Florida State Motto

The Florida State Motto was officially adopted in 2006. It had been accepted as the state motto of Florida since the late 1800's but it wasn't until July of 2006 after Governor Jeb Bush signed House Bill 1145 that "In God We Trust" became the official state motto of Florida .

The language determining the state's motto can be found within the directive for the State's Seal.

"The great seal of the state shall be of the size of the American silver dollar, having in the center thereof a view of the sun's rays over a highland in the distance, a sabal palmetto palm tree, a steamboat on water, and an Indian female scattering flowers in the foreground, encircled by the words "Great Seal of the State of Florida: In God We Trust."

The motto is a part of our Florida State Seal which is also on our Florida State Flag.

State motto's represent the character and beliefs of its citizens. Legislators in 1868 chose to adopt these words that were found on the silver dollar as the State of Florida motto. Since then it has remained unchanged.

The first use of these words appeared on several coins from the Union side in 1863 during the Civil War. However, it wasn't until 1956 that the United States of America adopted "In God We Trust" as our National motto.