Title: Designation of the State Dessert

Summary: Designates strawberry shortcake with natural Florida dairy topping as official state dessert.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, more than 10,000 acres of strawberries are planted annually in the greater Plant City area, accounting for 8 percent of the United States' winter strawberry crop, and WHEREAS, beginning in the spring of 1930, and again in 1948 after a-year hiatus during and following World War II, the Florida Strawberry Festival, held in Plant City and organized by the Plant City Lions Club, was revived by American Legion Post #26 and other area civic organizations, and WHEREAS, each spring, the Florida Strawberry Festival welcomes visitors from around the world to celebrate this slice of Americana and the area's bountiful harvests, and WHEREAS, approximately 200,000 strawberry shortcakes, the festival 's signature dessert, are served each year at the Florida Strawberry Festival, making it a staple among festival attendees, and WHEREAS, strawberry shortcake is a dessert consisting of a base of shortcake, which resembles a biscuit with a touch of cake, a layer of sweet, sliced strawberries, and a healthy dollop of whipped cream, and WHEREAS, in 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Plant City as home of the biggest shortcake in the world, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 15.0522, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 15.0522 Official state dessert.-Strawberry shortcake with natural Florida dairy topping is designated as the official Florida state dessert. Section 2. Th is act shall take effect July 1, 2022.