John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind” has received a new honor in the state that inspired it. On October 27, 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-222, designating the 1992 song as “Florida’s Anthem.”
The recognition also reaches into John Anderson’s hometown. The order directs state officials to establish historical markers in Apopka and arrange for a wildlife drive and trail system at Lake Apopka North Shore to bear the country singer’s name.
The announcement comes six days after John Anderson’s death on October 21 at age 71. The Apopka native was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024.
What the New Anthem Designation Means
There is an important distinction behind the headline. The executive order explicitly makes “Seminole Wind” a separate designation from the State Anthem already established under Florida law.
“Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky,” written by Jan Hinton, remains the anthem named in Section 15.0326 of the Florida Statutes. “Old Folks at Home” remains the state song under a different section. The new order does not replace either designation in those statutes.
The executive order takes effect immediately. It also encourages the incoming Legislature to write recognition of “Seminole Wind” into Chapter 15 of Florida law. That request is a further step the governor is seeking, rather than legislation already enacted.
A Song Rooted in Florida’s Landscape
“Seminole Wind” arrived during John Anderson’s early-1990s career resurgence, alongside songs such as “Straight Tequila Night.” Its title and imagery gave listeners a different view of the Florida native’s musical world: wetlands, history, and a landscape under pressure.
The governor’s order emphasizes that connection. It describes John Anderson’s upbringing among orange groves and Central Florida swamplands, and recognizes the song’s references to Osceola and places stretching from Okeechobee to Micanopy.
The document also credits “Seminole Wind” with encouraging conservation-minded appreciation of Florida’s heritage and natural environment. That is the reasoning the governor gives for the honor, linking the music to efforts to protect the landscapes it evokes.
John Anderson’s Name at Lake Apopka
The planned local tribute gives that connection a physical location. The order directs Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection to work with the St. Johns River Water Management District on designating the North Shore wildlife drive and trails as the John Anderson Wildlife Drive and Trail System.
The naming directive concerns the existing wildlife drive and trails, rather than construction of a new park. The order does not provide a completion date for the naming work or the historical markers.
Florida’s secretary of state is also directed to update official materials to reflect the anthem designation and erect markers documenting John Anderson’s contributions to Florida’s heritage. The planned tribute will place the singer’s name along a route through the natural Florida celebrated in “Seminole Wind.”