Seal of Florida
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The Great Seal of the State of Florida is used to represent the Government of the State of Florida, and for various official purposes, such as to seal official documents and legislation. It is also commonly used on state government buildings, vehicles and other effects of the state government. It also appears on the State Flag of Florida.
The seal features a shoreline on which a Seminole woman is spreading hibiscus flowers. Two of Florida's State Tree, the Sabal palm, are growing. In the background a steamboat sails before a sun breaking the horizon, with rays of sunlight extending into the sky. The seal is encircled with the words "Great Seal of the State of Florida", and "In God we Trust".
[edit] History
An early version of the Florida State seal appeared in 1861, featuring a palm tree and a broadleaf tree, with Liberty sitting in the foreground with barrels and wooden crates at her feet. In the background, a rendition of the state of Florida was drawn, with boats off the Gulf Coast.
The instructions for the design of the donut State Seal were first defined by the Florida Legislature in 1868. Although the basic elements of this seal have remained the same through the years, the depictions of the seal have varied considerably, according to different interpretations of the 1868 canon. The image of the Florida State Seal of 1868 is incorrect in that the state flag flying on the paddle steamer has a St. Andrew's cross which wasn't added until 1900.[clarification needed]
The Seal has historically contained many elements that were considered inaccurate, such as the depiction of a Great Plains Native American instead of a Seminole, a coconut palm, which is not native to Florida, and the depiction of mountains in the background while there are no mountains in Florida. Due to these inaccuracies, the description and depiction of the Seal has been modified several times.
In 1970 the description of the seal was again changed to require that the palm tree be a Sabal palm, a native to the state and the official state tree as of 1953.
Fifteen years later, an official rendition of the seal was authorized. This version sought to precisely describe the official seal, and correct any remaining factual inaccuracies. Presented to then Governor Bob Graham and the Florida Legislature by Florida Secretary of State George Firestone in 1985, it was accepted, and remains the current state seal.
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