Margarita Gonzalez

She was born in Vereda Nueva,Cuba on June 10, 1954 to Enrique Gonzalez and Angela Elba Gonzalez.

Margarita and her family came to the U.S. in 1966. Pursuing higher education was one of Margarita’s life dreams, which she accomplished, earning an Associate’s degree from Hillsborough Community College and then a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations & Communications from the University of South Florida.

She is preceded by her father Enrique Gonzalez and is survived by her mother Angela Elba Gonzalez, her sister Elba Cruz & husband Hiram and her nephew & godson Michael Cruz, his wife Rebecca and their two daughters.

Margarita dedicated most of her life to community service in Tampa. She was involved in numerous organizations with most of them having a focus on providing scholarships especially to Hispanic students and she worked 30 years with City of Tampa. She won numerous awards in her professional and civic career, Hispanic Woman of the Year by Tampa Hispanic Heritage, 2019 Latina Lideres Award by the Latin Time, 2023 Hillsborough County Women's Hall of Fame inductee, and 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning Hero award, just to name a few.

For seventeen years, she served as executive producer and host of two public affairs television programs for City of Tampa Television; “Community Affairs Report”, and “Nuestra Tampa” in Spanish, which she created and arranged for it to also air on Univision and Telemundo. For several years, she also produced and hosted “Dialogando,” a live public affairs radio program on WQBN Spanish Radio, where she also did live simultaneous interpreting for then Mayor Sandy Freedman, the Chief of Police and other city officials’ radio programs. Gonzalez is a founding member and Honorary Chairperson of the Hispanic Professional Women’s Association and Foundation; and of the Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration Committee. She was also a founding board member of the Tampa Bay Chapter of Women in International Trade. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve as a member of the Superbowl Task Force (1991) and the first woman to preside over Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. (1988), where she was a board member for 24 years and still supports the organization. She has served as chairperson of the Tampa/Hillsborough County Youth Council and the Hillsborough Community Housing Resource Board. She was Deputy State Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and First Vice-President of the Suncoast Girl Scouts Council. In addition, she has served on the following board of directors: United Way of Hillsborough, Public Relations Society of America (Tampa Bay Chapter), Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), USF’s Alumni Board, USF’s Magazine Editorial Board, USF Suncoast Gerontology Center (Honorary Member); Henry B. Plant Museum, Human Rights Council, Sister Cities International and Hispanic Services Council. She is also a charter member of the following organizations: Ybor City State Museum, LifePath Hospice’s Latin Initiative and the Ybor City Kiwanis Club. She has been a member of Club 15, the Latino Coalition, and the Florida Association of Community Relations Professionals, as well as, many other civic and cultural organizations.

Most importantly, Margarita played a great role in helping establish endowments for many local groups like the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council and Tampa Hispanic Heritage. And in 2021 she established her own endowment at USF, The Margarita Gonzalez HPWF Latino Endowed Scholarship.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Margarita Gonzalez HPWF Endowed Latino Scholarship. Your contributions will continue Margarita’s legacy of supporting education for Hispanic students. To donate, visit: https://giving.usf.edu/online/

(Search for Fund #666087 or by name).

Margarita was a pillar in our community and the numerous individuals and communities her work touched are too long to list above. The following list does not include any groups and organizations where her involvement was on behalf of her employer or related to her community relations work:

Hispanic Professional Women’s Association, Inc, co-founder and honorary chair (1990 to September 4th, 2024)

Hispanic Professional Women’s Foundation Inc., co-founder and honorary chair (2019 September 4th, 2024)

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)*

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Deputy State Director*

USF Alumni Board* (two terms)

USF Communication Advisory Committee+

USF’s Magazine Editorial Board*

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Honorary member of the board)

Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council (prior to becoming staff Liaison in 1987)

Sheriff’s Hispanic Advisory Council (served 34 years)*

Henry B. Plant Museum Board (two terms)*

Sister Cities International (prior to becoming staff liaison)*

Tampa Hispanic Heritage Inc. (served 24 years)*

Human Rights Board (two terms)*

Suncoast Girl Scouts Council (served several terms) Last position 2nd Vie-President*.

Hispanic Professional Women’s Assoc. Co-founder/Honorary Chair 1990 to present

Organization of Women in International Trade-Tampa Co-founder*

Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)*,

USF Suncoast Gerontology Center (Honorary Member)

Hispanic Services Council*

Ybor City State Museum Founding Member+

LifePath Hospice’s Latin Initiative co-founder*

Ybor City Kiwanis Club Founding Member+

Club 15 Charitable Organization+

Life Link++

St. Joseph’s Hospital Community Advisory

American Red Cross+

Straz Center for the Performing Arts Best of Tampa Bay and Marketing Committee)+

Tampa Museum of Art Advisory Board Member)

Tampa Convention Center -Free Trade Zone Committee and International Committee+

Volunteered at the following events:

Ybor City Centennial Celebration (1986)

First Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Latin Festival (1987)

Ybor City Fiesta Day (several years on coordinating committee and volunteer).

Red Cross Latin Initiative “Super Paella”

*Board Member

+Member at large

A visitation for Margarita will be held Thursday, September 12, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at Blount &Curry Funeral Home @ Garden of Memories, 4207 E LAKE AVE, TAMPA, FL 33610. A funeral service will occur Thursday, September 12, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, 4207 E LAKE AVE, TAMPA, FL 33610. A committal will follow on Thursday, September 12, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 12:15 PM at Garden of Memories Cemetery, Tampa, Tampa, FL 33610.