The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 28 February 1975 and her keel was laid down on the bicentennial of the United States independence, 4 July 1976.

Florida commenced initial builders' sea trials on 21 February 1983 and was subsequently delivered to the Navy on 17 May 1983, 43 days ahead of schedule.

[9][10] The Tomahawk missile strikes allowed British, French, and allied warplanes to begin enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, preventing Muammar Gaddafi from using his air force to attack rebels in his country.

On 28 June 2010, Florida was one of three Ohio-class submarines involved in a US response to Chinese missile testing in the contested East China Sea.

Florida, Ohio, and Michigan all surfaced simultaneously in the waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea respectively.

[15] Earlier that year in April, the Navy reported that Florida was one of two Ohio-class SSGNs, cruising through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, while operating in the Middle East.

[16] On 15 February 2013, Florida's crew was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation having "distinguished itself in action against the enemy" during Operation Odyssey Dawn in 2011.