Changes

The '''Seal of the [[City of Pensacola]]''' is used to represent the Pensacola municipal government and for various official purposes. The current seal has been in use since [[1870]]<ref name="removecross">"Lawyer wants Pensacola to remove cross from seal." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 14, 1997.</ref> and was officially adopted by ordinance in [[1902]], with slight modifications since.

At the center of the seal is a shield (''[[Wikipedia:Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]]'') charged with a [[Wikipedia:Christian cross|Christian cross]] and [[Wikipedia:Conquistador|conquistador]]'s helmet, a modified version of the [[Wikipedia:Cross and Crown|cross and crown]] that represents the religious mission of Don [[Tristán de Luna y Arellano]]. Above the escutcheon is a hand (symbolizing faith, sincerity and justice) holding a quill pen (symbolizing learned employment and the liberal arts). Five dates printed on the seal represent years when city governments were established or altered.

Above The wording of the escutcheon is municipal code prescribes the seal as follows:<blockquote>The seal of the city shall have on its face, "The City of Pensacola, Florida," with a circle around a shield with a hand (symbolizing faithLatin-type cross in the upper central part of the shield, at the base of which shall be a helmet with plumes, sincerity and justice) holding above the shield a hand with a quill pen (symbolizing learned employment in the act of signing, and on the left side of the shield the figures "1698," the year of the first settlement of Pensacola by the Spaniards, and "1821," the year of the first city government under General Andrew Jackson, United States Army, and on the right side of the shield the figures "1895" and "1913," the dates respectively of the formation of the aldermanic and commission governments, and beneath the shield the figures "1931," the date of the institution of the council-manager government.<ref>[http://library8.municode.com:80/default-test/template.htm?view=browse&doc_action=setdoc&doc_keytype=tocid&doc_key=416385e71c146844b338cea7592e0818&infobase=11418 s. 1-1-2, Code of the liberal arts)City of Pensacola.]</ref></blockquote>

Five dates printed For many years the first date listed on the seal represent the followingwas 1696, according the Code of the City of Pensacola::".until local historians [[W.D.On the left side of the shield the figures "[[1698]]," the year of the first settlement of Pensacola by the [[Spanish Pensacola|SpaniardsSkinner]], and "[[1821Norm Simmons]]"questioned the date, noting that 1698 was the year of the first city government under General when [[Andrew JacksonAndrés de Arriola]], United States Army, and established a Spanish colony on the right side of the shield the figures "[[1895Pensacola Bay]].<ref>" and Dates Wrong on City Seal Records: 'No.'"''Pensacola News'', April 8, 1966.</ref> In [[19131997]]," the dates respectively of the formation of the aldermanic and attorney [[Pensacola City Commission|commissionKevin Beck]] governments, and beneath urged the city to remove the shield cross from the figures "[[1931]]seal, citing constitutional concerns,and threatened to take legal action on behalf of an anonymous client. " My position would be the date presence of the institution cross on an official city seal is tantamount to the endorsement of the [[Pensacola city charter|council-manager government]]Christianity."<ref>[http://library8.municode.com:80/default-test/template.htm?viewname=browse&doc_action=setdoc&doc_keytype=tocid&doc_key=416385e71c146844b338cea7592e0818&infobase=11418 s. 1-1-2, Code of the City of Pensacola.]<"removecross"/ref>