Crossword Genius

Extravagant American leaving Sunshine State (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

florid

'extravagant' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'american leaving sunshine state' is the wordplay.
'american' becomes 'a' (common abbreviation - e.g. in organisation names).
'leaving' is a deletion indicator.
'sunshine state' becomes 'florida' ('Florida' can be a synonym of 'sunshine state').
'florida' with 'a' taken out is 'FLORID'.

(Other definitions for florid that I've seen before include "Ruddy, flushed" , "Red-faced, flushed" , "With flushed complexion" , "Elaborately ornamented" , "Over-elaborate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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