Famous Citizens:

Zora Neale Hurston
Although author Zora Neale Hurston was actually born in Alabama, she considered Florida her home. She attended Howard University and had her first manuscript published there. Later, she moved to New York and became part of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s along with other African American writers like Langston Hughes. Her most powerful work is usually considered to be "Their Eyes are Watching God."

 

 

Osceola
Osceola was a Seminole Indian who led his people in resisting the US Government’s attempts to relocate native people to areas west of the Mississippi. He was eventually captured and imprisoned, and then died at Fort Moultrie. Following his death, over 4,000 Seminole Indians were relocated to the area now known as Oklahoma.

 

 

Janet Reno
Born in Miami, Janet Reno is the first woman to hold the office of Attorney General of the United States, having been nominated to the position by President Bill Clinton. Prior to holding that position, she served as State Attorney for Florida. She may be best remembered for her involvement in two highly controversial events: the return of young Elian Gonzalez to his family in Cuba, and the decision to attack the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas. Despite a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, Reno has stayed involved in politics, and made an unsuccessful run for Governor of Florida in 2002.

 

 

Ben Vereen
Born in Miami, Ben Vereen won a Tony award for his performance as the “Leading Player” in Bob Fosse’s Pippin. Despite a near fatal car accident in 1992, Vereen has continued to sing and dance on Broadway, most recently in Jelly’s Last Jam, and has also appeared on television and in film.