The Great Floridian designation is presented annually in recognition of the outstanding achievements of men and women who have made significant contributions to the progress and welfare of this state.
Under Florida Statute 267.0731, an ad hoc committee, comprised of representatives of the Governor, each member of the Florida Cabinet, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Director of the Division of Historical Resources, meets to nominate citizens for designation as a Great Floridian. Following that, the Secretary of State selects no fewer than two nominees to be officially named a Great Floridian. Since the program began, 36 persons have been designated Great Floridians.
Unlike the Great Floridian 2000 program, which was completed in 2000, the current Great Floridian program may designate either living or deceased individuals.
The following is a list of all the Great Floridians who have been designated to date.
Pedro Menendez de Aviles
Spanish admiral who founded St. Augustine and first Governor of Spanish Florida
Great Floridian 2009
Governor Bob Martinez
Fortieth Governor of Florida (1987-1991)
Great Floridian 2009
Dr. Mae McMillan
Educator and founder of Pine Crest School
Great Floridian 2009
Eugene Patterson
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, editor and CEO of the St. Petersburg Times
Great Floridian 2009
Charles W. Pierce
19th century Southeast Florida settler and one of the legendary "Barefoot Mailmen"
Great Floridian 2009
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Great Floridian 2009
May Mann Jennings
Florida First Lady 1901-1905
Conservationist and Activist
Great Floridian 2008
Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr.
U.S. Congressman – 1981-2007
Great Floridian 2008
Harry T. Moore
Civil rights activist
Great Floridian 2007
Senator Connie Mack
U.S. Senator
Great Floridian 2007
Richard Keith Call
Third and Fifth Territorial Governor
Great Floridian 2006
Julia DeForest Sturtevant Tuttle
"Mother of Miami"
Great Floridian 2006
William Pope DuVal
Florida's First Territorial Governor
1822-1834
Great Floridian 2005
Al Hoffman
Philanthropist
Cultural and Arts Sponsor
Civic Leader
Great Floridian 2005
Governor Spessard Holland
Florida's 28th Governor
1941-1945
Great Floridian 2004
Governor Fuller Warren
Florida's 30th Governor
1949-1953
Great Floridian 2004
Mary Call Darby Collins
Lifelong Preservationist
Great Floridian 2003
Henry Morrison Flagler
Industrialist and Developer
Great Floridian 2003
Zora Neale Hurston
Writer and Folklorist
Great Floridian 2003
Henry Plant
Industrialist and Developer
Great Floridian 2003
General James Alward Van Fleet
Combat Commander, Military Leader, Four-Star General
Great Floridian 2002
Mary McLeod Bethune
Educator and Activist
Great Floridian 2002
Dr. John Gorrie
Physician, Scientist and Inventor
Great Floridian 2002
William Henry Getty (Bill) France
NASCAR Founder and Motor Sports Promoter
Great Floridian 2002
Richard (Dick) Pope
Cypress Gardens Founder
Florida Tourism Promoter and Publicist
Great Floridian 2002
Senator Mallory E. Horne
Florida House Speaker and Senate President
Great Floridian 2002
Horacio Aguirre
Publisher and International Journalist
Founding Editor, Diario Las Americas
Great Floridian 2001
Lawton M. Chiles
Florida's 41st Governor, 1991-1998
U.S. Senator, 1971 - 1989
Great Floridian 2001
Reubin O'D. Askew
Florida's 37th Governor
1971-1979
Great Floridian 1998
William Patrick Foster
Bandleader, Florida A&M "Marching 100"
Great Floridian 1998
Chesterfield Smith
Advocate for Justice
Florida's First American Bar Association President
Great Floridian 1997
E.T. York
Florida University System Chancellor
University of Florida Interim President
IFAS Program Founder
Great Floridian 1997
Cecil Farris Bryant
Florida's 34th Governor
1961-1965
Great Floridian 1994
George A. Smathers
U.S. Senator
1951-1969
Great Floridian 1994
Stephen C. O'Connell
Florida Supreme Court Justice, 1966-1967
President, University of Florida, 1967 -1973
Great Floridian 1993
B.K. Roberts
Three Time Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court
Great Floridian 1990
Chester Howell Ferguson
Attorney, Business and Civic Leader
Great Floridian 1988
Claude Denson Pepper
U.S. Senator, 1936-1951
Congressional Representative, 1963-1989
Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1989
Great Floridian 1988
Ben Hill Griffin, Jr.
Civic Leader and Citrus Baron
Great Floridian 1987
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Writer and Environmental Activist
Great Floridian 1987
Alonzo "Jake" Gaither
Legendary Head Football Coach, Florida A&M University
Great Floridian 1984
Thomas LeRoy Collins
Florida's 33rd Governor
1955-1961
Great Floridian 1981