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Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Lt. Governor Jeannette Núñez

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Florida National News reporter Mellissa Thomas interviews then running mate Jeanette Nuñez at a Ron DeSantis for Governor campaign event in Kissimmee in 2018. Photo: Joey Roulette/Orlando Weekly.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Many could argue that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis trusts two women in his life more than anyone. One is his wife of eleven years, Casey. The other is the first Latina to serve as lieutenant governor: Jeanette Núñez.

Núñez has been a Floridian all her life. Born in 1972 in a Cuban-American family in Miami, she showed an interest in politics from an early age. She graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in political sciences and international relationships in 1994, with a Master of Public Administration in FIU four years later. As soon as she finished her undergraduate studies, she went to work as an aide to Florida State Senator Alex Díaz de la Portilla.

In 2004 she started getting involved in healthcare when she was named State Director for Government Relations for Jackson Health System, becoming Vice President of Government Affairs in 2006. There, she oversaw the advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels. She also served as the Vice President of External Affairs at Kendall Regional Medical Center and Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, besides becoming an adjunct professor and advisor at her alma mater.

Núñez fully went into politics in 2010, when she ran representing the 112th district in 2010, seeking to replace David Rivera. After securing the Republican nomination, she faced both a Democratic opponent (Doral City councilwoman Sandra Ruiz) and an independent one (Robert Van Name). She campaigned mostly on job creation and won with 56% of the votes. When the districts were redrawn in 2012, she sought and won reelection.

In 2018, then-congressman Ron DeSantis chose Núñez to be his running mate in the governor’s election to face Andrew Gillum and Chris King. The election they won was one of the closest in Florida history.

During her time in legislation, Núñez has supported bills helping immigrants, a stance she continues to hold as lieutenant governor. She has in particular held several roundtables and events to help Venezuelan exiles. She has also worked against human trafficking.

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Hispanic Heritage Month

PHOTOS: Orange County Celebrates the Work and Culture of Hispanics in ‘Noche de Esperanza’

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Performers from Opera Orlando received recognition from Yetzenia Negron in appreciation of their contribution to Orange County's Noche de Esperanza celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Orange County Government closed Hispanic Heritage Month with “Noche de Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope,” a gala that honored youth leaders of the Hispanic community and celebrate the culture.

The celebration also included the Hispanic Youth Leadership Awards (HYLA), a brainchild of Yetzenia Negrón, president of the Hispanic Heritage Committee of Greater Orange County. This year’s HYLA was the third edition of the awards that, to date, have recognized 23 youths from around Orange County.

“In my heart I envisioned us coming together as a community to truly honor the youth who are excelling, who are truly contributing to everything we truly represent as Hispanics,” Negrón told FNN News. “In my heart, I wanted to provide them with that platform. When I first came to Orlando it was a fresh start for me, coming from a community that was ridden with violence and crime. I found myself in Orlando wanting something different, and Orlando gave me that fresh start.”

Yetzenia Negrón, founder of the Hispanic Youth Leadership Awards. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodríguez/Florida National News.

Yetzenia Negrón, founder of the Hispanic Youth Leadership Awards. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodríguez/Florida National News.

“I decided to work with my community, to work with my youth, in violence prevention work, to show them that they don’t have to lose their hope, they can hold on really tight to their esperanza, to their hope, and excel,” she added.

Orange County Hispanic Youth Leadership Award recipients. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Orange County Hispanic Youth Leadership Award recipients. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

The Hispanic Youth Leadership awardees (above) include volleyball star Isabella Umpierre, 13, who volunteered sewing masks for the community near the beginning of the pandemic; climate activist Lorena Sosa; Daniela Tavera, who works actively to help immigrant families find opportunities for civic engagement; Mia Nicole Rivera, winner of the National Hispanic Recognition Program by College Board; Giana Santoni, who volunteers for multiple non-profits like Relay for Life and hand On Orlando; Estrella María Marolla, a frequent volunteer in her church feeding the poor; Valerin Arias, aspiring Gospel R&B artist and future physician’s assistant; and Faith Sutton, creator of the “Loving Our Trail” youth community clean up that helps Orange Blossom Trail clean.

(l-r) Sebastián Peralta and Sebastián Montalvo, who will both attend the University of Central Florida to get Bachelors' in Economics and Electrical Engineering, respectively, were awarded scholarships during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

(l-r) Sebastián Peralta and Sebastián Montalvo, who will both attend the University of Central Florida to get Bachelors’ in Economics and Electrical Engineering, respectively, were awarded scholarships during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

The organization also gave scholarships to Sebastián Montalvo and Sebastián Peralta (above), who will both attend the University of Central Florida to get Bachelors’ in Economics and Electrical Engineering, respectively.

Channel 9 Eyewitness News anchor and emcee Nancy Alvarez receives recognition during Orange County's Hispanic History Month Celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Channel 9 Eyewitness News anchor and emcee Nancy Alvarez receives recognition during Orange County’s Hispanic History Month Celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

TV news anchor Nancy Álvarez (above) was also awarded the Hispanic Service Award for her reporting and her public speaking, as well as for her job at working against domestic violence and for special needs children in school.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodríguez/Florida National News.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodríguez/Florida National News.

“The community leaders being recognized tonight, besides being of Hispanic descent, have one additional attribute in common, and that is, esperanza, hope,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (above) in his opening remarks for the evening. “Even in the face of adversity, they all look at life with optimism. They convert challenges and obstacles into opportunities, focusing on the good things to come. It reminds me of a quote by Jonas Salk, that says hope lies in dreams and imagination and the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.”

Venezuelan dance group Isladanza performed several dances during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Venezuelan dance group Isladanza performed several dances during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Venezuelan dance group Isladanza performed several dances during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Venezuelan dance group Isladanza performed several dances during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Venezuelan dance group Isladanza performed several dances during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Venezuelan dance group Isladanza performed several dances during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Latin Passion Dance Academy performed several dances during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Latin Passion Dance Academy performed several dances during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Latin Passion Dance Academy performed several dances during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Latin Passion Dance Academy performed several dances during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Opera Orlando singers performed a series of songs during Orange County's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

Opera Orlando singers performed a series of songs during Orange County’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Imperial Design Era Victorian in Orlando Thursday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Juan Carlo Rodriguez/Florida National News.

The evening was hosted by Univision journalists Hazel Ortiz and Ambar Rincón, and had presentations by Venezuelan dance group Isladanza and Latin Passion Dance Academy, as well as a recital by Opera Orlando.

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Juan Carlo Rodriguez is a politics and entertainment reporter for Florida National News, as well as the Content Coordinator for FNN News en Español. | info@floridanationalnews.com

Article was corrected to reflect that this year’s Hispanic Youth Leadership Awards was its third year, not the first.

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Coronavirus Outbreak

Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Doctor Raúl Pino

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Dr. Raul Pino receives the City of Orlando's Community Hero Award for his consistent COVID-19 updates during Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings' coronavirus press updates during the City of Orlando's Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Amway Center in downtown Orlando Tuesday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – During the pandemic, one voice has stood out during the press conferences that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings offers to give updates, not only because of his considerable expertise but because it is both in English and Spanish: Dr. Raúl Pino, the director of the Florida Health Department for the county, the first Latino to do so.

His paused and well-mannered style of delivering information has made him a valuable source of information in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. He has often been at odds with the mandates imposed by the Florida government, but at one time he had to confront a very different–and more dangerous–government.

Dr. Raul Pino speaks after receiving the City of Orlando's Community Hero Award for his consistent COVID-19 updates during Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings' coronavirus press updates during the City of Orlando's Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Amway Center in downtown Orlando Tuesday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

Dr. Raul Pino speaks after receiving the City of Orlando’s Community Hero Award for his consistent COVID-19 updates during Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ coronavirus press updates during the City of Orlando’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Amway Center in downtown Orlando Tuesday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

Pino was born in Ciego de Ávila, a small city in the center of Cuba. His mother was a housewife that raised the family and his father was a Supreme Court judge. At 12, he was sent to boarding school, forever away from his family, and when he could he would visit his grandmother, a rural curandera (healer) that actually inspired him to study medicine.

He enrolled in medical school at the University of Havana, where he got his Doctorate in Medicine. He wanted to learn how to treat burn victims, so he enlisted in the Army, the only place where he could get that kind of education. He also trained as a plastic surgeon in the Naval Hospital in Havana. Like so many Cubans, after a while, he decided he needed to leave the island, so one night he and a group of people would try to escape by boat.

In an interview in 2020, he told how, right before he would leave, a woman approached him insisting that he took her blood pressure. At first, he tries to blow her off, but the woman is persistent. He goes to take her pressure on the right arm, as is the custom in Cuba, but she directs him to her left, pulling up the sleeve of the sweater she’s wearing. On her arm, she has written a message: “Do not talk, be quiet, they are listening, do not leave, they are waiting for you.”

Pino was arrested later that night and detained for five days. He was interrogated but not harmed; nevertheless, when he was released he was discharged by the army. Without a job, he didn’t know what to do, until a friend told him about a program in the US Embassy that offered relocation to the United States to Cubans who were either kicked out of their job or dissenters. He applied, got elected, and he, his wife, and two children moved to Connecticut.

There he had to work several odd jobs, including picking berries, before being able to continue his studies, graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine with a Master of Public Health degree. He eventually worked his way to the city, first being hired as an epidemiologist by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH), and eventually getting to be, in 2015, appointed Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Dr. Raul Pino listens and looks on during the City of Orlando's Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Amway Center in downtown Orlando Tuesday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

Dr. Raul Pino listens and looks on during the City of Orlando’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Amway Center in downtown Orlando Tuesday, October 14, 2021. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

In 2019, Pino heard that Dr. Kevin Sherin had retired after 20 years of service in Orange County, Florida, so he decided it was time to relocate. In May of the following year, the Pinos made the move, and the doctor was shortly thereafter appointed Director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, where many have considered his ability to speak with the growing Hispanic community of Central Florida essential to navigating the pandemic.

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Juan Carlo Rodriguez is a politics and entertainment reporter for Florida National News as well as the Content Coordinator for FNN News en Español. | info@floridanationalnews.com

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Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Commissioner Maribel Gómez Cordero

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Orange County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero poses for a photo during the Florida Puerto Rican Parade in downtown Orlando Saturday, September 18, 2021. Photo: Harry Castiblanco/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Like so many members of the Latin community of Central Florida, District 4 Commissioner Maribel Gómez Cordero was born on the island of Puerto Rico. She lived there most of her life until 1997 when she moved here with her family and to earn her Master’s Degree from Webster University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling specializing in Marriage and Family.

She put her knowledge to good use even before working in politics, specializing in crisis counseling. She worked as a case manager and dependency unit supervisor at Children’s Home Society and the Department of Children & Families, and as a clinical therapist in Life and Work Solutions.

She won the 2018 elections against Susan Makowski, and is aspiring for a second term when the current one ends in 2022. She has focused her job on victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as the homeless. In 2019 she was honored with the key to the city of Ceiba, Puerto Rico, her hometown, for her work within the Hispanic community.

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