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Reminiscent
of
Alabama's State Flag and the red "X" of the
Confederate States of America, the Florida State
Flag displays two diagonal red bars on a white
field. The official state specifications
indicate: "The State Flag shall comform with
standard commercial sizes and be of the
following portions and descriptions: "The seal
of the state, in diameter one-half the hoist,
shall occupy the center of a white ground. Red
bars, in width one-fifth the hoist, shall extend
from each corner towards the center, to the
outer rim of the seal."
The
State Seal on the flag features a Native
American Seminole woman scattering flowers, a
steamboat, a cabbage palmetto tree and a
brilliant sun. Florida is thusly represented as
the land of sunshine, flowers, palm trees,
rivers and lakes... "la Florida"
If you
want more information on the State Flags of the
United States, you might want to check
How Proudly They Wave: Flags of the Fifty States by Rita D. Haban. This book is
geared toward kids... and for adults like me who
want to know about the history and design
significance of the flags of all fifty states
but can't find this information in an expensive
encyclopedia.
From 1868 to 1900, the flag of Florida was simply the seal of Florida on a white background. In the late 1890s, Governor Francis P. Fleming suggested that a red cross be added so that it would not appear to be a white flag of retreat hanging still on a flagpole.
The term "Five Flags over Florida" usually refers to the five governments that have exerted sovereignty over all or part of Florida: the flags of Spain, France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Confederacy have flown over Florida. At various times in its history, at least 16 different flags have flown over Florida or parts of Florida.[1]
There is a small campaign to redesign the Florida State Flag for the 500th anniversary of Florida. The small grass roots movement wishes to host an open competition similar to the competition held for the state quarter design where many designs will be submitted and subsequent runoffs will produce a few approved designs offered to the citizens for voting.[citation
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Official State Flag of Florida
