Let me tell you about my friend, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith. Carlos and I first met in 2011, sharing a bench on the porch of then-State House Representative, now Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph. My twin sister Anna and I were college students, cutting our teeth in politics by registering thousands of students to vote at UCF. Scott and Susannah Randolph, long-time champions in progressive politics, always made an effort to invite young activists into political spaces we otherwise wouldn’t have access to. That night, they were hosting a porch party so we could all meet Rep. Randolph’s new legislative aide, Carlos.
I adored Carlos instantly. He was smart, funny and kind. When most would automatically write-off young people in politics, he wanted to know more about the work we were doing and support the campaigns we were building. But what I didn’t know about Carlos at the time was his remarkable story.
He was born into an immigrant family of Peruvian and French-Canadian descent. His mother a teacher, father a small business owner. He was a UCF Knight too and, as a student, survived a horrific homophobic-driven hate crime. He somehow found power in that unimaginable pain and after years of success in the private sector managing Men’s Warehouse in Atlanta, made the decision to return to Florida and commit his life to service. He volunteered and interned for every cause and candidate he cared about, proving himself time and time again, with hustle and humility.
I know all of this because over the last 10 years, I’ve had the gift of calling Rep. Smith my boss, mentor and friend. When he was legislative aide to Rep. Randolph and then Rep. Joe Saunders, chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, legislative affairs director for Equality Florida, a candidate and now lawmaker, I’ve witnessed him fight Goliath every time.
2021 has been no different. In the face of cruel Republican-led attacks on transgender youth in the legislature, Carlos led the fight, centering the stories of trans kids, mobilizing lawmakers in opposition and fighting until the final moments of the bill’s despicable passage.
After Gov. DeSantis broke his own promise and vetoed critical funding projects for Pulse survivors and LGBTQ+ people on the first day of Pride Month, Carlos fearlessly took the governor on — and he didn’t stop there. This summer, Carlos joined forces with Florida Center for Government Accountability in a lawsuit against the DeSantis state Department of Health for the agency’s refusal to release previously public COVID-19 data.
As a lawmaker, Carlos is a champion for everyday Floridians, introducing proposals to keep Floridians in their homes, and provide pandemic relief dollars to small businesses and families facing power cutoffs at the hands of greedy utility companies like Florida Power & Light. Time and time again, no matter the odds, Carlos puts Floridians first. In truly hard, heartbreaking times, I’m grateful for my remarkable friend, Carlos.
To view the full list of Watermark’s Remarkable People of 2021, click here.
