The design above was adopted in 1972 and displays the five flags of every nation that has flown over the state, including the Confederacy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and France. The Tampa Bay Times reports the design is pretty much everywhere in Tallahassee, including senators’ stationary and lapel pins.
The new seal replaces the Confederate flag with the Florida state flag, which has a red diagonal cross that some historians say is a symbol of the Confederacy. Others say it's a remanent of old Spanish colonial rule.
Photo via Tampa Bay Times
The proposal for removing the Confederate flag from the seal drew no objections, but some senators did suggest doing away with the “five flags” concept and questioned why alternate designs weren’t proposed.
