Just Sing Florida: New State Song Announced
Tune Replaces 'Swannee River'
Click here to listen to the song. (Courtesy of Florida Today)
"Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky" beat out two competitors in an online competition at JustSingFlorida.org conducted by the Florida Music Educators Association, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported.State Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, and Rep. Ed Homan, R-Tampa, have agreed to sponsor legislation to replace Stephen Foster's "Old Folks At Home" as Florida's official state song in the 2008 legislative session. Gov. Charlie Crist didn't have the song -- also known as "Swannee River" -- sung at his inauguration last year and has supported the search for a new one."No one is saying it should be erased from Florida history," said James Perry, executive director of the FMEA. "But it's a song that a lot of people aren't comfortable singing."The state altered Foster's original lyrics, with their slavery-era dialect and racial stereotypes, but "Old Folks At Home" still referred to a long-gone era of plantations in Florida. The three new songs nominated as a replacement celebrated a more modern Florida.The FMEA said 8,020 ballots were cast and that "Sawgrass" won with more than half the vote.In addition to state song legislation, lawmakers will also consider a bill by Rep. Dave Murzin, R-Pensacola, to designate a different tune as Florida's official state "anthem." But that wouldn't affect adoption of a new state song."Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky" was written by Jan Hinton of Pompano Beach.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.






Several bobcat sightings have a Central Florida beach community on edge.
A 57-year-old woman was killed when a vehicle ran a red light and struck her car near a Central Florida high school, the FHP says.
The body of a woman is discovered inside a room of a Central Florida extended-stay hotel, according to deputies.
Two people are shot and killed in what appears to be a murder-suicide in the parking lot of a Central Florida business, deputies say.
A car crash involving a fatality has occurred near a Central Florida high school.
Academy Award nominee Sandra Bullock trash talks her Oscar competition, Meryl Streep, and discusses her Razzie nomination for Worst Actress.
In an incredible tale of survival, a Haitian man is found alive under earthquake rubble.
Several bobcat sightings have a Central Florida beach community on edge.
A police officer in Miami-Dade County, Florida crashed her police cruiser into a gate after a collision with another car.
Open up your heart and see images from the star-studded romantic comedy "Valentine's Day."
Check out these lookers who ran into the law.
It's something for everyone: A slideshow of wild stories where you have the choice of watching the video clip at your workstation -- or not!
From the bottom of a pizza pan to a bathtub -- some people say they've seen the likeness of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other religious figures in a whole host of places.