Florida State Flag

What Is the Florida State Flag?

The Florida state flag is the official banner representing Florida. A white field covers the entire flag. A red saltire extends diagonally from each corner toward the center.

The state seal occupies the center where the red bars meet. The seal shows a Seminole woman scattering flowers by the shore, a sabal palmetto tree, a steamboat on water, and sun rays. The words Great Seal of the State of Florida: In God We Trust circle the seal.

Government buildings, schools, and public locations across Florida fly this flag.

Meaning of the Florida State Flag

The Florida state flag represents the state's heritage and identity. The design solves a practical problem while honoring historical connections.

The red saltire prevents the flag from appearing as a surrender banner when hanging still. Governor Francis Fleming, a former Confederate soldier, recognized this issue in the 1890s. The white field represents peace and purity. Some historians believe the red cross references the Confederate battle flag, as it was adopted during the rise of Jim Crow laws.

The state seal elements carry specific meanings. The Seminole woman represents Florida's indigenous heritage. The sabal palmetto is Florida's state tree. The steamboat represents 19th-century commerce and waterways. The sun rays represent Florida as the Sunshine State.

History of the Florida State Flag

Florida joined the United States on March 3, 1845. The first flag, hoisted at Governor William D. Moseley's inauguration on June 25, 1845, had five horizontal stripes of blue, orange, red, white, and green. A ribbon read Let us alone. The U.S. flag served as a canton. This flag was never officially adopted.

When Florida seceded on January 13, 1861, the state adopted a new flag. The design showed 13 red and white horizontal stripes with a white star on a blue canton. Governor Madison S. Perry designed it.

After the Civil War, Florida adopted its first official state flag on August 6, 1868. The Constitutional Convention provided for a flag showing the state seal on a white field measuring six feet six inches by six feet. This simple design served from 1868 to 1900.

During the late 1890s, Governor Francis P. Fleming noticed a problem. When hanging limp on a flagpole, the all-white flag with only a central seal looked like a flag of truce. Fleming suggested adding a red cross. Senator Thomas Palmer introduced a joint resolution in 1899 to add diagonal red bars in the form of St. Andrew's Cross. The resolution passed unanimously in the Senate on May 18 and in the House on May 31. Florida voters ratified the amendment on November 6, 1900, by a vote of 5,088 to 3,819.

The seal underwent revision in 1985. Governor Bob Graham and the Cabinet commissioned artist John Locastro to correct inconsistencies that had existed since 1868. Changes included replacing a cocoa palm with a sabal palmetto, removing the Seminole woman's headdress to reflect Seminole history accurately, and removing mountains to show Florida's flat terrain. The flag was officially updated on May 21, 1985.

Previous Versions of the Florida State Flag

Symbols of the Florida State Flag

Florida State Flag Colors

The Florida state flag uses white and red as primary colors. The state seal adds gold, green, brown, tan, and blue for specific details.

White covers the background field. Red colors the diagonal saltire. Florida statute does not provide exact Cable or Pantone values. The seal uses gold for the sun, green for vegetation, brown and tan for the woman and palmetto, and blue for water and sky.

Florida State Flag Facts

• Florida adopted its current flag design on November 6, 1900
• Voters approved the design by a vote of 5,088 to 3,819
• Governor Francis P. Fleming suggested adding the red cross
• The state seal was revised in 1985 by artist John Locastro
• The flag is one of three U.S. state flags featuring In God We Trust
• The flag ranked 34th in a 2001 North American vexillological survey