The American alligator was designated the official state reptile of Florida in 1987 (Louisiana and Mississippi also adopted the American alligator as the reptile symbol for their state). All State Reptiles
Florida was named by explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513. The name "Florida" comes from the Spanish word "florido," which means "full of flowers," or "flowery." All State Name Origins
Florida designated the sabal palmetto palm (Sabal palmetto) as the official state tree in 1953. All State Trees
Sabal palm trees grow up to 20 m in height. Sabal is a fan-palm native to the southeastern United States, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Sabal palms are extremely salt-tolerant (can even grow where washed by sea water at high tide) and are often seen growing near the Atlantic ocean coast. The hardy sabal palm tree is also frost-tolerant and can survive short periods of temperatures as low as minus (-)14 °C.
Florida's state motto, officially designated in 2006, is the same as our National motto: "In God We Trust" (a slight variation on Florida's first state motto, "In God is our Trust"); adopted by the Florida legislature as part of the state seal in 1868. All State Mottos
Florida designated orange juice as the official state beverage in 1967. Oranges are also Florida's state fruit and the orange blossom is the state flower. All State Foods & Beverages
Florida designated the mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) as the official state bird in 1927. The northern mockingbird is also the state bird of Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. All State Birds
Northern mockingbirds have extraordinary vocal abilities - they can sing up to 200 songs, including the songs of other birds, insect and amphibian sounds (even an occasional mechanical noise).
Florida designated the zebra longwing butterfly (Heliconius charitonius) as the official state butterfly in 1996. All State Insects
The orange blossom (Citrus sinensis) was designated as the state flower of Florida in 1909. All State Flowers
Florida designated the Florida cracker horse (or marsh tacky) as the official state heritage horse in 2008 (expires July 1, 2018 unless renewed). All State Horses
The manatee (Trichechus manatus) was designated the official state marine mammal of Florida in 1975. Alabama also recognized the manatee as a state symbol in 2009 (the West Indian manatee). All State Mammals - All Aquatic-Life Symbols