What are Florida’s State Symbols?

State symbols have been a mainstay of U.S. culture since the very beginning. Official symbols are used to represent the cultural heritage and natural history of each state in the most fun way possible.

Fortunately, Florida shares absolutely no differences when compared with other U.S. states, with an abundance of symbols that are indicative to the state’s historical roots and geological history. There are also recognizable icons and emblems for each state, such as state seals and flags, nicknames and mottos, and much more which we have included in our Florida’s state symbols list.

State of Florida Symbols List

There are an incredible amount of state of Florida state symbols creating a plethora of interesting facts, both from the past and present. We have shortlisted the top 6 most significant Florida state symbols below and further down the page you will find a comprehensive table with each Florida symbol and the date that each of them were officially created.

Florida State Animal

In 1982 students in Florida voted for the majestic Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) as the official state animal of Florida. These cats are large in size, with an almost tan color. Their bodies are covered in beige/gray fur and they are a subspecies of the famous U.S. Mountain Lion.

Florida panthers have been unfortunately persecuted to the point of near-extinction because of fear and misunderstanding from Floridians. These beautiful panthers were listed as an endangered species back in 1967 and were added to Florida’s endangered list just a few years later, in 1973. Due to their uniqueness to the state, the Florida state animal is the perfect choice of animal to represent the state.

Florida’s State Fruit

The orange has been Florida’s official state fruit since 2005 thanks to the efforts of a school teacher, Janet Shapiro, and her students at Southside Elementary School. They all realized that rather bizarrely, Florida’s state flower was the orange blossom, and the state beverage was orange juice, however, there was no official state fruit! So, they suggested the orange to be exactly that, and now we have Florida’s state fruit!

Citrus fruit is a massive part of Florida and has contributed to the state’s economy tremendously over the years. Florida produces the lion’s share of U.S. citrus, with the main three fruits being oranges, tangerines, and also grapefruit.

Florida State Bird and Flower

Florida’s state bird was designated as the mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) in 1927. These birds are incredibly unique due to their singing and tweeting, playing almost 200 different songs, mimicking a variety of different sounds. The mockingbird is also famously the state bird for Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi in addition to Florida.

The orange blossom (Citrus sinensis) was originally adopted as the official state flower for Florida back in 1909, making it one of the oldest state symbols since Florida’s inception in 1845. These flowers are some of the most beautiful and fragrant in Florida and are also closely related to the state fruit and state beverage. The Florida state bird and flower are the best possible representation of the state and will be used to symbolize the state for the foreseeable future.

Florida State Seal

The Florida State Seal was officially adopted by the 1865 legislature, which set out clear instructions to have the seal be the same size as the American silver dollar and to portray a scene “in the middle of the sun’s rays over a high land in the distance, a cocoa tree, a steamboat on water, and Indian female scattering flowers in the foreground.”

Florida State Butterfly

The Florida state butterfly is the incredibly beautiful and unique zebra longwing butterfly (Heliconius charitonius). This butterfly has been used to represent the state since 1996 and can be found in abundance throughout the state, specifically residing in hardwood hammocks, thickets, gardens, and the Everglades National Park.

Florida State Tree

During 1953, Florida adopted the sabal palmetto palm (Sabal palmetto) as the tree to officially represent the state. These impressive palm trees are incredibly tall, growing up to 20 meters in height! They are also native to the southeastern region of the U.S. and are often seen along the Atlantic Coastline.

Florida State Symbols Table

Now that we have taken a look at some of the more popular and notable state symbols that are associated with the great state of Florida, it makes sense to showcase all the Florida state symbols that are best used to represent the state’s history and more present achievements and moments. Here is the complete list of symbols: