Florence was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of Mansfield Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 96. Accessed June 19, 2012. The township was named for Florence, Italy.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 31, 2015.
