Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 972
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-01486-25                                            2025972__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Celia Cruz Day; creating s. 683.27,
    3         F.S.; designating October 21 of each year as “Celia
    4         Cruz Day” in Florida; providing an effective date.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, Celia Cruz, internationally known as the “Queen of
    7  Salsa,” was born on October 21, 1925, in Cuba, where West
    8  African and European traditions merged to create a rich musical
    9  climate that allowed Celia Cruz to become a musical talent with
   10  a fluid, diverse repertoire, and
   11         WHEREAS, in 1950, Celia Cruz joined the orchestra La Sonora
   12  Matancera and, in her 15 years with La Sonora Matancera,
   13  recorded 188 songs, one of which, “Burundanga,” won Celia her
   14  first gold record, and
   15         WHEREAS, Celia Cruz was bestowed many national and state
   16  honors, including the National Medal of Arts in 1994; the Grammy
   17  Award in 1990, 2003, and 2004; the Latin Grammy Award in 2000,
   18  2001, 2002, and 2004; the Aplauso 92 Award for Best Latin Female
   19  Vocalist in 1989, 1991, and 1992; the Lo Nuestro Excellence
   20  Award in 1990; the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame Honor in
   21  1994; the Andalusia Award for Universal Artist in 1996; the
   22  Telemundo Network Artist of the Millennium Award in 1999; and
   23  the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously,
   24  in 2016, and
   25         WHEREAS, Celia Cruz received a star on the “Hollywood Walk
   26  of Fame” in Hollywood and the “Calle Ocho Walk of Fame” in
   27  Miami, and she was also awarded honorary doctoral degrees from
   28  the Florida International University and the University of
   29  Miami, and
   30         WHEREAS, most recently, a collectible Barbie doll that
   31  commemorates Celia Cruz was released, and
   32         WHEREAS, Celia Cruz’s image appeared on the Forever Latin
   33  Music Legends stamps issued by the United States Postal Service
   34  in 2011, and she is the first Afro-Latina to be featured on a
   35  United States currency, the 2024 quarter, NOW, THEREFORE,
   36  
   37  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   38  
   39         Section 1. Section 683.27, Florida Statutes, is created to
   40  read:
   41         683.27 Celia Cruz Day.—October 21 of each year is hereby
   42  designated as “Celia Cruz Day” in the state.
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.