East County queen hits the stage at Miss Florida Pageant

EAST COUNTY — Nineteen-year-old Ellie Ohlman may not have returned this weekend from St. Petersburg with the Miss Florida title, but the East County resident gained something far more valuable.

“I didn’t walk away with a crown, but I did walk away with 43 new friends,” Ohlman said of the other contestants. “I will cherish them forever. We’re going to keep in touch. It’s going to be great.”

Ohlman joined pageant contestants from all over Florida July 1 to July 7, in the Miss Florida Pageant competition, a precursor to the Miss America pageant. Contestants made their first public appearance the evening they arrived by attending a Tampa Bay Rays game. Then, they were off to rehearsals to learn a dance routine and stage placement for the final competition July 7.

“We were practically moved in for a week,” Ohlman said, chuckling. “Every dress I ever owned in my life, I brought with me.”

The girls spent the week practicing for the show and also competing in personal interviews, answering on-stage questions, modeling formal wear and swimsuits and performing talents.

“I was hopefully lucky No. 25,” Olhman said. “Of course, Saturday was the final night. That was exciting. By that time, competition was, for the most part, completed.”

Top 10 finalists were announced Saturday, after contestants performed their opening dance routine, and they went on to compete again in each category. Ohlman, and the other competitors who did not advance, then worked quickly to assist the contestants who did.

“They were all amazing women,” Ohlman said. “I was happy with the Top 10. I went into the Miss Florida pageant with an open mind. I’ve already had an amazing year as Miss Desoto Heritage Festival. (Competing in) this (pageant) was like icing on the cake.

“I was just taking in the experience,” she said. “To have won the job of Miss Florida would have been incredible, but it was an amazing experience that I’m walking away with.”

Ohlman loved being around the other contestants and has already been joking that she’ll help with the pageant next year as a hostess.

“I’m really good at applying fake eyelashes, so everybody kept coming to me to put their eyelashes on,” she added. “I had so much fun getting to know the girls.”

Now that the contest is over, Ohlman said she will continue working at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club and plans to return to the University of South Florida to study broadcast journalism.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

Taking A Stand
In preparation for the Miss Florida Pageant, Ellie Ohlman chose a platform of “Community Service: Start Young.” She visited East County elementary schools starting in December, working with children to show them community service is fun and can be as simple as sending letters to soldiers overseas or donating canned goods to the local food bank.