The article deals with one of the key episodes in history of Florida - the French attempt to establish there a colony in 1562-1565 and the Spanish opposition to it. Chronologically, it covers also a previous period, depicting failed tries of the Frenchmen to take root in the lands of modern Canada and Brazil. The article aims to provide a description of the main events that happened during J. Ribault’s and R. de Laudonniere’s expeditions and to underline causes which led to disruption of the French colonial project. These causes such as negligence in the development of agriculture, leading to shortage of supplies, chaotical interactions with the Natives and slow growth of the population allow us to conclude about the imminent failure of France and strategic superiority of Spain in the Caribbean Sea and modern Southern United States. Pedro Menendez de Aviles's expedition to the harbor of San-Agustin (Saint-Augustine) and Dominique de Gourgues's retaliatory campaign in 1568 are also briefly described. The artic