It’s always good to have friends in high places, and based on Orlando Magazine’s 2018 list, the LGBTQ community not only has some good friends, they also have some pretty powerful ones too.
Orlando Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful of 2018” issue was released recently and it was no surprise one of the community’s best buds, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer topped the list in Government and Politics.
Dyer is joined on the list by LGBTQ allies like Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orlando Police Chief John Mina and Senator Bill Nelson, as well as a trio of U.S. Representatives: Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, Congresswoman Val Demmings and Congressman Darren Soto.
Also amongst the top Central Florida powerhouses are the community’s one-two political punch of State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan. Smith, Florida’s first openly LGBTQ Latino lawmaker, and Sheehan, the first openly gay person elected to the Orlando City Council, have been leading the charge for the LGBTQ community in Central Florida in these uncertain political times.
Whether hitting the streets and fighting for equality for all communities or just being present for those affected by the Pulse tragedy, Smith and Sheehan have given this community two compassionate and powerful role models.
You can read the entire list at OrlandoMagazine.com.
