Florida Senate - 2025 SB 804 By Senator Collins 14-01805A-25 2025804__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the designation of the official 3 state flagship; amending s. 15.0465, F.S.; 4 redesignating the official state flagship as the S.S. 5 American Victory; providing an effective date. 6 7 WHEREAS, built in 1944, the S.S. American Victory is one of 8 only five operational World War II merchant vessels left in the 9 United States and it served in World War II, the Korean War, and 10 the Vietnam War, and 11 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory is an interactive 12 maritime museum located in Tampa, and 13 WHEREAS, the United States entry into World War II 14 transformed American history and directly affected more than 15 250,000 Floridians who served on active duty, and 16 WHEREAS, of these brave Floridians, more than 3,500 gave 17 their lives in defense of the United States during World War II, 18 and 19 WHEREAS, Florida is the ideal location for the S.S. 20 American Victory, as the tourism industry caters to nationwide 21 visitors who can experience firsthand what it was like to serve 22 onboard the ship, and 23 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory is a 455-foot steamship 24 that was launched on May 24, 1945, during the largest ship 25 building effort in United States history, and 26 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory set sail from the United 27 States into the treacherous waters of the Pacific Ocean awaiting 28 orders for the invasion of Japan, and 29 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory assisted the war effort 30 during the final days of World War II by transporting military 31 equipment, troops, ammunition, and supplies for the Allied 32 Forces, and 33 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory sailed around the world 34 delivering provisions, industrial materials, machinery, and raw 35 materials after the war under the auspices of the Marshall Plan 36 to countries devastated by the destruction of World War II, and 37 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory transported cargo, fuel, 38 and ammunition during the Korean War, and 39 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory repatriated 260 40 casualties, including three fallen Floridians, Army Private P.C. 41 White, Marine Second Lieutenant Robert C. Craig, and Marine 42 Private First Class Joseph T. Jacobs, to the United States 43 during the Korean War, and 44 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory was reactivated to 45 service in 1966 to support the Vietnam War and conducted 12 46 voyages supporting the war effort by transporting military 47 equipment, troops, ammunition, and supplies, and 48 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory sailed from the James 49 River Reserve Fleet on March 13, 1985, to participate in the 50 United States Victory Ship Validation Program, a program 51 designed to gauge the time and expense necessary to reactivate 52 victory-class ships, which enabled the S.S. American Victory to 53 be brought back to full operational status and to perform sea 54 trials after restoration, and 55 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory was then transferred by 56 an act of Congress from the Maritime Administration to The 57 Victory Ship, Inc., in her home port of Tampa, and 58 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory has been a landmark 59 destination for the past 25 years within Tampa and was 60 recognized as a National Historic Place in 2002, and 61 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory acts as a preeminent 62 location for military retirement or promotion ceremonies, 63 marriage ceremonies, and many other types of celebrations, and 64 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory actively supports 65 military charities and foundations such as Americas Gold Star 66 Families, Warrior Ethos, Florida 4 Warriors, The Mission 67 Continues, the Navy SEAL Foundation, and the Green Beret 68 Foundation, and 69 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory continually supports 70 community organizations and foundations, such as Visit Tampa 71 Bay, Leadership Florida, Leadership Tampa Bay, Leadership Tampa, 72 the Maritime Alliance, Propeller Club Port of Tampa, and 73 Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk, and 74 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory has acted as a primary 75 platform for thousands of training hours for a wide range of 76 organizations over her 25 years in Tampa, and 77 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory has hosted all branches 78 of the Department of Defense as well as Special Operations 79 Command and Central Command; Department of Justice agencies such 80 as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, 81 Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement 82 Administration; Department of Homeland Security agencies such as 83 the United States Customs and Border Protection, the United 84 States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United 85 States Coast Guard; and city, county, and state law enforcement 86 agencies, and 87 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory is visited by tens of 88 thousands of guests annually and acts as an educational platform 89 for Tampa Bays seven-county area as well as throughout the 90 state, including AMIkids, the Jefferson High School Maritime and 91 Marine Exploration Academy, the Howard W. Blake High School 92 Maritime Program, the University of South Florida College of 93 Arts and Sciences and Muma College of Business, and various 94 other public schools and home education programs, and 95 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory serves as the homebase 96 for the American Victory Division and other regional Sea Cadet, 97 Boy and Girl Scout, and ROTC programs, and 98 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory also hosts international 99 programs such as the training ship GUNILLA, a Swedish vessel 100 that circumnavigates the globe as an international educational 101 platform, and 102 WHEREAS, the S.S. American Victory is a maritime museum and 103 memorial that is open year-round for visitors of all ages, from 104 across the United States and abroad, supporting Floridas 105 vibrant tourism industry, and 106 WHEREAS, due to its service to the United States and past 107 25-year history of service to this state, the official state 108 flagship is redesignated as the S.S. American Victory, NOW, 109 THEREFORE, 110 111 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 112 113 Section 1.Section 15.0465, Florida Statutes, is amended to 114 read: 115 15.0465Official state flagship.The S.S. American Victory, 116 a 455-foot historic steamship, built in 1944 schooner Western 117 Union, a 130-foot historic sailing vessel of the tall ship 118 class, built in Key West and first launched in 1939, is 119 designated the official state flagship. 120 Section 2.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.