![\"Milton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/tos-l-milton-mcknight-wheelchair0115_122280811.jpg\")
Milton McKnight at his spot on South Orange Avenue, on Thursday, March 8, 2012. McKnight, a longtime Orlando fixture, died Aug. 29, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda \/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\nMilton McKnight had every right to act as if he\u2019d been dealt a really bad hand.<\/p>\n
Born with cerebral palsy, in a wheelchair since age three, reliant on others to help him dress, use a restroom or bathe, he nonetheless found joy in every day of his life, which ended Aug. 29 at age 72, said his daughter Tamika McKnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was always somehow a happy guy,\u201d she said. \u201cHe taught us all about not giving up.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years, people in downtown Orlando knew McKnight best as the perpetually sunny guy in a motorized wheelchair selling roses for $2 a flower on South Orange Avenue, eager to chat about the weather, God, the Magic, politics. You pick a topic.<\/p>\n
A \u201chomegoing\u201d memorial service for McKnight will be held Sunday presented by the Mount Zion Tabernacle Christian Church, where McKnight served as a deacon for 13 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis brother loved God and he loved people,\u201d said Mount Zion Pastor Stanley Murray, who is also the police chief in Eatonville. \u201cI don\u2019t think we ever had a conversation when he wasn\u2019t grateful for being on this Earth. Despite his apparent disabilities, he always told me he was blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t shy about reminding folks how blessed he was.<\/p>\n
In 2012, when his sluggish, motorized wheelchair with bare tires and a control handle wrapped in plastic in case of rain finally conked out, people pitched in thousands to buy him a new one. Donations came from comedy club fundraisers; an Internet campaign; and fistfuls of dollars from downtown lawyers, beat cops and others who knew his smile.<\/p>\n
The goal was $10,000. Organizers raised twice that.<\/p>\n
His home in Parramore also was built with donated money, land, lumber and thoughtful consideration.<\/p>\n
Orlando police spearheaded the effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing the positive impact that Milton has had on downtown, we wanted to do something for him,\u201d Sgt. Pete Gauntlett, head of the downtown patrol unit, told the Orlando Sentinel in 1993. \u201cHe is a hard worker and a family man. He is an inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new home\u00a0had entryway ramps, light switches he could reach, windows low enough for him to look out and a shower wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. A newspaper story proclaimed \u201cgone will be the days of baths in the living room\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
At a dedication ceremony, then Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood presented a trembling and teary McKnight with two keys: one for the new three-bed, two-bath home a short jaunt from a bus stop on West Colonial Drive and the other to the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere really are miracles,\u201d McKnight said.<\/p>\n
When news of his passing was shared on TV stations last week, dozens of tributes poured in on Facebook.<\/p>\n
Some suggested creating a downtown mural in his honor or a star on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe epitomized goodness in a harsh downtown world,\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n
His perseverance was infectious.<\/p>\n
Milton McKnight at his spot on South Orange Avenue, on Thursday, March 8, 2012. McKnight, a longtime Orlando fixture, died Aug. 29, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda \/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d go by and maybe say, \u2018Hi, how\u2019s it going, Milton?\u2019 \u201d recalled Jim Hobart, a photographer who became friends with McKnight decades ago. \u201cHe\u2019d say something like, \u2018Never been better or I\u2019m blessed! Life is wonderful. God is great!\u2019 or whatever his saying for the day was. And I\u2019d walk by and think to myself, \u2018Well, if that guy doesn\u2019t have something to complain about then who the hell am I to complain about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
With McKnight\u2019s permission, Hobart years ago created a website to help people connect with him.<\/p>\n