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Courtesy: Visit Central Florida <\/p>\n
LAKELAND, Fla. – A Winter Haven<\/a> native is Florida’s <\/a>newest titleholder after Alexandra de Roos was crowned Miss Florida 2026 Saturday night at the RP Funding Center’s Youkey Theatre in Lakeland<\/a>.<\/p>\n Miss Florida 2026 crowned <\/p>\n The backstory:<\/p>\n The reigning Miss Manatee claimed the coveted title following three nights of competition that featured talent, interviews, fitness, evening gown and community service initiatives.<\/p>\n Courtesy: Visit Central Florida <\/p>\n Earlier in the evening, Sheridan Delegal, Miss First Coast’s Teen, was crowned Miss Florida’s Teen 2026.<\/p>\n Professional ballet performance <\/p>\n By the numbers:<\/p>\n De Roos becomes just the ninth Miss Manatee to win the Miss Florida crown in the pageant’s 90-year history and the first since Mary Ann Olson captured the title in 1991.<\/p>\n De Roos was crowned by outgoing Miss Florida 2025 Paris Richardson and received a $20,000 scholarship.<\/p>\n A graduate of the University of South Florida’s Judy Genshaft Honors College, de Roos maintained a 3.93 GPA and was recognized on the Dean’s List of Scholars. She also attended Columbia University from 2021 to 2022.<\/p>\n During the weeklong competition, de Roos earned multiple scholarships and awards.<\/p>\n De Roos won the preliminary talent competition for the second consecutive year with a contemporary ballet performance to Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion’s “The Prayer.” She also earned top honors in the evening gown competition during the preliminary rounds.<\/p>\n De Roos began dancing in Winter Haven at Barbara’s Center for Dance before continuing her training at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa. At age 14, she moved to New York City to become a resident trainee at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center.<\/p>\n Medical history, community initiative <\/p>\n Big picture view:<\/p>\n As Miss Florida, de Roos plans to continue expanding her community service initiative, The Blue Project: Integrating Neuroscience and the Arts, Inc.<\/p>\n The initiative focuses on exploring how the arts can help people recover from traumatic brain injuries.<\/p>\n De Roos\u2019 advocacy stems from a serious concussion she suffered on Nov. 30, 2021, which caused brain damage to her frontal lobe and Broca’s area.<\/p>\n Earlier Saturday, Sheridan Delegal, Miss First Coast’s Teen, was crowned Miss Florida’s Teen 2026.<\/p>\n West Palm Beach national finals <\/p>\n What’s next:<\/p>\n De Roos and Delegal will represent Florida at the 2027 Miss America and Miss America’s Teen competitions, scheduled for Aug. 28 through Sept. 6 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach.<\/p>\n Contestants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are expected to compete for the national titles.<\/p>\n The Source: Information for this story was gathered from an official press release from Visit Central Florida.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/m-fl-pic-1-6.29.jpg\")
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