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The Florida Panther (Felis
concolor coryi) was
designated the official state ANIMAL
in 1982, following a vote among Florida
schoolchildren. |
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Orange Juice
was designated the official state BEVERAGE
in 1967. The growing of oranges is a major part
of Florida's economy, especially in the central
portion of the state. |
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The Common Mockingbird
(Mimus polyglottos)
was designated the official state BIRD
in 1927. |
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The Zebra Longwing (Heliconius
charitonius) was
designated as the official state BUTTERFLY
in 1996. |
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The current design of the
official state FLAG was adopted
in 1900. It consists of two diagonal red bars, in
the form of a St. Andrew's Cross, on a white
field, with the state seal in the center. |
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The Orange Blossom (Citrus
sinensis) was
designated the official state FLOWER in
1909, in recognition of the orange as an
important Florida crop. |
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The Florida Largemouth
Bass (Micropterus salmoides
floridanus) was
designated the official state FRESHWATER
FISH in 1975. |
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In recognition of the fact
that the Apollo 11 mission which landed the first
men on the Moon was launched from Florida, as
were all other U.S. manned missions, the Florida
Legislature named Moonstone as
the official state GEM in 1970.
Ironically, the moonstone is not found naturally
in Florida, nor on the Moon for that matter. |
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The Manatee (Trichechus
manatus) was
designated the official state MARINE
MAMMAL in 1975. |
| |
"In God We
Trust" was designated the official
state MOTTO in 1868. |
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Cross and Sword,
which dramatizes the story of Spanish
colonization of the first permanent European
settlement in what is now the United States,
Saint Augustine, was designated the official
state PLAY in 1973. |
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The American Alligator
(Alligator mississippiensis)
was designated the official state REPTILE
in 1987. |
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The Sailfish (Istiophorus
platypterus) was
designated the official state SALTWATER
FISH in 1975. |
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When the Florida Legislature
of 1975 adopted the Porpoise as
the official state SALTWATER MAMMAL it
failed to specify a specific species, simply
designating the "porpoise, also commonly
known as the dolphin." |
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The current design of the
Great SEAL of the State of
Florida was adopted in 1985. Among the prominent
features of the design are a Seminole woman, a
steamboat, and a sabal palm. |
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The Horse Conch (Pleuroploca
gigantea) was
designated the official state SHELL in
1969. |
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Myakka Fine Sand
was designated the official state SOIL
in 1989. Unique to Florida, Myakka soil is also
the most extensive soil in the state. |
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The Swanee River
(Old Folks at Home), written by
Stephen C. Foster in 1851, was designated the
official state SONG in 1935.
Although the Suwannee River does indeed flow
through Florida (separating the panhandle from
the rest of the state), Foster never visited the
state. It is believed that he chose the term
"Swanee" because its two-syllable
cadence fit nicely into the music he had
composed. |
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Agatized Coral
was designated the official state STONE
in 1979. |
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The Sabal Palm (Sabal
palmetto) was
designated the official state TREE
in 1953. It officially replaced the cocoa palm on
the state seal in 1970. |
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The Coreopsis
was designated the official state WILDFLOWER
in 1991, after the colorful flowers were used
extensively in roadside plantings and highway
beautification programs. |
