jeff.waters@gaflnews.com



Florida may be keeping “Swanee River” as its state song – with some changes – and getting an official state anthem, as well.

Florida Sen. Tony Hill (D-Jacksonville), who led the charge last year to change the state song, said he would agree to a compromise which would allow “Swanee River (Old Folks at Home),” to remain, provided the racially-tinged wording is changed, and provided “Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky” becomes the state anthem.

Hill and Rep. Ed Homan (R-Tampa) sponsored a bill earlier to replace the current song with “Florida,” after it was voted on by the public through a special website earlier in the year.

Homan is sticking to his original plan of replacing the current song with the new one.

Stephen Foster’s song has spurred considerable controversy with its references to plantation life and the use of the term “darkeys.”

Gov. Charlie Crist refused to play the song at his inauguration.

The newly revised version would replace “darkeys” with “dear one” and “old plantation” with “childhood station.”

Hill’s bill (SB1558) narrowly passed a Senate committee by a 3-2 vote.

The new proposal is expected to reach the Senate floor soon.

“Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky” was written by Jan Hinton of Pompano Beach. “Swanee River “ was written by Foster in 1851 and designated Florida’s state song in 1935.

Lawmakers have not made clear the difference between a state song and a state anthem.