Designation of Official State Flagship
HB 249 designates the S.S. American Victory - a 1944 World War II merchant vessel now operating as a maritime museum in Tampa - as Florida's official state flagship, replacing the previous designation. The bill amends Florida Statutes to formally recognize this ship, which served in multiple conflicts and now functions as an educational and tourism site. This is a ceremonial designation with no new funding, regulations, or direct impact on residents or businesses, solely updating the state's symbolic representation. The change takes effect July 1, 2026.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Oct 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Oct 22, 2025
Signed Apr 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
H 249 c1
→
H 249 er
·
1 edit
MINOR
The bill text was updated to reflect its final enrolled status, changing the header from a committee draft to the official enrolled version. The page count was reduced to a single page, and the footer identifier was updated to signify the bill has been signed into law. No substantive policy changes, funding amounts, or eligibility criteria were altered in this version.
TECHNICAL
Updated document headers and footers to indicate the bill is now enrolled and signed, reducing the page count to one.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 6, 2026 · House Feb 11, 2026
How they voted
35–0
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 40
Mar 6, 2026
D
Democratic11
72% Yea
I
Independent1
100% Yea
R
Republican28
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
36
Key actions
11
Committee
12
Apr 2, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor
legislature
Mar 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
CS passed; YEAS 34 NAYS 0
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
CS passed; YEAS 114, NAYS 0
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Bill referred to House Calendar
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of State Affairs Committee
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with CS by State Affairs Committee
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Added to State Affairs Committee agenda
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Now in State Affairs Committee
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Government Operations Subcommittee
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable by Government Operations Subcommittee
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Added to Government Operations Subcommittee agenda
lower
Oct 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Now in Government Operations Subcommittee
lower
Oct 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs Committee
lower
Oct 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 249
Scope: FL
Hi! I can help you understand HB 249. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline