Ponce De Leon Lighthouse was not the first beacon built in Ponce Inlet, Florida. The original, Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse, was destroyed by a combination of weather and war. In 1833, a storm severely damaged the structure; then during the Second Seminole War, native Americans gutted the light with fire. It later collapsed from the abuse, not to be replaced for 44 years, by the still-standing Ponce De Leon Lighthouse.
