The Florida Women's Hall of Fame is an honor roll of women who have contributed to life for citizens of the

US state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. An awards ceremony for the hall of fame was first held in 1982 and recipient names are displayed in the

Florida State Capitol The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, is an architecturally and historically significant building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capitol is at the intersection (road), intersection of Apalachee Parkway and F ...

. The program was created by an act of the Florida Legislature and is overseen by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women (FCSW), a

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

board created in 1991 to study and "make recommendations to the Governor, Cabinet and Legislature on issues affecting women". The FCSW also manages the Florida Achievement Award for those who have improved the lives of women and girls in Florida, an award is focused on outstanding volunteerism. FCSW members serve by appointment and the commission is housed at the Office of the

Attorney General of Florida The Florida attorney general is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state, and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is one of Florida's ...

History

President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

created the

Presidential Commission on the Status of Women The President's Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) was established to advise the President of the United States on issues concerning the status of women. It was created by John F. Kennedy's signed December 14, 1961. In 1975 it became th ...

(PCSW) in 1961, and in 1964 Florida Governor

Farris Bryant Cecil Farris Bryant (July 26, 1914 – March 1, 2002) was an American politician serving as the 34th governor of Florida. He also served on the United States National Security Council as director of the Office of Emergency Planning during t ...

created the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) "to study laws and regulations pertaining to women in Florida and make recommendations to the legislature based on their findings." In 1992, Governor Lawton Chiles proposed, and the Legislature passed a bill (CSSB 1148) that created a permanent Florida Women's Hall of Fame. Chapter 92-48 of the Laws of Florida now states: "It is the intent of the Legislature to recognize and honor those women who, through their works and lives, have made significant improvement of the life for women and for citizens of Florida." This legislation mandated the inclusion of women who had been honored in the previous decade. Because education is one important purpose of the Hall of Fame, CSSB 1148 provided display space in the Florida Capitol. In 1994, the Commission unveiled plaques that offer a brief biography and photograph of each honoree. Florida Statutes, Title XVIII Public Lands and Property, Chapter 265 Memorials, Museums and Arts and Culture, section 265.001 Florida Women's Hall of Fame, sets the parameters within which the hall of fame operates. In 1982, the first Florida Women's Hall of Fame ceremony and reception was held by COSW at the

Florida Governor's Mansion The Florida Governor's Mansion (also called the People's House of Florida) is a historic U.S. residence in Tallahassee, Florida, and the official residence of the governor of Florida. On July 20, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register ...

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

Overview

The purpose of the Florida Women's Hall of Fame, according to the intention expressed in the actual Florida Statute, is "to recognize and honor those women who, through their works and lives, have made significant contributions to the improvement of life for women and for all citizens of Florida". Each year, women from Florida, or who have adopted it as their home state, are nominated for induction. The governor of Florida decides on the final three nominees from a shortlist of ten nominees. The

rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...

of the

building has a permanent display of photos of Florida Women's Hall of Fame inductees. Since 1992, up to three women have been inducted into the Hall each year. Nominations are made between April 1 and July 15 of each year. These nominations are carefully reviewed by members of the FCSW who then propose 10 finalists to the Governor who selects the final inductees each year. Several other states have a Hall of Fame for notable women, including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio and Texas. The United States'

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution founded to honor and recognize women. It was incorporated in 1969 in Seneca Falls, New York, and first inducted honorees in 1973. As of 2024, the Hall has honored 312 inducte ...

is based in

Seneca Falls, New York Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 9,027 at the 2020 census. The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the north ...

Inductees

References

Additional sources

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External links