State Animals of Florida

In 1981, the education commissioner of Florida Ralph Turlington along with Jacksonville-resident and legislator William Bankhead crafted a bill to name an official state animal. Deciding this opportunity could be a great, hands-on learning experience for students, Mr. Turlington and Mr. Bankhead decided to conduct a statewide poll and let students decide which animal would be named state animal.

The contenders were:
The Key deer
The Florida panther
The alligator
The manatee



A little boy petting a deer at the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key.
Photo credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory



With a vote of 29,313 students, the Florida panther won the title of the “official state animal”. The alligator was not far behind with 23,901 votes. The manatee and Key deer placed third and fourth, respectively.


A Florida panther seen in the Everglades


In 1892, the Panther was proclaimed by the Florida Legislature as its official state animal.

Although the panther is the official state animal, the alligator, which personally I think should have be dubbed “state animal”, is our state reptile. Alligators seem so much more Florida-esque than panthers. I mean, are deep-fried panther bites served at Florida restaurants? No. Does the Florida panther have an amazing SEC football team named after it? No. Is the panther portrayed in fashion by designers inspired by the Florida lifestyle? NO.


Fried gator tail from Frenchy's Salt Water Cafe in Clearwater,FL





Smokin Gator Casper's Alligator and Ostrich Farm just outside St. Augustine


It makes me wonder what the kids who voted on making the panther our state animal were thinking. Who knows. Kids.





Sources:
http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-animal/
http://www.stateofflorida.com/florida-symbols.aspx
http://www.panthersociety.org/faq.html
http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/animals/fl_panther.htm
The Ocala-Star Newspaper- December 11, 1981 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19811211&id=Q65PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UgYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3451,6920696&hl=en

Florida Flags and the Confederacy

Recently there’s been a lot of chatter about the Confederate flag. Many seem to have mixed feelings about it, many are misinformed when they say it represents slavery and many just don’t care either way.

Before I continue, I must point out that although I will objectively present information to you about Florida’s history, this is still a blog. Occasionally, my opinion will be weaved through parts of my text. With that said, I believe the flag represents the Confederate States of the America, furthermore, I believe it represents state’s rights.

It should be noticed that this particular flag was not the first flag of the Confederacy. The first Confederate flag, “Stars And Bars”, was created in 1861 and used until 1863. “Stars and Bars” was used for such a short time because of its great similarity to the U.S. flag flown by the U.S. army, it caused confusion on the battle field.

This flag pictured above, which is most commonly defended and associated with the Confederacy, is a combination of the battle flag of the Confederacy and second Confederate Navy Jack. This flag is often incorrectly confused with “Stars and Bars”. Southerners refer to this flag as the “rebel flag” or “The Dixie flag” or simply “Dixie”. The key difference between “Stars and Bars” and “Dixie” is that “Dixie” features a saltire, or Saint Andrew’s Cross.

***To learn more about Confederate flag history and to see photos of “Stars and Bars” and all of the Confederate flags, please refer to my list of sources at the bottom of this blogpost.

For 40 years beginning in 1821, Florida had no official flag- the British, Spanish and French all flew flags over parts of present day Jacksonville and Saint Augustine. It has been estimated that 16 unique flags have flown in Florida. However, when Florida seceded from the Union in 1861, it adopted a series of Confederate flags as unofficial flags.

Out of the sixteen flags that have flown over Florida, three have represented the Confederate States of America. Although the final Confederate flag flown in Florida dated around 1865, the first flag of Florida was actually presented to Florida Governor Moseley in 1845. This flag never became official because of its unpopularity with the motto it bore. I actually like it.

The first official flag of Florida was introduced in 1861, while the confederate flag was still flying in Florida. Florida finally had an official flag, however, there is a lot of doubt by historians that this flag was even flown over Tallahassee. There is a lot of speculation that the confederate flag flown during the same time took priority over the first official flag of Florida.

Florida would go on to have three other official flags until 1900 when Florida legislature added diagonal red bars to a previously plain flag that only bore Florida’s seal. The governor during 1900, Francis Fleming, suggested the diagonal red bars so that the flag was not “too white”- Florida government officials did not want the flag to look too similar to a symbol of truce.

Left: Florida's official state flag in 1868.
















However, many historians argue that the diagonal bars were added to allude to the symbol of saltire or Saint Andrew’s cross (mentioned earlier), also featured on the Confederate battle flag and Navy Jacks.

Left: This flag was introduced by Governor Bloxham in 1900.

















Whether or not our current flag is a nod to the Confederacy is still a debate- with both arguments presenting logical arguments why or why not this is true.

All I can hope for is that our current flag of Florida will never change. This is the flag I grew up with and that I am so proud of today.

Sources:
http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-flag/floridas-historic-flags/national-flags/the-burgundian-saltire-1565-1763/
http://www.museumsouthernhistory.com/flags/flagsofflorida.html
http://www.civilwar.com/resources/313-flags/150182-confederate-flag-history.html
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/Index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A2S04
http://floridaflag.facts.co/floridastateflagof/floridaflag.php

The Astronaut Wives Club

This past week, ABC premiered a TV show based on Lily Koppel’s 2013 novel The Astronaut’s Wives Club: A True Story.

A mix of seven budding sartorialists and social climbing housewives are on their own missions to help their husbands make history in space, but they experience loneliness, isolation, betrayal and even death along the way.

Left: Life Magazine , 1959


Below: The astronaut wives on their way to Cape Canaveral, 1959

Old Florida beaches, the 1950s Florida pastel-colored architecture and the vintage fashion is what attracted me the most to the show. Much of the storyline takes place in Cape Canaveral, Florida. ABC did a splendid job in attempting to recapture central Florida in the 1950s.

Left: Cape Canaveral, 1959. Courtesy of Spaceline



Below: Brevard County, FL (Cape Canaveral) in 1958, photo courtesy of Florida Memory

I have yet to read the book, but I watched the first episode and was pleasantly intrigued at how the storyline swept past introductions and broke right into mini-storylines pertaining to each wife.

The story begins in the Kennedy era, where the race to get a man in space before then Soviet space program is no easy feat. Louise Shepard, wife of Alan Shepard, becomes the show’s protagonist when her husband makes history by becoming the first American to travel into space.

Shepard, along with glamourous Renee Carpenter, a preppy Jo Schirra, prim and proper Annie Glenn (wife of John Glenn), and other characters like Betty Grissom, Trudy Cooper and Marge Slayton all in part create a storyline that makes us feel like we are back in Florida in the 1950s and 60s’.

Renee Carpenter is my favorite Astronaut Wife so far. Her optimism and willingness to break social code, along with her bright, gaudy clothes makes her hard not to look at. It was rumored she was also great friends with one of my favorite icons, Jackie Kennedy.


Below: The Carpenter's and the Kennedy's, courtesy of JK Library

To get an idea of Old Florida during the 1950s and 60s and to watch a great show, The Astronaut Wives Club plays on Thursdays on ABC at 8 p.m.



Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/books/review/lily-koppels-astronaut-wives-club.html?_r=0
http://nypost.com/2015/06/12/these-badass-women-inspired-astronaut-wives-club/ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/index.html

A Brief Intro

Florida- 58,560 miles of lush Sabal palms, marshy swamp and vegetation, beautiful, clear Gulf coast and dark, vast Atlantic waters.

And most alluring of all- its rich history.

As a first generation Floridian, my love for the Sunshine state was not affirmed until later in life when I moved out of my parent’s home. My mother is Georgia born and raised and made sure this notion was incorporated into much of my upbringing. Much of my childhood was weekend getaways to her hometown of Augusta, to visit my grandmother.

My Grandmother's house. August, GA © lafloridafemme.blogspot.com


Other times we visited my uncle and his family in Macon. Road trips to and fro meant stops along the way to pick pine cones off trees or get bags of raw pecans from family friends. As a child, Georgia often felt more like home because of the amount of family and the memories I had there. My father is from northern Michigan, but lived in Florida for the majority of his life. I believe his feeling of home is and was wherever his wife felt it was.

Prior to moving out of my parents home as well as after I began my studies at UCF, I have always traveled. I have been up and down the East Coast as well as out of the country. I have gotten completely lost on the New York City subway and ridden on rusty railroads in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains. I have driven on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and strolled along the beaches of Grand Cayman.

In lieu of all these remarkable experiences, the idiom ,“There’s no place like home” remains true.

West Palm Beach, my hometown. © lafloridafemme.blogspot.com


There is no place like Florida. The discussion of the best beaches in the world cannot even be held without mentioning a Florida beach. The Travel Channel has supported this fact by naming several of Florida’s beaches on its list of “Best Beaches” in 2015, 2014, 2013 and earlier. The Travel Channel now even has its own list of “Top 10 Beaches in Florida”.

In addition to fabulous wetlands and coast, we have beautiful history that is not limited to museums or exhibits. Remnants of the late Henry Flagler can be seen in much of the architecture and bridges in northern Florida’s Saint Augustine and Flagler Beach, hotels and homes in my hometown of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, and rustic railroads in Miami and Key West.

This love I have developed for my home state comes with healthy curiosity. The Florida I love is the Florida I know- divine seafood, boating with friends, weekend trips to Miami and Disney, 70 degree winters and anything-but-dull residents. However, I have much to discover about old Florida. My spirit longs to discover remote Florida beaches, antiques untouched by time and Florida history that been lost or forgotten.

This blog will not be a history lesson, but an adventure. I hope you will join me on my pursuit of discovering more about this state I’ve grown so much to love.


-Brittany

Sources:
http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/us/fl/photos/florida-beaches
https://flaglermuseum.us/history/flagler-biography
http://www.stateofflorida.com/facts.aspx