Strawberry Shortcake – the New Official Dessert of Florida

On March 7th, in Plant City, Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1006, designating the Strawberry Shortcake with natural Florida dairy topping as the official state dessert. 

According to the Governor’s website, the official designation is a tribute to Florida strawberry farmers who produce 75 percent of the winter strawberry crop in the United States. The Governor signed the bill into law at the Florida Strawberry Festival, held every year in Plant City. Approximately 200,000 strawberry shortcakes are served at the Florida Strawberry Festival every year.

According to DeSantis, “signing this bill at the Strawberry Festival is one way that we are supporting our Florida strawberry farmers and is a tribute to the more than 10,000 acres of strawberries that are grown in the greater Plant City area.”

Attorney General Ashley Moody was present during the signing ceremony in Plant City and she shared this remark, “As a fifth generation Floridian and a native of Plant City, I am delighted and proud that our Governor and the Legislature are making Strawberry Shortcake the official state dessert.”

Attorney General Ashley Moody knows a lot about growing strawberries, as she grew up in Plant City and was the 1993 Strawberry Festival Queen. The Festival has been going on since 1930.

The House voted 109-4 that would make Strawberry Shortcake Florida’s official dessert. This was also intended to promote Florida’s $1 billion strawberry industry.

Note:  For Key Lime Pie fans, Key Lime Pie will remain Florida’s State Pie!

For proponents of the bill, it was about pushing back on imports from Mexico and other areas that are trying to take over Florida’s agribusiness industry. It is about looking at the labels when you go out and get your basket of strawberries – making sure it says, “grown in Florida.”

Strawberry Fields Forever? Only in the Beatles Song. According to studies by strawberry growers, rising cost is slowly eroding the competitiveness of Florida’s strawberries while also squeezing growers’ profits. Imported strawberries also pose serious challenges to the industry.

A bit of history: Over 100 years ago, Henry Plant settled Plant City where most of Florida’s winter strawberries are grown. He was a businessman and a visionary and realized that if a railroad was constructed to link Plant City to Tampa (about 23 miles away), the local farmers could develop a thriving market for their fresh grown strawberry crop. So, Henry Plant built a railroad which boosted agribusiness in Plant City.