The correct answer is A) both states were led by planters with an economic interest in slavery.
At the Civil War, what Florida had in common with Maryland was that both states were led by planters with an economic interest in slavery.
Florida joined the Confederated states before the Civil War. It was the third state that separated from the Union after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Mostly 50% of the population of Florida at that time were slaves. The state of Maryland was a slave state too. Maryland was a strategic place for the Confederates because it was a border state to Washington. During those years of the Civil War what Florida had in common with Maryland was that both states were led by planters with an economic interest in slavery.