Hispanic Heritage Month

SEPT 15 - OCT15
Florida's Hispanic Leaders
• Sonia Sotomayor
She is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. On May 26, 2009, President Barack
Obama nominated Sotomayor for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retired Justice
David Souter . Her nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 6, 2009, by a vote of
68–31, and she was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts on August 8. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th
justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice. Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican descent and was
born in the Bronx.
• Emilio Azcárraga Jean
The son of Mexican media mogul Emilio Azcárraga Milmo and French citizen Nadine Jean, Azcárraga Jean
leads Grupo Televisa, currently Mexico’s leading broadcaster. Jean took the reins of Grupo Televisa, now
Mexico's leading broadcaster, after his father passed away in 1997. He is one of Latin America’s richest
business persons with a fortune estimated at 1.6 billion dollars according to Forbes.
• Carlos Alvarez
Alvarez was born in Cuba, and was eight years old when his family came to the United States. He was
elected Mayor of Miami-Dade County in November of 2004. Prior to his election as Mayor, Alvarez was
director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, having served the community in various capacities for
more than 27 years, beginning in 1976.
Florida's Hispanic Leaders
• Jorge Labarga
Jorge Labarga is a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, taking office on January 6, 2009. He was a Judge
for the 15th Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, Florida from 1996 until 2009. He is notable as the judge
who refused a new vote during the 2000 U.S. Presidential election on the grounds that the Constitution
stated that an election must be held everywhere in the United States on the same day, not just in one
area. He is the second Cuban-American ever appointed to the Florida Supreme Court and the only
Hispanic currently serving.
• Lincoln Rafael Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Rafael Diaz-Balart (born Lincoln Rafael Diaz-Balart y Caballero on August 13, 1954), an Cuban-
American politician, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Senate, and
since 1993 has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing
Florida's 21st congressional district.
• Armando Codina
A Cuban-American self-made millionaire, Codina’s first venture was the creation of Professional
Automated Services, Inc. (P.A.S.), a firm created in 1970 to provide data processing services to physicians.
As a result of the firm's success, Codina is recognized as a pioneer in the development of comprehensive
medical management systems, including processing, accounts receivable, management reporting and
multiple financial services. In 2006, Codina Group and Flagler Development merged into one company,
thus establishing one of the most respected real estate investment, development, construction, brokerage
and property management firm corporations in Florida.
Florida Hispanic Heritage Facts

• Día de la Raza, or Columbus Day is a holiday marking the arrival of navigator Christopher Columbus in
the Americas on October 12, 1492. Columbus' voyage was funded by Queen Isabella I of Castile and led
to the Spanish colonization of the New World.

• Written records about life in Florida began with the arrival of the Spanish explorer and adventurer Juan
Ponce de León in 1513. Sometime between April 2 and April 8, Ponce de León waded ashore on the
northeast coast of Florida, possibly near present-day St. Augustine. He called the area la Florida, in honor
of Pascua florida ("feast of the flowers"), Spain's Easter time celebration.

• Florida has the third largest population of Hispanics in the nation, with close to 4 million residing in the
state. Twenty and a half percent of Florida's population is Hispanic.

• Florida is admitted into the Union as the twenty-seventh state on March 3, 1845.

• Fifty-three percent (53%) of all Florida-origin exports go to the Latin America/Caribbean region.
Hispanic Heritage Month

Reference - http://www.floridahispanicheritage.com