The Great Seal of Florida has had several important makeovers since its debut in 1868

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
·4 min read
The seal of the State of Florida.
The seal of the State of Florida.

The elements and basic design of the Great Seal of Florida you see today is not the same Great Seal of Florida that was established by the Legislature in 1868.

This is interesting because according to the Florida Department of State website, Florida's newly adopted State Constitution had directed that "seal shall not again be changed after its adoption by the Legislature.

Why is there a state seal for Florida?

In the US, each of the 50 states has an official state seal which serves both an emblematic and a functional purpose. The seal of Florida is representative of its history, origins, and ideals.

What is the Florida state seal used for?

  • The Great Seal of Florida also functions as a designation that a legal or government document has been created or sanctioned under state authority.

  • The Florida seal and other state seals often serve as part of the letterhead of government leaders and agencies and appear on statute books, in courtrooms, and over the entrances to government buildings.

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Florida welcome sign.
Florida welcome sign.

What are some of the items on the Florida seal?

According the Florida Department of State, through the years, interpretations of the elements of the Great Seal have differed considerably.

  • The steamboat, for instance, has been depicted in a variety of ways.

  • The various images of the Indian female have drawn criticism from historians conscious of her clothing.

  • The earliest official Great Seal pictured a mountainous background, something absent from the Florida terrain.

  • Another effort showed a feather headdress on the Indian, a blunder insomuch as Indian males wore the headdresses.

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Is it legal to wear or display the seal of Florida?

Section 15.03 of the Florida Statutes in addition to specifying elements of the Great Seal, provides that the Department of State shall be the custodian of it, and that the Department of State alone has the authority to approve its use or display as defined further in Florida Administrative Rule 1-2.0021.

A further provision prohibits any commercial use of the Great Seal like hats and t-shirts.

How big is the Great Seal of Florida and how has it changed in 150 years?

The seal is the size of an American silver dollar

Along with the seal being the size of a silver dollar, a Joint Resolution sent to Governor Harrison Reed on Aug. 6, 1868 specified the center of the seal would show:

  • A view of the sun's rays over a high land in the distance

  • A cocoa tree

  • A steamboat on water

  • A female Indian scattering flowers in the foreground, encircled by the words, 'Great Seal of the State of Florida: In God We Trust', be and the same is hereby adopted as the Great Seal of the State of Florida." ("In God We Trust" was adopted as the official state motto in the 2006 Florida Legislative Session.)

In 1970, more than 100 years after the first specifications were drawn, the Florida Legislature made one change in the official description, changing "cocoa tree" in the former language to "Sabal palmetto palm." (The sabal palmetto palm had been designated as State Tree in 1953.)

Is there a Great Seal of the United States?

The Great Seal of the United States is pictured inside the Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square.
The Great Seal of the United States is pictured inside the Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square.

  • Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, designed the 1782 seal to symbolize our country’s strength, unity, and independence.

  • The olive branchand thearrowsheld in the eagle’s talons denote the power of peace and war.

  • The eaglealways casts its gaze toward the olive branch signifying that our nation desires to pursue peace but stands ready to defend itself.

  • The shield, or escutcheon, is “born on the breast of an American Eagle without any other supporters to denote that the United States of America ought to rely on their own Virtue,” Thomson explained in his original report.

  • The seal shares symbolism with the colors of the American flag.

  • In addition, the number 13 — denoting the 13 original states — is represented in the bundle of arrows, the stripes of the shield, and the stars of the constellation.

  • The constellation of stars symbolizes a new nation taking its place among other sovereign states.

  • The motto “E Pluribus Unum” emblazoned across the scroll and clenched in the eagle’s beak expresses the union of the 13 States.

  • Today the Secretary of State is the custodian of our national symbol, the Great Seal of the United States.

  • The seal is impressed upon documents such as treaties and commissions, and it is also found on documents such as U.S. passports and the reverse of the $1 bill.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The great seal of florida made its debut in 1868