Fountain flag wins public vote, but City Council has final say
The public’s chance to weigh in on Orlando’s new city flag has ended, and the results are in.
With 1,474 votes, the winner features an image of the Lake Eola fountain set against a blue backdrop and encircled by a letter “O” reflected in water. It led the final tally by more than 550 votes to claim the top spot, the city said.
But that doesn’t mean the design automatically becomes the new flag. The city’s Flag Design Review Committee will meet Friday morning to review the voting results and make a recommendation.
Ultimately, the City Council has the final say.
Cassandra Lafser, a spokeswoman in Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office, said the flag committee can “alter, modify or combine designs to create an official City of Orlando flag to recommend.”
Here’s how the leading design’s creator described its symbolism:
“The upper arc of the ‘O’ symbolizes both a rainbow and unity. The reflection in the water closes the ‘O’ and closes the circle of unity. The blue of the fountain and the white of the ‘O’ symbolize hopeful images and stand out on the blue flag.”
The second-place design, as determined by the public vote, featured a stylized image of a swan inside concentric blue circles against a white backdrop. That option got 922 votes, the city said.
The current city flag, which also resulted from a contest, was adopted June 2, 1980. It features five colors and centers on an image of Lake Eola, flanked by buildings and trees.
The 10-member Flag Design Review Committee includes local historian Joy Wallace Dickinson; Terrance Hunter of the city’s public art board; City Clerk Emeritus Grace Chewning; and Stephanie Darden of the Prismatic ad agency, among others.
The panel also includes a representative of the North American Vexillological Association, whose standards — prizing simplicity, distinctiveness and meaningful symbolism — were incorporated into the city’s rules for Orlando’s flag contest.
Lafser said the panel will consider the top five designs from the public vote.