Final answer:
James Moore, the governor of the Carolinas, led an attack on Spanish Florida in 1702 without subsequent punishment for the assault, significantly impacting Spanish Florida's economy and population.
Step-by-step explanation:
The governor who refused to punish a man who had attacked some Spanish settlements in Florida and then returned to the Bahamas was James Moore, the then-governor of the Carolinas. In the year 1702, Moore led a significant assault on Spanish Florida, during which St. Augustine was sacked and burned.
Despite not being able to capture the main stronghold of Castillo San Marcos, his forces caused considerable damage to the Spanish Florida, especially with the destruction of dozens of Indian missions.
These missions were crucial to the Spanish population as they relied on the missions and their populations for labor and for resources like corn. The destruction of these missions represented a major blow to St. Augustine and was detrimental to the economic and demographic recovery of Spanish Florida.