TAMPA, FL – Lesley J. “Les” Miller Jr., Senior Vice President and Principal, Local Practice at Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC, has been selected for the class of 2026 Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame. A U.S. Air Force Veteran, Les was among five veterans unanimously approved by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet during the September 29 cabinet meeting. The Class of 2026 will be formally inducted during a ceremony at 10 a.m. on November 5 in the cabinet room of the Florida Capitol.
Established by the State of Florida in 2013, the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame honors military Veterans who, through their works and lives during or after military service, have made a significant contribution to the state. For Les, that contribution spans more than 50 years of public service, from the Tampa City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission to leadership roles in both chambers of the Florida Legislature.
“My time in the U.S. Air Force taught me that service is about showing up for the people around you, and that lesson has guided every role I’ve held since,” said Les. “To be recognized alongside these remarkable veterans is deeply humbling, and I share this honor with the people of Hillsborough County and the State of Florida who have trusted me to serve them.”
Most recently, Les served on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, representing District 3 from November 2010 to November 2020. He served three terms as Chairman, striving to foster a better place for all citizens to live, work, and play.
Les is the first person in Florida’s history to serve as Democratic Leader in both chambers of the Florida Legislature. In the Florida House of Representatives, he served as Democratic Leader (Minority Leader) from 1998 to 2000 and established a reputation for bipartisan, innovative compromise and cooperation to improve Floridians’ lives, especially in education, services for the elderly, and health initiatives. He went on to represent Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pinellas counties in the Florida Senate’s 18th District from 2000 to 2006, serving as Democratic Leader (Minority Leader), Democratic Leader Pro Tempore, and Democratic Whip. As Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, he co-authored the state’s $70 billion and $73 billion budgets during the two-year term. Earlier in his career, he served on the Tampa City Council in 1991.
“From the day he put on the uniform of the U.S. Air Force, Les has never stopped serving,” said Ron Christaldi, Shumaker Partner and President/CEO, Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC. “For more than five decades, he has carried that same sense of duty from the Tampa City Council to the Hillsborough County Commission and both chambers of the Florida Legislature, always putting the people he represents first. This honor is a fitting tribute to a lifetime of service to his community, his state, and his country, and we are incredibly proud to see Les recognized among Florida’s most distinguished Veterans.”
The following individuals join Les in the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Class of 2026:
- Col. (Judge) Mose L. Floyd, USMC (Ret) – Jacksonville
- Honorable Bill McCollum Jr. (USN Veteran) – Longwood
- Bill Wallace Merryman (USA Veteran) – Crystal River
- CAPT Elizabeth (Betsy) Nolan, USN (Ret) – The Villages