The Pride of Florida

Florida~s state flower is the orange blossom, which is fitting given the delicious orange juice manufactured in this state. The citrus industry is a backbone of Florida's economy, as well as a cultural touchstone. Yet oranges and orange blossoms are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Florida's interesting history.

The importance of culture and state pride to Floridians is epitomized in the history of the state seal. In 1868, the Legislation wrote in the state Constitution that the state seal ~should not again be changed after its adoption by the Legislature.~ The original seal featured a cocoa tree, the sun over distant mountains, an Indian woman and a steamboat on the water. Nothing is ever constant, however. In 1970, the Legislature changed the cocoa tree to a sabal palmetto palm, and that opened the door to several other significant revisions.

Because Florida is not a mountainous state, the mountains in the seal's background were removed. Other scenic changes were made as well. Moreover, as the Indian woman's headdress was said to be of the sort worn only by men, the image was revised accordingly.

In addition to this beautiful State Seal, Florida also boasts the Mockingbird as their State Bird, the Florida Panther as the State Animal, the Sabal Palm as the State Tree and the alligator as their State Reptile. Though the State Song ~ adopted in 1913 ~ was initially, ~Florida, My Florida,~ Stephen C. Foster~s version of ~Suwanee River~ was adopted as its replacement in 1935.

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