Kaylah Walton
In the United States, beauty pageants vary in categories and purposes, with Florida being home to several significant contests that are important to differentiate. Let’s explore the dissimilarities between Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA.
Understanding Miss Florida USA
Miss Florida USA, which is scheduled for July 5-7, 2024, is a competition that selects the Florida representative for the Miss USA pageant.
In the past, the Miss and Teen state pageants were held separately at different times, but starting in 2018, they were merged to be conducted concurrently, following the trend in most state pageants within the Miss USA system.
Although Florida has produced several finalists and semifinalists, the state has yet to secure the Miss USA title. Notable placements include Caroline Dixon’s recent Top 20 finish in 2023.
Former Miss Florida Teen USA winners have succeeded in Miss Florida USA, with some contestants also participating in Miss America. Notably, in 2019, Madison Anderson became the first runner-up in Miss Universe 2019 representing Puerto Rico.
Exploring Miss Florida
The Miss Florida pageant is responsible for selecting the state’s representative for the Miss America pageant, with Florida having secured the Miss America crown twice in the past.
In 2018, the Miss America Organization revoked the licenses of various state organizations, including Miss Florida, but later reinstated the Miss Florida Scholarship Pageant Inc. license in December 2018.
Juliette Ashley Valle was crowned Miss Florida 2023 and represented the state at the Miss America 2024 pageant, making history by delivering a bilingual response during the on-stage Q&A segment and achieving a Top 10 placement.
