Newly Crowned Miss Florida Citrus Halle Burton Ready to Champion Ag
by RYAN MILEJCZAK
Miss Florida Citrus is a title with a history that stretches back more than 100 years. And as the competition enters its second century, the latest holder of the crown, Halle Burton, wants to help put a spotlight on the past, present, and future of the Florida citrus industry she represents.
A senior at the University of Florida studying public relations, Burton has an impressive list of accomplishments. She’s a former Gatorette, the director of the Florida Future Leadership Program, and a Florida Blue Key member, to name just a few.
“The two things I like to advocate for the most are volunteerism for all and mental health, especially for our students,” she says.
As a part of the competition, contestants complete a private, 10-minute interview with a panel of judges consisting of industry and community leaders, as well as compete in events such as fitness, talent, and evening gowns, in order to show the qualities that make them the best choice for Miss Florida Citrus.
“There’s a lot to learn about the citrus industry, so it’s important for Miss Florida Citrus to have the drive to learn about it,” says Kristi Joyner, the executive director for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame and the Miss Florida Citrus Pageant. “It’s also important to be dedicated to being the best person you can be. They’re taking their lives and their ability to have an impact seriously.”
“I don’t have a formal background in citrus, but it’s something I’m very hopeful and excited to grow in,” adds Burton. “One of the big reasons why I wanted to compete for Miss Florida Citrus is learning more about how important agriculture is, especially in the state of Florida, and having the opportunity to use my background in public relations and communications to advocate and promote that not only to other students, but hopefully in the next generation of people who want to get more involved in this industry.”
Halle’s dream of being crowned Miss Florida Citrus goes all the way back to when she was just a little girl.
“So this will be my third year competing at Miss Florida, but it has been a lifelong dream,” she says. “The Miss Florida organization has a Sunshine Mentee program where they offer young women the opportunity to be a mentee with Miss Florida. I was about 6 years old when I went to Miss Florida for the first time, and I was a sunshine princess. I would go out and I would perform community service with my title holder who was Miss Florida Gator 2010.”
Her experience as a mentee was a critical moment for her.
“That honestly paved my life and it was something I knew I would have the opportunity to pay forward as a local title holder,” she recounts. “And I do have a mentee; her name is Avery, and she’s 10 years old.”
Halle recounted a number of highlights from this year’s competition.
“The opening number was a big highlight because we did the song from Miss Congeniality, which as pageant girls, we all love that movie,” she says with a laugh. “And being backstage is always such a fun time. We just chat and laugh all day, and sometimes you forget that you’re even competing because of the sisterhood aspect of it all.”
After her interview and the various competitions, including baton twirling for the talent section, the moment finally came to crown the winner.
“The very next day after last year’s Miss Florida competition, I was already checking the calendar to see when the next competition was,” recounts Burton. “It’s something that’s always on my mind and I finally decided that this is the year that I wanted to try and make it happen. I spent months preparing, and I was just ecstatic to know that my hard work had paid off. It’s hard to sum into words how exciting it is.”
“With Halle, you can watch her talent and clearly see it’s something she’s worked very, very hard on,” says Joyner.
For her tenure as Miss Florida Citrus, Burton has big plans.
“One of my big plans is the Squeeze the Sunshine PR campaign, mostly focused on digital and social media,” she explains. “It’s about bringing hope and positivity to the citrus industry, focused on educating people about the rich history and traditions of the industry. With last year being the competition’s centennial, it’s not only the opportunity to have a title, but tying back to over a century of history and tradition.”