John Anderson's 'Seminole Wind' Named Florida's Anthem

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Oct. 27, 2026, naming John Anderson's 1992 hit "Seminole Wind" an official anthem of Florida, six days after the Apopka-born country singer died at 71, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Some headlines are calling it the new "state anthem." That's not quite right. Here's what the order does, how it happened and what comes next.

What we know

The order: DeSantis designated "Seminole Wind" as "Florida's Anthem" in Executive Order 26-222, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
It's a separate title. Florida already has a State Anthem, "Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)," which the Legislature adopted in 2008, The Apopka Voice reports. The order says that designation "has had little to no use since its establishment," per the Tallahassee Democrat.
Hometown honors: DeSantis said on X that he directed the Department of State to put up historic markers in Apopka. He also asked the Department of Environmental Protection to work with the St. Johns River Water Management District to rename the Lake Apopka North Shore wildlife drive and trails the John Anderson Wildlife Drive and Trail System, Country Now reports.
Not finished yet: Those are directives. Neither the markers nor the trail renaming has happened yet, The Apopka Voice notes.
Ask to lawmakers: The order encourages the incoming Legislature to write "Seminole Wind" into Chapter 15 of the Florida Statutes, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

The timeline

Dec. 13, 1954: Anderson is born in Apopka, in Orange County, according to the order as quoted by Country Now. He graduates from Apopka High School in 1972.
1976: He signs with Warner Bros. Over his career he scores five No. 1 country singles and 20 top 10 hits (The Apopka Voice).
1983: "Swingin'" wins CMA Single of the Year, and Anderson takes the CMA Horizon Award.
August 1992: "Seminole Wind" comes out as the fourth single and title track of his 12th studio album (Country Now).
2014 and 2024: He enters the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, then the Country Music Hall of Fame on Oct. 20, 2024.
Oct. 21, 2026: Anderson dies at his home in Smithville, Tennessee, at 71. His team confirmed the death to The Tennessean, and no cause was disclosed (Tallahassee Democrat).
The days after: John Rich, Anderson's friend and co-writer, publicly asks DeSantis to make it Florida's state song. "A bunch of us would fly down if you would," Rich wrote (Country Now).
Sunday, Oct. 25: Anderson is buried after a private service, per Country Now.
Tuesday, Oct. 27: DeSantis signs the order and announces the Apopka honors.

Context

"Seminole Wind" is Anderson's Florida song. It names the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and the Seminole leader Osceola, and it's about the damage done when the Everglades were drained (Country Now). DeSantis's order credits the song with helping speed up Everglades restoration, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

The song was already part of Florida life. It plays at every Florida State home football game at Doak Campbell Stadium, per the Tallahassee Democrat. Anderson also kept showing up for his hometown. He headlined the Apopka Proud concert in October 2024, about two weeks before his Hall of Fame induction (The Apopka Voice).

The current State Anthem won a 2008 statewide contest. Lawmakers held it while they were weighing whether to replace the state song, Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home," because of its portrayal of Black people and a racial slur in its original lyrics, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

What's unconfirmed

Whether it becomes law. An executive order is not a statute. The Legislature's next regular session starts March 2, 2027, and DeSantis is term-limited and leaves office that January, per the Tallahassee Democrat. We found no bill on the song filed so far.
Dates for the markers and trail. The state hasn't said when either will be done.
The "state anthem" label. Some coverage, including a FOX 35 Orlando headline, calls "Seminole Wind" the state anthem. The order makes it "Florida's Anthem" and leaves the 2008 State Anthem in place.

Should the Legislature put "Seminole Wind" into state law? Vote in the poll.