Miss Florida USA set to crown new victor

67 women vie for the title of Miss Florida USA, to be crowned at Parker Playhouse n Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, July 16. The winner will compete in 2017's Miss USA pageant.

Richard TribouContact ReporterOrlando Sentinel

Miss Florida has had her day, so it's time for Miss Florida USA.

The second of two major pageants in the state is slated to crown its winner this Saturday at Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale. 67 contestants from around the state will vie for the right to compete in next year's Miss USA pageant.

So whoever wins Saturday night will be Miss Florida USA 2017. Last year's winner, Brie Gabrielle, actually just competed in June for the Miss USA 2016 title, which went to Deshauna Barber of Washington, D.C.

The other major pageant, Miss Florida, which feeds into the Miss America pageant, was just named on July 2. That winner, Courtney Sexton of Orlando, will be headed in September to the Miss America 2016 pageant in Atlantic City. So the turnaround is much quicker.

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The difference between the two is that Miss Florida USA feeds into the Miss USA, which feeds into Miss Universe. Miss Florida goes to Miss America and stops there. The latter is a nonprofit, scholarship-awarding pageant. The winner of Miss Florida USA will win a variety of merchandise and have their trip to Atlantic City paid for.

This is a bit of a rebound year for the pageant, which had somewhat of a meltdown in 2015 when NBC dropped the broadcast in the wake of controversial comments about Mexican immigrants by candidateDonald Trump, who at the time was co-owner of both the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. Trump sold his stake to WME/IMG, which is primarily a talent agency. This year's Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas aired on Fox.

Miss Florida USA's producer is Tel-Air. It's entering its 66th year with women who have either won one of the city or community feeder pageants or been named a local finalist, won a Miss Photogenic or Miss Amity award. The competition features interviews, evening gown and swimsuit competitions. The show will be aired on South Florida TV on Miami's ABC affiliate WPLG Local 10 from 9-11 p.m. Saturday night. Other parts of the state will air it at different times (checkwww.missfloridausa.com/new/tv-listings.html). Live streaming is being provided from 8-10 p.m. from www.News4Jax.com, WJXT in Jacksonville.

Orlando-area contestants include Miss Orlando Evelyn J. Linden, 22, of Orlando, Miss Winter Park USA Annie McFarland, 20, of Winter Springs, Miss Central Florida USA Christina Nicholson, 24, of Winter Park, Miss Seminole County Juliana Bonarrigo, 18, of Ormond Beach, Miss Melbourne USA Ashley Daniello, 23, of Orlando, Miss Ft. Miss Lauderdale Beach Maggie Ta, 23, of Orlando, Miss Space Coast USA Victoria Korthuis, 22, of Rockledge, Miss Daytona Beach USA Kirby Keller, 23, of Orange Park, Miss Treasure Coast Cynthia Sundin, 24, of Cocoa Beach, Miss Winter Garden USA Jenna Vincitore, 23, of Sarasota, Miss Volusia County USA Leighton Baruch, 20, of Jacksonville and Miss Lakeland USA Ashley Halman, 24, of Lakeland.

No winner of the Miss Florida USA pageant has gone on to win Miss USA, although Cheryl Patton, a second runner-up at the 1967 competition, inherited the title when Sylvia Hitchcock won the Miss Universe title.

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