FILE - This photo combination shows, from left, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., in Miami, Feb.11, 2010, Florida State president John Thrasher, Dec. 8, 2019, in Tallahassee, Fla., former Florida Gov. Buddy MacKay in Gainesville, Fla., on Oct. 12, 2012, Jimmy Buffett performing in Los Angeles, June 9, 2015. and Bob Graham speaking in Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, Phil Sears, Phil Sandlin, Matt Sayles)
FILE - This photo combination shows, from left, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., in Miami, Feb.11, 2010, Florida State president John Thrasher, Dec. 8, 2019, in Tallahassee, Fla., former Florida Gov. Buddy MacKay in Gainesville, Fla., on Oct. 12, 2012, Jimmy Buffett performing in Los Angeles, June 9, 2015. and Bob Graham speaking in Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, Phil Sears, Phil Sandlin, Matt Sayles)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has posthumously awarded five notable Floridians with the Governor's Medal of Freedom, one of the state's highest honors.
The awardees include the state's last Democratic governor, , who was a citrus farmer, policy wonk and diplomat; former Democratic governor and U.S. Sen. , who was known for his “workdays†when he took on the jobs of Floridians, from horse stall mucker to FBI agent; former Florida State University President , who also served as Republican speaker of the Florida House and chair of the Republican Party of Florida; former U.S. Rep. , a longtime South Florida Republican congressman who fought tirelessly for a free Cuba; and , the state's beloved balladeer of an endless summer of warm tropical waves.
“I’m proud to recognize the legacies of these great Floridians,†DeSantis said in a written statement. “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home."
The five awardees “exemplified what it means to be a great Floridian†and left a lasting impact on their state, the statement reads.
Previous honorees include , the famed folksy Hall of Fame football coach of the FSU Seminoles, and , the last surviving prosecutor of Nazis at the Nuremberg war crimes trials.
___
Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
