At the center of the seal is a shield (escutcheon) charged with a Christian cross and conquistador's helmet, a modified version of the cross and crown that represents the religious mission of Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano.

Five dates printed on the seal represent years when city governments were established or altered.

[2] For many years the first date listed on the seal was 1696, until local historians W. D. Skinner and Norm Simmons questioned the date, noting that 1698 was the year when Andrés de Arriola established a Spanish colony on Pensacola Bay.

[3] In 1997, attorney Kevin Beck urged the city to remove the cross from the seal, citing constitutional concerns, and threatened to take legal action on behalf of an anonymous client.

"My position would be the presence of the cross on an official city seal is tantamount to the endorsement of Christianity.