Miss Florida Citrus Takes Win Streak to the Next Level

Miss Florida 2019 crowning moment

It was another crowning moment for Michaela McLean [center] during the recent Miss Florida 2019 competition. She had momentum coming into the event having already won Miss Florida Citrus 2019 earlier in the spring.
Photo courtesy of Genie Bunton Photography

Michaela McLean knows a lot about Florida citrus. She also knows a thing or two about winning. The Clermont native who was crowned Miss Florida Citrus 2019 earlier this spring can now add the title of Miss Florida 2019 to her resume, too. Both events are Miss America preliminary pageants. With McLean shining brightest among all other contestants, she will now go on to represent the Sunshine State during the Miss America 2.0 competition slated for December.

Brenda Eubanks Burnette, Executive Director of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame and former Florida Citrus Queen, says Michaela has what it takes to win it all and recognizes the dedication it takes for all contestants to succeed. “We are beyond proud of Michaela’s accomplishments and look forward to seeing her take the stage at Miss America to represent our state,” she says. “The Miss Florida Citrus Pageant wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our many sponsors, most notably La Voyce Porter (1966 Florida Citrus Queen) who gave us a $5,000 grant five years ago to bring back the Miss Florida Citrus title.”

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Given McLean’s new commitments for the Miss America 2020 pageant, the current role of Miss Florida Citrus will now be taken up by Miss Florida Citrus pageant runner-up/Miss Winter Haven 2019 Juliana Fray, who also competed in the Miss Florida competition and earned three awards, including Best Preliminary Interview in her group and Top 15. “We’ve been very fortunate to have our titleholders place in the Top 10 or Top 15 every year we’ve been affiliated with the Miss Florida Pageant,” Eubanks Burnette beams.

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Stay tuned as Michaela continues her journey to the national stage and Juliana learns the ropes around the citrus sector.

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