Also, Hannah Adams, Miss Orlando, was named Florida’s 2019 Miss Outstanding Teen
Four days of competition in Lakeland culminated Saturday night with the crowning of Michaela McLean, Miss Florida Citrus, as Miss Florida 2019.
Click here to see to photos for the Finals of the 2019 Miss Florida
Click here to see photos of Preliminary Day two 2019 Miss Florida
Click here to see photos of Preliminary Day one 2019 Miss Florida
After Taylor Tyson, Miss Florida 2018, presented McLean with her crown, sash and bouquet of roses, the new Miss Florida 2019 took her inaugural walk across the stage of the Youkey Theatre at the RP Funding Center. McLean, 21, of Clermont, graduated in May from the University of Alabama with a double major of dance and public relations. She was the 2015 Miss Florida Outstanding Teen and ranked in the Top 10 of the Miss America Outstanding Teen competitions.
As winner of the Miss Florida crown for 2019, McLean will receive $15,000 in scholarship money, full scholarships to both Stetson University and Florida Southern College, and a prize package exceeding $22,000.
McLean, who was selected from a field of 35 contestants, also will go on to compete in the Miss America competition in September.
The five finalists included contestants representing Orlando, Tampa and the University of Florida. Leah Roddenberry, 20, Miss University of Florida, was named first runner-up.
Among the 11 semifinalists was Miss Polk County Morgan Boykin, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of South Florida and a resident of Thonotosassa, Other Miss Florida competition contestants with Polk County connections were Juliana Fray, Miss Winter Haven, and Amber Boykin, Miss Lakeland.
This year’s competition marked the first Miss Florida pageant without a swimsuit competition. Organizers of the Miss America pageant decided last year to eliminate that element of the scholarship competition a month before the Miss Florida pageant, so state organizers chose to leave it in last year’s competition.
Absent the swimsuit category, the five judges evaluated each of the final five contestants based primarily on their talent presentation, which accounted for 30% of each contestant’s final scores, followed by 25% each for the semi-finalist scores and the on-stage questions. Eveningwear was given the least weight at 20%.
Earlier in the evening, Hannah Adams, Miss Orlando, was named Florida’s 2019 Miss Outstanding Teen from a field of 24 contestants.
Click here to see to photos for the Finals of the 2019 Miss Florida Outstanding Teen
Click here to see photos of Preliminary Day of 2019 Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen
This year’s Miss Florida event marked the fourth year Polk County has hosted the Miss Florida Competition at the Robert Youkey Theatre in the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.