| Jim Apthorp Tallahassee native and Capitol insider Jim Apthorp died at the age of 86 on November 18th. Apthorp worked for three governors and served on the Constitutional Revision Commission from 1977-1978. He began his career as a staff member in the Florida Secretary of State’s office and was named executive director of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund by Republican Governor Claude Kirk. He was then chosen as chief of staff for Democratic Governor Reuben Askew where he helped draft the Sunshine Amendment which requires candidates to disclose their personal finances. Democratic Governor Lawton Chiles tapped him to chair a funding committee of the Governor’s Commission on Education. Harris Rosen Harris Rosen, CEO of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, died November 25th. Named Orlando Sentinel’s Central Floridian of the Year in 2011, Rosen exemplified what it means to be involved in one’s community, how to be an impactful businessman, a model for human dignity, and how to be true to one’s faith. The son of Russian immigrant Jews, Rosen attended Cornell University and initially worked as director of planning for Walt Disney World’s first two hotels. Branching out on his own soon after, he eventually developed and owned eight hotels. Rosen’s philanthropy involved local projects such as adopting the neighborhood of Tangelo Park, a small community that he supported through free universal preschool, parenting resources, college scholarships, and recreational opportunities. Harris Rosen was a man of generous means who had a vision and gave hope to many. He was 85. |
