Search Page - Florida Department of State

George Firestone

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Florida's 20th Secretary of State, Firestone has been a Florida resident since 1936. He served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate before being elected secretary of state in 1978. As chief cultural officer of Florida, Firestone…

Will McLean

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Considered by many to be the "Father of Florida Folk Music," Will McLean spent most of his life traveling the state and writing over 3,700 songs and stories. He became known as the "Black Hat Troubadour" because of the black hat he wore everywhere.…

Albin Polasek

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Regarded as one of the foremost American sculptors of the 20th Century, Czech-born Albin Polasek served nearly 30 years as head of the sculpture department for the Art Institute of Chicago before retiring to Winter Park, Florida in 1949. Polasek…

Burt Reynolds

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A veteran of screen, stage and television, Burt Reynolds continues to foster a deep philanthropic commitment to his native Florida. The actor, producer and director has starred in more than 100 feature films and 300 television programs.

Gamble Rogers

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In his 30-year career as one of the South's most well-known folk musicians, Florida native Gamble Rogers appeared as the headline performer at thousands of concerts throughout the U.S. and Canada. Long before his tragic death in 1991 while trying…

Augusta Savage

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A gifted sculptor, Florida-born Augusta Savage fought poverty, racism and sexism to become a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, the period of African-American cultural outpouring in New York City during the 1920s and '30s. Her…

Tennessee Williams

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Tennessee Williams, whose name has been synonymous with American Theater almost since the production of The Glass Menagerie in 1945, adopted Key West as his home in the 1940s and lived off and on there for more than 30 years. Williams won many of…