Aspalaga, Florida

The origin of American place names continues to fascinate.  Phil Stover says: "Aspalaga was a settlement on the Apalachicola River in the panhandle of Florida.  It was also the name of an old Spanish Mission just east of Tallahassee (St. Juan de Aspalaga).  I have been unable to trace the source of this word.  Does anyone on this list know if it was a physical location in Spain?"  RH:I suspect that "aspalaga" is a variant of  "aspalato", meaning a place where plants of the same family as the broom and rosemary grow.  Someone should go to the settlement and inspect the vegetation.  Does Alfredo Gutiérrez have any comment on the word?