Florida has a long history of attracting the rich, talented and famous, while producing some legends and icons itself.
Throughout the past few decades, award-winning actors, legendary athletes, iconic entertainers and notable politicians have called Florida “home,” whether for a few decades, a few years or a few summers.
Some famous Floridians are honorary and simply had careers that profoundly impacted the culture of the state. Others were born here and are proud of representing their home state, like Doechii, who recently won her first Grammy and calls herself “swamp princess,” as a nod to her roots.
Other Florida-born famous people that went on to wow in their respective industries include Ariana Grande, Sarah Paulson, Maya Rudolph, Nelly Korda and even the late, great Bob Ross.
But with so much fame tied to the state, who is the most famous? It’s impossible to quantify, but we can take a vote.
The USA TODAY Florida Network rounded up a list of 150 famous Floridians: living, dead, Florida-natives, some who owned second or third homes here and even celebs whose lives impacted Florida culture.
See rules for ‘Famous Florida’ 2025 draft
Our staff-created list covers a wide range of people and is not limited to just native Floridians.
This list includes famous people who once lived here, own second or third homes here, and even people whose careers are closely tied to the Sunshine State, such as the late, great Dale Earnhardt, who once owned a pirate-themed home in Key West and tragically died in a crash at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500.
This is not an exhaustive list, since it was created by staff submissions. Did we miss someone? Let us know! You can submit names of those you think we snubbed with this list here.
The rules are simple: visit the poll below and select your nominations for the top 50 most famous of the 150 on the list. After the results are in, there will be a second poll to select the top 25.
There will be five rounds of voting, culminating in a reader-voted “most famous Floridian” title for one of the people on the list.
POLL: Vote for who you think is the most famous Floridian below
To vote in the first round of our “Famous Floridians” poll, click the poll below and select your top 50 submissions for the most famous from the list of 150 and click the “vote” button.
Who did we miss? Take the survey
Since this is a list made by humans, there are likely many famous Floridians and people with ties to Florida that we missed.
Can you think of any? Submit your “snubs” with the survey below.
And may the most famous Floridian win!
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Who is the most Famous Floridian? You decide: Take our poll to pick the top 50
Reporting by Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / St. Augustine Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
