach days for official services. In South Florida, Lõuna Florida Eesti Selts hosts movie nights, traditional food tastings, and community celebrations to preserve the Estonian language and spirit.

    The Latvian community in Florida is one of the Largest in the United States. One of the most notable Latvian entities in Florida is Coral Castle – a hand-built limestone castle made from over 1,100 tons of coral rock in Leisure City, Florida. It was created by Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin 28 years ago as a monument to his lost love. The Latvian Association of St. Petersburg helps connect Latvians by hosting four events each year: on Valentine's Day, the 4th of May, Independence Day, and Christmas. There are also occasional picnics and gatherings in Southern Florida, as well as events with the ALA.

    The Lithuanian community in Florida centers around the Florida Lithuanian Center (FLC) in St.Petersburg, home to the Lithuanian American Club of Florida, founded in 1961. The FLC is the only building in the southeastern United States built, owned, and operated by Lithuanians. This November, the organization will celebrate its 65th anniversary with a visit from Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States Gediminas Varviulis as guest of honor. The FLC also hosts the dance group Ritmas, founded in 2007, which performs Lithuanian folk and ballroom dance at community events in Miami, Naples, and Sarasota and at international festivals in Largo and Tampa; the choir ensemble Venta, established in 2014, which sings Lithuanian folk songs and whose composer works at Lithuanian Masses and Tampa's World Nations Festival; and the Village Band (Kaimo kapela), formed in 2024, which plays traditional instruments such as kanklės, skudučiai, cello, violin, and accordion.

  • Estonians host two honorary consuls in the state, in Miami and Crystal River. Latvian Ambassador to the United States Elita Kuzma came to Florida in March 2026. 

  • Florida is home to a notable cluster of Baltic-founded businesses spanning technology, finance, and aviation training. From Lithuania, NordVPN, a global leader in online privacy and security founded in 2012, operates servers in 14 U.S. states, including Florida. Wise(originally TransferWise), a fintech company founded by Estonians in 2011 to facilitate international money transfers and currency exchange, has grown into a publicly traded company valued at $13 billion, with offices in New York, Florida, and Delaware. Also from Estonia, Nortal, an IT services firm serving both public and private sector clients, established a U.S. unit in 2017 and expanded to over 750 employees across Washington, Florida, and New York. In the aviation sector, several Latvian companies that operate business aircraft send their pilots to FlightSafety International training centers in the U.S., including locations in Orlando and West Palm Beach, for initial and recurrent training, reflecting an ongoing professional connection between Latvian corporate aviation and Florida-based training facilities.

This information is always being updated with the help of community members. If you have information you believe should be reflected in this page, please contact us.

Culture

There are two main organizations for the Estonian community in Florida.Kesk Florida Eesti Selts hosts potluck lunches, spring picnics, and celebrates traditional Estonian holidays in Central Florida. They also host occasional consular outreach days for official services. In South Florida,Lõuna Florida Eesti Selts hosts movie nights, traditional food tastings, and community celebrations to preserve the Estonian language and spirit.

The Latvian community in Florida is one of the Largest in the United States. One of the most notable Latvian entities in Florida is Coral Castle – a hand-built limestone castle made from over 1,100 tons of coral rock in Leisure City, Florida. It was created by Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin 28 years ago as a monument to his lost love. TheLatvian Association of St. Petersburg helps connect Latvians by hosting four events each year: on Valentine's Day, the 4th of May, Independence Day, and Christmas. There are also occasional picnics and gatherings in Southern Florida, as well as events with the ALA.

The Lithuanian community in Florida centers around the Florida Lithuanian Center (FLC) in St.Petersburg, home to theLithuanian American Club of Florida, founded in 1961. The FLC is the only building in the southeastern United States built, owned, and operated by Lithuanians. This November, the organization will celebrate its 65th anniversary with a visit from Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States Gediminas Varviulis as guest of honor. The FLC also hosts the dance group Ritmas, founded in 2007, which performs Lithuanian folk and ballroom dance at community events in Miami, Naples, and Sarasota and at international festivals in Largo and Tampa; the choir ensemble Venta, established in 2014, which sings Lithuanian folk songs and whose composer works at Lithuanian Masses and Tampa's World Nations Festival; and the Village Band (Kaimo kapela), formed in 2024, which plays traditional instruments such as kanklės, skudučiai, cello, violin, and accordion.

Diplomacy

Estonians host two honorary consuls in the state, in Miami and Crystal River. Latvian Ambassador to the United States Elita Kuzma came to Florida in March 2026. 

Economics

Florida is home to a notable cluster of Baltic-founded businesses spanning technology, finance, and aviation training. From Lithuania, NordVPN, a global leader in online privacy and security founded in 2012, operates servers in 14 U.S. states, including Florida. Wise (originally TransferWise), a fintech company founded by Estonians in 2011 to facilitate international money transfers and currency exchange, has grown into a publicly traded company valued at $13 billion, with offices in New York, Florida, and Delaware. Also from Estonia, Nortal, an IT services firm serving both public and private sector clients, established a U.S. unit in 2017 and expanded to over 750 employees across Washington, Florida, and New York. In the aviation sector, several Latvian companies that operate business aircraft send their pilots to FlightSafety International training centers in the U.S., including locations in Orlando and West Palm Beach, for initial and recurrent training, reflecting an ongoing professional connection between Latvian corporate aviation and Florida-based training facilities.