Florida is one step closer to getting a new state song.
But not everyone is happy with it.
The discussion about Florida's new state song continues.
The song titled ``Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky'' was announced at the Florida Music Educators' Association conference yesterday.
It was written by Pompano Beach music teacher Jan Hinton.
Tampa Bay area musician Johnny Gaster says the song is more like ``O Canada'' and does not represent the excitement in the state.
Lawmakers pushed to replace Florida's current state song, Stephen Foster's ``Old Folks at Home'' -- more commonly known as ``The Swanee River'' -- because many feel its lyrics are racist with talk of plantations in the Old South.
Lawmakers will have to accept the new song before it replaces Foster's.
Senator Tony Hill, a Democrat from Jacksonville, and Representative Ed Homan, a Republican from Tampa, plan to sponsor bills that would designate the new tune as the state song.
"Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky"
By Jan Hinton
Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky,
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie,
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own yet giving welcome.
Florida, land of flowers, land of light,
Florida, where our dreams can all take flight,
Whether youth's vibrant morning or the twilight of years,
There are treasures for all who venture here _ in Florida.
Mocking birds cry and 'gators lie out in the sun
Bridges span southward to the Keys
and rockets skyward run,
The orange blossoms' sweet perfume
and fireworks fill the air,
and cultures rich, our native people share.
Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky,
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie,
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own yet giving welcome.
Florida, land of flowers, land of light,
Florida, where our dreams can all take flight,
Whether youth's vibrant morning or the twilight of years,
There are treasures for all who venture here
in Florida, Florida.
