POLISCOPE
Back to feed
Part ofstate symbols →
HB 249FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026signed
Enacted

Designation of the S.S. American Victory as the Official State Flagship

Original title: Designation of Official State Flagship

April 3, 2026

state symbolsmaritime historyFlorida historyexecutive branch

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Where This Stands

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Signed

Current status: signed.

Last action
Chapter No. 2026-27Apr 3, 2026

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

This change updates the official state symbols of Florida, formally recognizing the S.S. American Victory as the state's vessel effective July 1, 2026.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Florida residents

The official state symbols recognized by the state are updated.

What changed

Current stage: signed.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Background

  • The S.S. American Victory is a Victory ship built in 1944 that currently serves as a museum ship in Tampa, Florida. context

Summary

This law officially designates the S.S. American Victory, a 455-foot historic steamship built in 1944, as the official state of Florida. It replaces the previous designation of the schooner Western Union.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

This change updates the official state symbols of Florida, formally recognizing the S.S. American Victory as the state's vessel effective July 1, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official state flagship of Florida?
As of July 1, 2026, the official state is the S.S. American Victory.
Is the Western Union still the state flagship?
No, this act removes the designation of the Western Union as the official state .

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededupper3/6/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Third Reading

Total

39

Yes

34

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededlower2/11/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Passage, Third Reading

Total

117

Yes

114

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

3

Abstain

0

Motion succeededlower2/3/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable With Committee Substitute (State Affairs Committee)

Total

26

Yes

23

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

3

Abstain

0

Motion succeededlower1/29/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable (Government Operations Subcommittee)

Total

19

Yes

15

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

4

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Show 1 more sponsor

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Replacement of State Symbol

The bill explicitly replaces one historic vessel with another as the state flagship, rather than adding to a list.

S.S. American VictoryWestern Union

Connected Entities

otherFlorida StatutesMap →
otherS.S. American VictoryMap →
otherWestern UnionMap →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance10
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy5
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record