Flags Fly at Half-Staff Monday in Apopka for John Anderson, as 'Seminole Wind' Becomes Florida's Anthem
Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered U.S. and Florida flags at half-staff at the Capitol and across Apopka on Monday, November 2, for the Apopka native and Country Music Hall of Famer who died October 21 at 71.
Florida will honor one of Orange County's own on Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a memo on October 30 directing the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to 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, November 2, in honor of singer-songwriter John Anderson.
Anderson, an Apopka native and a Country Music Hall of Famer, died October 21 at the age of 71. The honor follows the governor's October 27 executive order declaring Anderson's 1992 song "Seminole Wind" to be Florida's Anthem — an ode to the state's landscape, history and vanishing wilderness that DeSantis credited with positively influencing a generational investment in protecting Florida's heritage and environment, including the expedited restoration of the Everglades.
The tributes reach back to Anderson's hometown ground. DeSantis directed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to erect historic markers in Apopka depicting Anderson's contribution to Florida's heritage, and said he would rename a trail on the north shore of Lake Apopka the John Anderson Wildlife Drive and Trail System. College football fans across the state know the anthem well: "Seminole Wind" is played during every Florida State home game at Doak Campbell Stadium.
