“In God We Trust” was adopted by the Florida legislature as part of the state seal in 1868. This is also the motto of the United States and is a slight variation on Florida’s first state motto, “In God is our Trust.” In 2006, “In God We Trust” was officially designated in state statute as Florida’s motto.

As a member of the Confederacy, Florida saw use of all three versions of the Confederate flag. The Bonnie Blue Flag, previously the flag of the short-lived Republic of West Florida, was briefly used as an unofficial flag of the Confederacy. It features a single five-point star centered in a blue background.

The design of the state flag of Florida features a red saltire that symbolizes the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified. It is thought that this feature was added to the flag to commemorate the state’s contributions to the Confederacy.

The original 1868 flag of Florida was simply the Florida state seal centered on a field of white. In the 1890’s, Florida’s governor suggested adding the red cross so the flag would not look like a banner of truce or surrender when hanging limp on a flagpole.

In God We Trust
Florida/Motto

Sabal Palm
Florida/State tree
The 1953 Florida legislature designated the sabal palm as the state tree, and the 1970 legislature mandated that the sabal palm should replace the cocoa palm on the state seal.

Northern mockingbird
Florida/State bird
The northern mockingbird’s days as the Florida state bird may be numbered. The gray-and-white mockingbird, celebrated in literature and music, has been Florida’s state bird since 1927, when the state was much more agricultural and less populated on the coasts..