MEDIA ADVISORY: Viva Florida 500 Southwest Region Partners Meeting

Tallahassee, Florida –

DATE:        November 27, 2012
CONTACT: Chris Cate, (850) 245-6522
RE:            Viva Florida 500 Southwest Region Partners Meeting

The Florida Department of State will host the last Viva Florida 500 regional partners meeting in 2012, the Southwest Region Partners’ Meeting at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates’ Lecture Hall, on Wednesday, November 28, 2012.

The public meeting will feature community leaders from Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties as well as speakers from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the State Fair Authority who will present their outreach plans for Viva Florida 500 in 2013. Additionally, a 2012 Folk Heritage Award winner, Nicario Jiménez, will display his unique retablo art in anticipation of his contribution to Viva Florida 500 with a Viva Florida 500 retablo.

Viva Florida 500 is a statewide initiative led by the Florida Department of State, under the leadership of Governor Rick Scott, to highlight the 500 years of historic people, places and events in present-day Florida since the arrival of Juan Ponce de León to the land he named La Florida in 1513. While Florida’s Native American heritage dates back more than 12,000 years, Spain’s claim in 1513 began a new era.  In 2013, Florida will mark 500 years of history and diverse cultural heritage – a claim no other state in the continental United States can make.

Viva Florida 500 will take place year-round in 2013, and its many partners are planning more than 150 events statewide. The goal is to promote 500 years of Florida’s history – its people, places and cultural achievements – and this important milestone in American and Florida history.  Learn more by visiting www.fla500.com  and www.vivaflorida.org.

DATE:            Wednesday, November 28, 2012
TIME:             10:00 a.m.
LOCATION:    Edison and Ford Winter Estates’ Lecture Hall
                      2301 McGregor Boulevard
                      Fort Myers, Florida 33901