Complex sentence: Although Florida is still only 55 miles away, with few ports of any real consequence in the state at the time, blockade runners would make their trips from Nassau to Charleston, South Carolina, the largest Confederate port on the Atlantic coast.
Split into simpler sentences: Although Florida is still only 55 miles away, the state had few ports of any real consequence at the time. Hence, blockade runners would make their trips from Nassau to Charleston, South Carolina, the largest Confederate port on the Atlantic Coast.