During that time , Juan Ponce de LeÃ n , who discovered Florida , Vasco NÃ Ã ez de Balboa , who discovered the Pacific ( he called it the `` South Sea '' below Panama ) , and Ferdinand Magellan , who first sailed that ocean to the Orient , profoundly influenced De Soto 's ambitions . During that time , Juan Ponce de LeÃ n , who discovered Florida , Vasco NÃ Ã ez de Balboa , who discovered the Pacific Ocean ( he called it the `` South Sea '' below Panama ) , and Ferdinand Magellan , who first sailed that ocean to the Orient , profoundly influenced de Soto 's ambitions .