Former Sen. Les Miller Honored For 50 Years In Public Service With Park In His Name

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — During his more than five decades in public service, Lesley "Les" Miller Jr. had three credos he lived by:

Do the right thing.

Never forget where you came from.

Never look down on anyone.

Those simple tenets, instilled in him by his parents, have guided him through his years serving as a Florida senator and representative, a Hillsborough County commissioner and a member of the Tampa City Council.

Now an associate with Shumaker Advisors Florida LLC, a public affairs and government relations advocacy firm, where he's joined by fellow elected officials, County Commissioner Sandra Murman and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Miller said he may no longer be a public servant but will always serve public in the community where he was raised.

He also serves as chairman of the Board of Deacons at the New Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

“My life has been one of service to my community and the Tampa Bay region and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue that service,” Miller said. “I am looking forward to utilizing my experience and longstanding community relationships to further a wide array of projects with the Shumaker team.”

Last week, those he once served with paid homage to Miller when they named one of the county's premier parks and recreation centers in his honor.

The hour-long ceremony included tributes from current and former officials who served with Miller and culminated with the unveiling of a block sign with a digital screen in front of the renamed Lesley "Les" Miller, Jr. All People's Community Park & Life Center, 6105 E. Sligh Ave. in Tampa.

Miller and his family, including his wife, former Tampa City Council Chair Gwen Miller, lingered beside the new sign, greeting longtime friends and posing for photographs.

The renaming of the center for Miller is especially appropriate. Throughout his political career, the Tampa native has been a strong advocate for the disenfranchised and disadvantaged, including those with physical disabilities. All People's is for residents of all ages and abilities, but particularly those with disabilities.

Accolades for Miller's years of commitment to the people of Hillsborough County and Florida flowed at the ceremony. Current and former government leaders described him as a natural leader, a steady-handed individual who listens to everyone, and a powerful advocate for civil rights and equality.

Several speakers jokingly noted that he was also the best-dressed person in any room.

Miller thanked God and his family, specifically mentioning his wife, four children and six grandchildren. He also thanked his parents and sister. "They're the ones that did the right thing and helped me get where I am today," he said. "This is just beyond belief."

A Tampa native, Miller attended public schools in Hillsborough County and graduated from Middleton High School.

He served in the United States Air Force from 1970 to 1974 and then attended the University of South Florida, where he made history as the first student to serve on the former Board of Regents for the state of Florida from 1977 to 1979. He received his bachelor of arts degree in political science and graduated with distinction in 1978. He also holds an honorary doctorate degree in humane letters from Florida A&M University.

Miller began his career in public service by winning an appointment to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Cable TV Board, which fostered his passion to become a leader.

After being appointed to serve on the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission and serving 51 days on the Tampa City Council after a special election, Miller was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1992, and was re-elected three consecutive times while serving as the Democratic Whip and the Democratic Leader.

He went on to be elected to the Florida Senate in 2000 and re-elected in 2004, where he served as Democratic Whip and Minority Leader, becoming the first person to ever serve as the Minority Leader in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.

During his tenure in the Senate, he served in various capacities, including Democratic Leader (Minority Leader), Democratic Leader Pro Tempore, Democratic Whip, Vice Chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and was the co-author of a $70 billion and $73 billion budgets, respectively.

During his career in both the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives, he established a reputation for bipartisan, innovative compromise and cooperation to improve the lives of his constituents, especially when it came to legislation affecting education, the elderly and health initiatives.

After leaving the Senate, he served as interim associate vice president and dean for students at the University of South Florida.

Returning to politics, he was elected to serve District 3 on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners in 2010 and was re-elected two more times and served as the board chairman three times before retiring in 2020.

During his half century of public service, Miller worked tirelessly to ensure residents had clean drinking water and plentiful parks, fought against bigotry and racism, led groundbreaking efforts to fund cancer research and patient care, and steered Hillsborough County through the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For his commitment, leadership and vision, Miller was awarded the Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award in June, a honor previously awarded to well-respected leaders Judge E.J. Salcines, former Tampa Mayor and Florida Gov. Bob Martinez and former Hillsborough Clerk of Circuit Courts and state Sen. Pat Frank.

"The awards that I've received, the accolades, are not something that I wanted or worked for," Miller said. "The work that I've done in this city, and this county, and this state was to help those that needed me the most. I know I would never be a rich person to give back as a philanthropist. So, I figured the best way to give back was to be an elected official to help those who needed it the most. And I thank those that allowed me to do that."

Miller was on hand June 18 when the county unveiled its largest adaptive playground at the All People's Community Park and Life Center.

The 10,000-square-foot, American With Disabilities Act-compliant playground has an adventure theme and includes play units designed to encourage children to stay active and play with other kids of all abilities.

In addition to traditional elements like swings and slides, the playground features rope- and rock-climbing structures, musical elements and synthetic turf along with play equipment for children with sensory needs, including a sea serpent with textured scales and hidden icons that double as a matching game, two Quiet Grove sensory coves where children can take a break from the action, spinner bowls and two different types of rocker units that encourage socialization and teamwork.

The playground is surrounded by a 4-foot-high decorative fence with four gates equipped with pool latches to keep young children from leaving the playground unattended.

While the park in its entirety is dedicated to Miller, the playground is dedicated in memory of Rebecca “Becki’’ Forsell. After a car accident left her legally blind in 1996, Forsell founded For Eyes Only, a support group for individuals with sight impairments. She later founded Yes! Of American United, which helps empower, educate and enrich all people with disabilities.