The Order of La Florida is an award given by the City of
St. Augustine, Florida to those who have rendered extraordinary services to the city.
History
The award was established in 1975. Recipients must be at least fifty-five years old and there may not be any more than nine living recipients alive at a given time. Nominations come from a member of the
city commission
City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis.
These commissione ...
, which are then presented to the
city manager.
Whenever a recipient of the award dies, flags in the city are flown at half-staff.
Recipients
In February 2018, Carl Halbirt became the twentieth and most recent recipient of the award. Halbirt spent twenty-seven years as the St. Augustine's city
archaeologist. With the city he conducted more than 800 archaeological digs as part of St. Augustine's Archaeological Preservation Ordinance.
ARCHAEOLOGY ORDINANCE
/ref> Halbirt helped to give archaeology in the city more publicity. He was recognized by the Florida Trust for Histori
Preservation
and the Florida Anthropologica
Society
for distinguished work. In 2015, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Advisory may refer to:
* Advisory board, a body that provides advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation
* Boil-water advisory, a public health directive given by government to consumers when a community's drinking wat ...
made Halbirt a Preservation America Steward.
In 2013, Dr. Robert B. Hayling became the first African American recipient of the Order of La Florida. Dr. Hayling had also received the city's other prestigious award, the de Avilés Award. Dr. Hayling was a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
and then opened up an integrated dentistry practice in St. Augustine in 1960. He was head of the St. Augustine chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., who had a large role in the American civ ...
for almost a year and advised the local NAACP youth council. On the eve of the city's 400th anniversary celebrations, Dr. Hayling and Dr. Martin Luther King were among those who fought for civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
in St. Augustine.[{{Cite web, url=https://www.staugustine.com/article/20130703/NEWS/307039986, title=Dr. Hayling given Order of La Florida, last=GUINTA, first=PETER, website=The St. Augustine Record, language=en, access-date=2019-03-05]
Past recipients of the Order of La Florida also include Henry W. McMillan, Herbert E. Wolfe, John D. Bailey, Albert C. Manucy, Lawrence Lewis Jr., Eleanor Philips Barnes, Xavier Lopez Pellicer, Clarissa Anderson Gibbs, Luis Rafael Arana, Eugene Lyon, Edward G. Mussallem, Jerome George Kass, Kenneth Beeson, William L. Proctor, Kathleen Deagan, Michael Gannon, Frank and Betty Usina, and Herbert L. Wiles. These figures were renowned in their field and often took part in restoration and preservation work in the city of St. Augustine.
References
American awards
St. Augustine, Florida