The year that a pandemic that turned our lives upside down also was the year of the helpers, who tried to keep us upright physically, mentally and economically.
The finalists for 2020’s Central Floridian of the Year — nominated by Sentinel readers — were there when we needed them. They got unemployment benefits for the out-of-work. They fed the needy. They got a pay raise for those who need it the most. And they saved our lives.
This is the 38th year that the Orlando Sentinel has recognized a person or a group that made a difference in our lives. It’s our way of thanking them on behalf of a grateful region for bringing out what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.
The 2019 winner was the Rev. Mary Downey, an Osceola County pastor whose mission is to put roofs over the heads of the homeless.
We’ll announce the 2020 winner in February. For now, meet our six finalists:
Anna Eskamani. We don’t often include politicians among the finalists.
But we don’t often get flooded with nominations from readers grateful for an elected official working tirelessly to help her constituents in their time of greatest need. Florida’s unemployment compensation was designed by politicians years ago to fail. When it collapsed so spectacularly at the start of the pandemic, Eskamani was a one-woman cleanup crew, providing real-time updates and constant advocacy to help desperate people get the unemployment benefits they deserved. She advocated not only for her constituents in Florida House District 47 but for Floridians across the state whose representatives weren’t as responsive or motivated. Eskamani isn’t a finalist because of her politics, she’s a finalist because of her work.
John Morgan. You’ve known him for years as the personal injury lawyer with his “for the people” slogan on TVs, buses and billboards.
Morgan’s made a fortune from his law practice, and then spent millions of it to bankroll a constitutional amendment — approved by voters in November — that will raise the minimum wage in Florida to $15 an hour by 2026. In a low-wage area like Central Florida’s, it’s probably more economically consequential for service workers than anything government has done in decades, which is very little. A lot of workers are going to get a raise because Morgan made “for the people” a cause, not just a catchy slogan.
Chris Nikic. A full Ironman race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, all in under 17 hours.
In 2020, Chris Nikic made it more than just a grueling event when he became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman Triathlon. Encouraged and trained by his father, the 21-year-old Nikic finished an event that’s out of reach for many athletes who don’t have a disability. Nikic showed us that almost anything is possible if you have the heart for it. In a year of so much bad news, we needed Chris Nikic.
Chuck O’Neal. A longtime advocate for clean water and black bears, O’Neal more recently turned his attention toward an Orange County charter amendment designed to allow more people to file lawsuits to halt water pollution.
O’Neal’s “rights of nature” initiative, intended largely to protect the Wekiva and Econlockhatchee rivers, won an astounding 89% of the vote. For now, the amendment is moot because of a state law that forbids legal action based on “rights of nature.” But the outcome left no doubt where Orange County residents stand.
Father José Rodríguez. An Episcopal priest, Rodríguez is known for his activism in the Hispanic community.
Organize Florida holds a press conference following the announcement that Universal Orlando pledged 20 acres of land to build as many as 1,000 affordable housing units in tourism corridor, outside the Orange County Administration Center, on Monday, December 16, 2019.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
He’s worked to find housing for Puerto Ricans who relocated here after Hurricane Maria. He was an insistent voice for Orange County to rename Jackson Middle School for baseball great Roberto Clemente. He’s been an advocate for Azalea Park, an underserved Orange County community where his church is located. And during the pandemic, he’s turned his energies toward converting a food pantry into a COVID-safe, socially distanced means of feeding hungry families. Rodríguez is living a life of service to others.
Health-care workers. Several years ago the Sentinel named the emergency workers at Orlando Health the Central Floridians of the Year for their response to the Pulse nightclub massacre.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
This year, doctors and nurses faced a new challenge. The pandemic has been a sustained, exhausting and dangerous effort to treat people with COVID-19. Health-care professionals have been in harm’s way throughout because of their contact with infectious patients. But so many lives have been saved because of their heroics. Without them, the number of lives lost would have been unthinkable.
Contact Mike Lafferty at mlafferty@orlandosentinel.com
