LAKELAND, Fla. — Following three nights of intense competition, Miss Tampa Casana Fink was crowned Miss Florida on Saturday night at the 2024 Miss Florida Scholarship Competition at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Fink will now represent the Sunshine State at Miss America in January, the longest-running competition of its kind in the world.
The reigning Miss Tampa, Fink, was presented with her crown by 2023 Miss Florida winner Juliette Valle and awarded a $20,000 scholarship for her win.
Fink is the seventh Miss Tampa to win the title of Miss Florida in the competitions’ 88 years and the second in the last four years after Leah Roddenberry earned the crown in 2021.
Fink set the bar high right from the first night of the preliminaries with back-to-back wins when she turned in an inspiring lyrical dance performance of the Lauren Daigle song, Rescue, to close out the night one talent phase on Wednesday. She followed that up the next night, taking the evening gown competition.
In addition to this week’s on-stage success, Fink was also named the recipient of two scholarships on Friday night during the Miss Florida Organization Scholarship Beach Party held at Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Cabana Cabins in Auburndale, taking the Miss Florida Practical Leadership Scholarship ($500) and the Miss Florida Community Service Initiative Scholarship ($1,500).
Fink was one of 16 semifinalists announced at the beginning of Saturday evening. The semifinalists presented their community service initiatives and went through the health and fitness portion of the program.
The event finished with the talent and evening gown competition, followed by an on-stage conversation with 2003 Miss Florida winner and 2004 Miss America winner Ericka Dunlop before the winner was announced.
Fink will use her platform as Miss Florida to educate and advocate for organ and tissue donation through her foundation, Give to Live.
Earlier in the evening, Ireland Harkins, Miss St. Augustine’s Teen, was named Miss Florida’s Teen 2024 and will compete in the Miss America’s Teen Competition.
Harkins will receive a $5,000 scholarship and full tuition to one of the following schools of higher education: Stetson, Florida Southern, Florida State University Panama City, or Gulf Coast State College.
A South Tampa man turned to Susan Solves It after he said ADT told him he had to keep paying for a security system at his Hurricane Helene-damaged home, even though the system was so new that he never had a day of service.
