He was given the task of investigating the Esquilache Riots that same year and acquired a reputation as a supporter of the king's reformist policies.

The chief minister at the time, the Marquis of Esquilache, recognized his ability and made Moñino Spanish ambassador to Pope Clement XIV in 1772.

He was rewarded with the title "Count of Floridablanca" in 1773 for succeeding in obtaining the support of the Pope in suppressing the Jesuits.

After the expulsion of the Jesuits, Spain's higher education system was left woefully understaffed; Floridablanca worked to hire new teachers and administrators and to modernize pedagogical methods.

He concluded trade agreements with Morocco and the Ottoman Empire and believed that good relations with Great Britain were key to Spain's growth.

His centralist policies brought him into conflict with regional interests, and he was often at odds with the Aragonese faction at court, which enjoyed many traditional liberties from the central government.

The Aragonese faction, supported by the queen's lover Manuel de Godoy and the Count of Aranda, finally succeeded in ousting Floridablanca from power in 1792 on charges of embezzlement.

He accepted the call and became the President of the Supreme Central and Governmental Junta, but at the age of 80, his strength failed him, and he died at Seville on November 20 that year.