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 stories of Black pioneers and celebrating the rich Black history of the Tampa area.

Born in the basement of a clinic in Ybor City and raised in East Tampa, Ms. Gibbons-Peoples attended Hillsborough High School and Hillsborough Community College where she started to foster her appreciation for Black history and its importance in life-long education. Her passion for this cause led her to become an active member of the City of Tampa’s Black History Committee, Inc. for more than 30 years and served as its president 2014 to 2022. The Committee has awarded more than $250,000 to high school seniors to further their education through college, university or vocational school.

Ms. Gibbons-Peoples came to City of Tampa government in 1985 and is currently its certified senior procurement analyst. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed by her colleagues and peers --in 2017, she was named Buyer of the Year by the National Institute of Government Purchasing for Tampa Bay. 

Ms. Gibbons-Peoples continues to be a role model in our community. In 2010, she obtained her Certified Professional Public Buyer’s (CPPB) certification and is also a Florida Certified Contract Manager (FCCM). Her love for her profession drives her position as president of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing. Through this organization, she helps provide educational opportunities for current and striving Purchasing Procurement professionals. 

Volunteer work also plays an integral part in Ms. Gibbons-Peoples’s impact on the Tampa Bay community. Her contributions include United Way Suncoast, Great American Teach-In, Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, Inc., Ladies Auxiliary for the Woods and Wanton Tampa Chapter for Buffalo Soldiers, and the Community Charter Schools of Excellence. As a coach for the Boys and Girls Club and Police Athletic League, Ms. Gibbons - Peoples has helped children realize their true potential. In addition, she serves as president of the Usher Ministry #2 at Springhill Missionary Baptist Church. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in admiration and respect for Ms. Celeste Gibbons-Peoples who is the embodiment of altruism and forms an integral part of Tampa’s own Black history.