I'm going to post a copy of this reply on the "Arms and Equipment" message board.

Inside frame of these Maynard carbines should be marked "Edward Maynard, Patentee, May 27, 1851/Dec. 6 1859". Markings on the outside frame should be, "Manufactured By Mass. Arms Co. Chicopee Falls".
http://www.uncledaveys.com/carbines.htm

Using the patented Maynard tape priming system, the first model Maynard featured a patch box and a folding back sight. Fire destroyed the Chicopee Falls factory in January 1861, so nearly all 5,000 first model Maynard carbines would have been manufactured during 1860. Some (if not all) came boxed with copper-case cartridges and interchangeable 35 and 50 cal. barrels.

Just over 3,100 carbines were saved from the fire. Most of the 1,900 already shipped could have gone to Southern states, although agents of the Italian government bought arms available for sale in New England in quantity.

Here's an example of a first model Maynard offered in auction last month --
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=136772999

You may see a suggestion that governors of Southern states purchased these arms for "sportsmen", a flimsy disguise for their intended use. This is ridiculous. Arms manufacturers expected large orders by state, national and foreign governments. Any surplus stock would be consigned to private arms dealers for retail sale to the public. John Brown's attack on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry VA in October 1859 prompted Southern state legislatures and governors to allocate substantial funds for newly-organized volunteer militia companies. They also pressed Secretary of War John B. Floyd to issue surplus arms for their militias, so no subterfuge was required.

Production did not resume until the early months of 1863. As one might expect, the great majority of authentic Maynard carbines come from the 20,002 purchased by the U.S government and are 2nd models dating from 1863 to 1865. These appeared without a tape primer or patch box, and used a standard back sight on the 50 cal. barrel above the frame hinge.
See Civil War Firearms: Their Historical Background and Tactical Use, by Joseph G. Bilby, 134-35, and The Guns That Won the West: Firearms on the American Frontier, 1848-1898, by John Walter, pp. 70-71.

http://www.civilwarguns.com/9906b.html
http://www.floridareenactorsonline.com/MayMag12002.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Maynard
http://www.relicman.com/weapons/zArchiveWeaponCarbineMaynard.htm

While the State of Florida certainly could have purchased 1st model Maynard carbines, wouldn't we expect them to have been issued almost immediately? Companies of the 2nd Florida Cavalry and 3rd Florida Cavalry Battalion were not organized until early 1862. I don't question the authenticity of your references, but where were these arms from March 1861 until February 1862? Florida State Archives should contain correspondence of Gov. Perry for purchases of arms and which companies should receive them.

Image taken from this site
http://www.michaelsimens.com/Civil_War_Weapons_Muskets_Rifles_Carbines.asp