It was written by the Reverend Chastain V. Waugh, professor of ancient and modern languages at the University of Florida, in 1894.

The song extolled the virtues of the state from "sunkissed land," the "Gulf and Ocean grand," the "golden fruit,' and the "gardens" to the state's "phosphate mines," which were important to the wealth and economic health of citizens of Florida.

[2] On May 12, 1913, Florida Governor Park Trammell signed House Concurrent Resolution No.

[5] In 1935, the Florida Legislature changed the state song to "Swannee River" [sic].

[6] In 2008, the Legislature designated that a revised version of the lyrics be the official version of the state song and it designated "Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky" as the state anthem.