The Florida East Coast League was the name of two American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 circuits, based on the Atlantic coast of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

.

The first incarnation of the FECL was as a Class D circuit that played from through May 14, . It shut its doors, along with many other minor leagues, a few months after the United States entered World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and, despite the postwar baseball boom, it was not revived.

The second Florida East Coast League was a Rookie-class "complex league" owned and operated by Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 clubs. It existed for one season — — and was intended to provide a second Florida-based league for 18- and 19-year-old players, along with the established Gulf Coast League

Gulf Coast League

The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...

, which is located in southwest and west-central Florida. The FECL of 1972 featured four teams based at minor league training complexes in Cocoa

Cocoa, Florida

Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,412 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 16,478. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Cocoa was...

 and Melbourne

Melbourne, Florida

Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...

.

FECL teams, 1940-42

• Cocoa Beach Fliers
• DeLand Red Hats
• Fort Lauderdale Tarpons
  Fort Lauderdale Tarpons
  The Fort Lauderdale Tarpons were a minor league baseball team that played in the Florida State League in 1928 and in the Florida East Coast League from 1940 to 1942. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1940....
  
   (Champions, 1940)
• Fort Pierce Bombers
• Hollywood Chiefs
• Miami Beach Flamingos (Champions, 1941)

• Miami Beach Tigers
• Miami Seminoles
• Miami Wahoos
• Orlando Senators
• West Palm Beach Indians
  West Palm Beach Indians
  The West Palm Beach Indians were a minor league baseball team based in West Palm Beach, Florida. They played in the Florida East Coast League in from 1940 to 1942, the Florida International League from 1946 to 1954, and the Florida State League in 1955. They were affiliated with the Philadelphia...
  
  

FECL teams, 1972

• Cocoa Astros
• Cocoa Expos
• Melbourne Reds (Champions)
• Melbourne Twins