Florida Flags Fly at Half-Staff Monday for John Anderson, the 'Seminole Wind' Singer Now the Voice of Florida's Anthem
Days after declaring 'Seminole Wind' the official anthem of Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags at half-staff on Monday, Nov. 2, for John Anderson, the Apopka-born Country Music Hall of Famer who died Oct. 21 at 71.
Florida will lower its flags for one of its own voices on Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a memo on Oct. 30 directing that the flags of the United States and the State of Florida be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol in Tallahassee and at all local and state buildings, installations and grounds throughout the City of Apopka from sunrise to sunset on Monday, Nov. 2, in honor of singer-songwriter John Anderson, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
The honor follows an extraordinary week for Anderson's legacy. On Oct. 27, DeSantis declared by executive order that Anderson's 1992 song 'Seminole Wind' is officially 'Florida's Anthem.' Anderson, a native of Apopka, died Oct. 21 at the age of 71. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and 'Seminole Wind' — an environmental lament for the Florida Everglades and the Seminole people — became his signature song.
The governor's memo also directed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to erect historic markers honoring Anderson. For Southwest Florida readers, Monday's half-staff observance covers state and local buildings in Apopka and the Capitol; the anthem designation itself is statewide, putting a song written about Florida's wild interior at the center of the state's official symbols.
