Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History month with gratitude for the life of Commander Eunice Butts, her service to our country and Tampa Bay community. Commander Butts volunteered to serve America and shattered glass ceilings as an African American woman in the U.S. Air Force and National Guard during the Vietnam War. She served with courage, empathy and a love of country that… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to celebrate a change agent, community leader and lifelong Tampa Bay advocate, Carrie Jean Lofton Hurst.   Mrs. Hurst was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, as the youngest of six children. She graduated from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1977, where she met Robert Hurst Sr. Afterwards, they became engaged but pursued… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Celeste Gibbons-Peoples for her nearly four decades of public service to the Tampa Bay community. Her influence in our community follows a tradition of excellence pioneered by her late father, Walter Lee “Dirk” Gibbons, who was a well-known Negro League Baseball player locally and nationally. She has committed her life to telling the… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true Tampa Bay historian who has served this community with great distinction for many decades. Mr. Charles “Fred” Hearns is one of the foremost historians of Tampa Bay and Florida history. And, since 2021, he has served as the first Curator of Black History for the Tampa Bay History Center (TBHC).   Mr. Hearns was born in the Bronx, NY and grew… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great educator and leader in the Tampa Bay community, Dr. Davina Arleen Jones.    Dr. Jones is one of six children, born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. Her mother worked for the county library as a book processor and her father was a city bus operator while also serving as a full-time pastor. Dr. Jones’ parents instilled in her and her… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month with immense gratitude for the life of service of veteran and retired educator, Dr. John L. Smith, Jr. Because of Dr. Smith’s long-standing commitment and dedication to education and leadership, higher learning institutions throughout the United States are advancing diversity and inclusion at the highest levels. He charted a course… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to celebrate a change agent and one of Tampa Bay’s most accomplished businesswomen, Ms. Bridgette Heller. Ms. Heller was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Fla. She attended segregated schools through elementary school, but credits success during her formative years to being raised by a village of love that had very high standards for… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with immense gratitude for Bishop Preston D.H. Leonard, who inspires us all through his lifetime of public service deeply rooted in his faith. For more than 60 years, he has served as pastor at Christ Gospel Church of St. Petersburg! Bishop Leonard is the only living pastor in the church’s history and has the longest tenure of any pastor in the St. Petersburg… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise during Black History month to honor the life of an extraordinary leader, educator and pillar of the St. Petersburg community, Mr. Mordecai Walker.    Mr. Walker was born in Citrus Park in rural Hillsborough County on July 4, 1924, to Charlie and Pearl Walker. He attended segregated schools in Hillsborough County – Citrus Park School for colored children,… Read more »

Madam Speaker, this Black History Month, I am celebrating Tampa’s health care heroes. I rise today in immense gratitude of a life of service led by Heddie Sumpter, whose contributions of her time and talents are a living example of selfless service to others. Born in 1955 in Donalsonville, GA, and raised in Detroit, MI, where her family worked in the automotive industry, Heddie moved to… Read more »