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RECAP: UNIDOS Honoring Hispanic Heritage & Its Rising Influence

Staff | Published on 9/15/2025

UNIDOS: Honoring Hispanic Heritage and its Rising Influence

Hispanic Heritage Month comes this year at a critical moment for the community. At a time when Hispanics are celebrating their rising influence, they also face a political urgency. Their voices reflect both pride in their progress and concern about policies that threaten hard-won gains. Our program included the following guests:

Moderator: Ybeth Bruzual, Spectrum 13 News Anchor
Florida Representative Johanna López
Rene Gomez, Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida
Ricardo Negron-Almodovar, Florida Senior Campaign Manager for All Voting is Local

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PANEL BIOGRAPHIES

MODERATOR: Ybeth Bruzual

Ybeth Bruzual has been with Spectrum News 13 since June 1998, working her way from assignment editor to a Spanish language news reporter/anchor, to her current position as the face of “Your Morning News.”

Ybeth is passionate about being able to provide people with news 24 hours a day, telling viewers about what is happening right away and going beyond the headlines.

The University of Central Florida graduate loves informing people about new things in the community — and knowing that maybe they’ll even walk away knowing something new. Great storytelling is important to her, since thoughtful content shows that Spectrum News 13 cares.

Ybeth has been in Central Florida since 1981, when her mother moved from Puerto Rico to Orlando. The avid cyclist is a native Spanish-speaker and learned English when she came to Orlando.

Ybeth is a respected journalist and was honored as one of Orlando’s Women of the Year 2019. A two-time Emmy winner, Ybeth earned her first Emmy in 2016 for her coverage of the Orlando United Pulse vigil, which is still one of the most meaningful stories she’s covered.

She earned a second in 2019 for her coverage of Puerto Rico on both the island and mainland in the series “Hurricane Maria: Healing a Humanitarian Crisis.”

Florida Rep. Johanna López

Johanna López, the daughter of a World War II veteran and a housekeeper, was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. She moved to Orlando, Florida in 1998, where she began working at a car wash and a fast- food restaurant.

In 2018, López made history by becoming the first Latina elected to the Orange County School Board, following a fully student-run campaign. She prioritized student well-being and safety during the pandemic, advocated for the most vulnerable students, campaigned for improved benefits and pay for teachers and school staff, and successfully led the renaming of Stonewall Jackson Middle School to Roberto Clemente Middle School.

In 2022, López furthered her public service by being elected to represent District 43, encompassing parts of East Orlando, in the Florida House of Representatives. In the legislature, López successfully co-led bipartisan efforts to expand access to high school diplomas and educational opportunities for K-12 students, supported funding initiatives totaling $711 million for affordable housing, and introduced legislation to increase retirement benefits in line with cost-of-living adjustments. Additionally, López has staunchly opposed extremist laws endangering children through gun violence, criminalizing immigrants, restricting abortion access, penalizing workers and targeting LGBTQ youth.

López holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico. Her accolades include the 2017 OCPS Teacher of the Year Award, Gov. Rick Scott’s Shine Award for Inspirational Teachers, the national Queen Smith Award for Commitment to Urban Public Education, Macy’s Magic of Leadership Award, the Wings of Inspiration Award, Coca-Cola’s Educator of Distinction Award, and the Life Changer of the Year award.

Rene Gomez

Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida

As civic engagement coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida, Rene Gomez leads critical efforts in electoral organizing, immigrant and farmworker advocacy, youth empowerment and community education on civil rights.

Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, he brings a deep commitment to social justice and community uplift. Rene is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration, furthering his dedication to effective and inclusive public service.

His career in public service includes impactful roles at AdventHealth, Second Harvest Food Bank and Orange County Head Start, where he contributed to health equity, food security and early childhood education initiatives.

Ricardo Negron-Almodovar

Ricardo was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to Orlando in 2015.

He has more than 10 years of experience working in the Florida nonprofit sector.

He currently serves as the Florida Senior Campaign Manager for All Voting is Local, a multistate, nonpartisan voting rights organization.

He is also the co-founder of Del Ambiente, an organization that promotes holistic development of Spanish-speaking LGBTQIA+ communities in Florida.

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REVIEW

By Judi Hayes

Hispanic Heritage Month officially begins on Sept. 15, but the Hot Topics lunch and panel discussion started early to celebrate this vibrant and growing local community.

According to the 2020 Census, the Hispanic population makes up one-third of the Orange County population, and in Osceola County, it's a majority at 54 percent. Hispanic people are business owners and laborers, community leaders and neighbors. The influence of this demographic is everywhere,
enriching our food, politics, and entertainment. Central Florida is a better place to live thanks to our rich and diverse cultures, where traditions like Three Kings Day and sharing homemade coquito with friends are becoming a familiar, and often adopted, part of our community.

We were delighted to welcome back the moderator, two-time Emmy winner Ybeth Bruzual. She has been with Spectrum News 13 since June 1998, working her way from assignment editor to a Spanish language news reporter/anchor, to her current position as the face of “Your Morning News.”

Panelists included Rene Gomez, the civic engagement coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida. He leads critical efforts in electoral organizing, immigrant and farmworker advocacy, youth empowerment and community education on civil rights.

Johanna López was elected District 43 Florida House Representative in 2022. Prior to that, she made history in 2018 by becoming the first Latina elected to the Orange County School Board, following a fully student-run campaign. López has received numerous awards and accolades, among them being named the 2017 OCPS Teacher of the Year.

Ricardo Negron-Almodovar is the Florida senior campaign manager for All Voting is Local, a multistate, nonpartisan voting rights organization. He has more than 10 years of experience working in the Florida nonprofit sector. He is also the co-founder of Del Ambiente, an organization that promotes holistic
development of Spanish-speaking LGBTQIA+ communities in Florida.

The panelists discussed what they find most surprising or unexpected when they arrived in Florida — the beautiful natural springs, local-owned businesses and the plethora of Hispanic communities.

What cultural and business trends come with an increase in the Hispanic population? Entrepreneurship was a common theme. More Hispanic grocery stores and restaurants. The increased number of Hispanic students was surprising, and more people speaking Spanish.

There are definite differences between Puerto Rican, South and Central American, Mexican and Caribbean Hispanic communities. Do they interact with each other? López noted that a lack of education correlates to a lack of respect. Gomez mentioned a reluctance to venture out of their comfort zone, and
Negron-Almodovar observed that Hispanic people connect over food, music and sports.

López has been conducting a 15-point listening tour of her constituents in District 43, and their main concern was affordability. She talked about how teachers and everyone else can’t afford homeownership and the importance of talking about public education.

The panelists also discussed the direct impact of ICE arrests and detention in our community, how ICE and FHP are working together with the municipal police. People are scared, families torn apart, Gomez said. Schools are losing funding because of absenteeism. Students are suffering.

It was a robust and thorough discussion about the Hispanic community in Central Florida, and we invite you to watch the video recap. ¡Wepa!

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Calls to Action

Interested in seeing how local government is handling Hispanic issues? Reach out to your local and state representatives including our guest,
FL Representative Johanna Lopez Look for your own representative at: https://www.flhouse.gov/FindYourRepresentative
How is the agricultural industry faring after the upheaval of migrant removals from the fields? The Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF) does community organizing, education, and advocacy to build power among farm worker and rural low-income communities to respond to and gain control over the social, political, workplace, economic, health, and environmental justice issues that impact their lives.
All Voting is Local (“All Voting”) is a nonpartisan organization that fights on the ground in eight states for free and fair elections. In a moment of continuous threats to our democracy, All Voting advocates for voters and supports state and local officials in adopting policies and practices that ensure the American people choose their leaders, not the other way around.

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