"The free state of Florida has a new license plate for pre-order that benefits the Florida Veterans Foundation and sends a clear message to out-of-state cars, 'Don't Tread on Me' or Florida," tweeted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

MSN related:

The governor's office added that the freedom-fighting spirit the flag originally symbolized "has guided America to this day, and Governor DeSantis likewise believes that freedom is a worthy pursuit and viable alternative to heavy-handed government. Many Floridians celebrate Florida as the vanguard of freedom, and countless others have moved here from across the country to live under a state government that enshrines freedom in its decision-making."

The imagery of the Revolutionary War-era Gadsden flag dates to back to a 1751 article in the Pennsylvania Gazette bitterly protesting the British practice of sending convicts to America, in which the author suggested that the Colonists should return the favor by shipping them "a cargo of rattlesnakes." A few years later, in a political cartoon, the image returned as a snake cut into eight sections appearing above the words "Join, or Die." Each section represented a Colony, and the image was a warning of the dangers of disunity.