Couldn't it also be Camponotus caryae? I thought nearcticus were all black.
C. caryae are the all-black ones. They are also more prevalent in Southern US; whereas C. nearcitus, hence their name, are more common in the North.
Oooh so the black ones I see in my backyard must be caryae then
Given that you live in Florida, I'd say so.
I thought I had a massive C. caryae colony in my front yard for the longest time until I saw a major with a slightly reddish mesosoma. Even though they're both in the Myrmentoma subgenus, they're pretty different; C. nearcticus colonies can get pretty large and inhabit multiple nesting sites where C. caryae colonies typically don't exceed 300-400 workers.