What do you think of when someone says “Florida”? Alligators? Palm trees and brilliant butterflies? Orange juice and Key lime pie? Musical mockingbirds and chattering dolphins? Sandy beaches littered with seashells? Rockets blasting off towards the moon?
All these and more are represented by Florida’s state symbols, which include at least four popular nicknames, three official mammals, two flowers and fishes each, and over a dozen official “cultural symbols.” As in most states, they reflect a combination of history and natural history, with a few commercial plugs thrown in.
However, history largely takes a back seat, probably because Florida was a Spanish possession for much of its history. Another factor may be the continuing invasion by tourists and retirees from more northern states, which contribute to the striking lack of a notable social foundation or culture in much of peninsular Florida.
Land Symbols
Perhaps the best known of Florida’s official flora and fauna is the orange, which served as a popular nickname (Orange State), the state flower and official beverage even before it was declared the state fruit in 2005. The orange is further complemented by the nickname Sunshine State and the official railroad museum, the Orange Blossom Special.
Many people might be surprised to learn that the orange isn’t native to Florida. Perhaps that’s why flowers of the genus Coreopsis were designated the official wildflower in 1991. In fact, Florida is the land of flowers. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León named it La Florida on April 2, 1513. The name honors Pasqua de Flores, the Spanish Feast of the Flowers at Eastertime.
Florida shares its official tree, the sabal palmetto, with South Carolina, the Palmetto State.
Florida recognizes three of the most popular symbols of the South, the mockingbird and largemouth bass. (The third is the magnolia.) The Florida panther is arguably the chief of its three official mammals, even beating out the alligator for the title state animal.
Florida is perhaps the only state in the South that hasn’t adopted a swallowtail butterfly. Instead, it named the zebra longwing its official butterfly.
Though corals are marine animals, fossilized corals are more commonly discovered on land. In this spirit, Florida designated agatized coral its official stone. The moonstone was adopted as the official mineral in 1969. Its name pays tribute to the role Florida played in space exploration, though moonstones are, in fact, native to Florida.
Florida is one of many states that now have an official soil. Florida is represented by Myakka Fine Sand, which has likely nurtured many orange trees and mockingbirds.
Freshwater Symbols
Water is another prominent theme among Florida’s diverse symbols. Florida symbols include two fishes, two aquatic mammals, the alligator, and a marine snail. The official stone, agatized coral, is the fossilized remains of yet another aquatic animal. And Florida’s unofficial fossil is related to sea urchins and sand dollars.
The manatee and porpoise (bottle-nosed dolphin) were designated the official marine mammal and saltwater mammal, respectively. The largemouth bass and sailfish were designated the official freshwater fish and saltwater fish.
The American alligator is probably more closely associated with Florida than any other animal symbol, even though it now represents Louisiana and Mississippi as well. The Alligator State is the only state nicknamed for a reptile. Alligators are also suggested by the nickname Everglades State, though the Florida panther also prowls the Everglades.
Florida’s official shell is the horse conch. Conchs have special significance in the Florida Keys, especially Key West, which proclaimed itself the Conch Republic.
Marine Symbols
Florida’s official marine symbols are pretty much limited to the porpoise (official saltwater mammal), manatee (official marine mammal) and sailfish (official saltwater fish). The bottle-nosed dolphin (porpoise) and manatee are both technically marine mammals. However, it might be less confusing if the manatee was designated the official freshwater mammal, as that’s where they usually hang out.
Agatized coral was designated the state stone, though state fossil would have been a better designation.
The alligator is generally confined to freshwater, though saltwater crocodiles are occasionally found in Florida.
Cultural Symbols
Florida boasts over a dozen official cultural symbols. The official language, English, is as lame as the state motto, In God We Trust. Most of the others are as uniquely Floridian as Indian River, the official pageant.
Perhaps the most surprising is the Silver Spurs Rodeo, as rodeos are normally associated with western states. However, it serves as a reminder that there’s more to Florida than saltwater, marshes and fantasy playgrounds, like Disneyworld.
Moreover, the Silver Spurs Rodeo was nicknamed the official rodeo, leaving room for an official sport. Water skiing and alligator wrestling would likely be favorites.
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