DeSantis order names John Anderson’s ‘Seminole Wind’ as ‘Florida’s Anthem,’ separate from the anthem set in state law

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-222 on Oct. 27, establishing John Anderson’s 1992 song “Seminole Wind” as “Florida’s Anthem.” The order, effective immediately, describes this as a separate designation from the state anthem created under section 15.0326, Florida Statutes, which it says “has had little to no use since its establishment.”¹

What the order directs

• The secretary of state is to take the steps needed to carry out the order, including updating Department of State publications, websites, records and other materials to make the public aware of the designation, promoting awareness of it in the State Capitol, and putting up historic markers in Apopka, in Orange County, on Anderson’s contributions to Florida’s heritage.
• The secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection is to work with the water management district to designate the wildlife drive and trail system in the Lake Apopka North Shore as the John Anderson Wildlife Drive and Trail System.
• The order encourages the incoming Legislature to write the designation into chapter 15 of the Florida Statutes.¹

The governor cites his authority under Article IV, sections 1(a) and 6 of the Florida Constitution.¹

What the order says about Anderson

The order’s preamble states that Anderson was born Dec. 13, 1954, in Apopka, graduated from Apopka High School in 1972 and went on to Nashville. It says his songs drew on Florida’s history, heritage and landscapes; that “Seminole Wind” has served as the state’s unofficial anthem since its 1992 debut; and that its lyrics honor Floridians including the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Osceola. The order credits the song’s sentiments with influencing investment in protecting Florida’s heritage and environment, including Everglades restoration. It also says Anderson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024 and, at the governor’s direction, into Florida’s Artist Hall of Fame shortly afterward.¹

The Associated Press reported Oct. 22 that Anderson’s family announced his death on his social media accounts on Oct. 21, without giving a cause. He was 71.²

What state law says

Section 15.0326, Florida Statutes, designates “Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky,” with music and lyrics by Jan Hinton, as the official anthem of the State of Florida.³ Section 15.0327 designates “Old Folks at Home,” with revised lyrics adopted by the Center for American Music at the University of Pittsburgh, as the official state song.⁴ Both sections were enacted in 2008, in chapter 2008-233, Laws of Florida, according to the history notes on the Legislature’s website, and both read that way in the 2026 statutes as posted Oct. 30.³⁴ The executive order does not mention the state song.¹

The announcement

WKMG News 6 reported that DeSantis announced the order on X, writing that he had designated the song “as the official anthem of Florida” and had directed historic markers in Apopka.⁵ WFTV reported that the order recognizes Anderson, an Apopka native, for his contributions to Florida’s cultural heritage.⁶

What the records do not show

• The order sets no deadline or cost for the markers, the Capitol awareness steps or the trail designation, and no record reviewed shows any of them completed.
• The order refers to the “St. John’s Water Management District”; the agency’s name is the St. Johns River Water Management District. WFTV reported the latter name, and the governor’s X post, as shown by WKMG, tagged the district’s @SJRWMD account.
• SignalData did not find a governor’s office news release on the order and did not open the governor’s X post; its wording comes from WKMG’s reporting.
• No record reviewed shows any ceremony or public event tied to the signing.
• No bill to add “Seminole Wind” to chapter 15 appears in the records reviewed.