Florida Senate - 2009                              CS for SB 198
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Banking and Insurance and Senators Justice,
       Smith, Joyner, Bennett, Lawson, and Fasano
       
       
       
       597-02178-09                                           2009198c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to firefighters; providing for the
    3         creation of an official state Firefighter Memorial
    4         Flag; providing for the use of the flag; providing for
    5         the Division of State Fire Marshal of the Department
    6         of Financial Services to provide for the creation and
    7         distribution of the flag; providing for the adoption
    8         of rules; providing an effective date.
    9  
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. The Division of State Fire Marshal of the
   13  Department of Financial Services shall design, produce, and
   14  implement the creation and distribution of an official state
   15  Firefighter Memorial Flag to honor firefighters who have died in
   16  the line of duty.
   17         (1) The flag may be displayed at memorial or funeral
   18  services of firefighters who have died in the line of duty, at
   19  firefighter memorials, at fire stations, at the Fallen
   20  Firefighter Memorial located at the Florida State Fire College
   21  in Ocala, by the families of fallen firefighters, and at any
   22  other location designated by the State Fire Marshal.
   23         (2) The flag shall have a blue background, with a black
   24  horizontal stripe across the middle of the flag and a horizontal
   25  purple stripe above and below the black stripe. It shall also
   26  contain a red Maltese Cross or Cross of St. Florian in the
   27  center of the flag surrounding the Great Seal of the State of
   28  Florida, and the phrase “Florida Fallen Firefighters” in gold
   29  capital letters shall be placed at the top of the flag and the
   30  phrase “Memorial Flag” shall be placed at the bottom of the
   31  flag. Each arm of the cross shall contain one of the words
   32  “Courage,” “Honor,” “Sacrifice,” and “Valor.”
   33         (3) The Department of Financial Services may adopt rules
   34  relating to the production and distribution of the flag.
   35         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.