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1970's Male Skater
Kevin "KPh.D" Peterson
A South Florida madman, in on nearly every major skate session and the scene. Instrumental in building the Hollywood Ramp, Ollie's co-conspirator in nearly every South Florida venture. The founder of EGGMO SKATES. K.P. was perhaps the funniest skater of his generation
Joe SantAngelo
Member of the very first Sims East Skateboard Team and contributed to many team wins in competition throughout Florida. After Sims, Joe went on to help design and build Groundswell skateboard park, and was the local pro as well. Joe then became sponsored by a new wheel design called the Quarks. Known especially for his smoothness in freestyle, but was underrated in pool and bowl rider. He was a Cadillac Wheels Skateboard Concourse regular as well
Mike Brooks
Mike started skating around 1972 on a board that he cut a pair of roller skates in half to make trucks. The first board his mom bought for him was at the palm coast plaza toy store with clay wheels. He met Mike Folmer at Lake Worth beach when he was around 14 or 15 yrs old and took him to Hypoluxo and showed him how to ride the bowl.
Rip Hanks
Rip set the World Skateboard High Jump Record at 4’11” in February 1977 at the age of 15. Rip set the record at the Paved Wave Skatepark in Pensacola FL (witnessed, measured and verified by Paved Wave Officials) In 1978, Rip jumped heights exceeding 5’. Rip was undefeated in all Regional Freestyle Competitions from 1976-1978. Including several in Pensacola, Gulf Shores and Birmingham AL. Rip invented the Stack Board Nose Wheelie Samoan, also known as the “Rip Stack”.Rip was compensated to Perform Skateboard Demonstrations at the Grand Opening of the Paradise Skate Park in Panama City, FL. The Panama City News Herald photographed Rip jumping the Grand Opening Ribbon, held by the owner of Paradise and the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce. Rip finished 2nd in a summer long Speed Bowl Series at the Paved Wave in Pensacola, FL. This Series drew skaters from three states.
Rob Rodrigues
He started skating in Florida in 1976. The Runway in Miami was his local park and he got on the Team. In March of 1979 at the Clearwater Skateboard Park Pro-Am Open, 2nd place in junior mens freestyle. That led him to a sponsorship with Dogtown Skates through the Fort Lauderdale skateboard distributor Tuflex. In October of that year he entered a freestyle event at the Pro Open in Clearwater and got 5th behind already established kids like Rodney Mullen, Tim Scroggs and Jim McCall. He was recruited by Bruce Walker’s Walker Skateboards. In the summer of 81 he won the amateur freestyle contest during the Kona-Variflex Nationals. At the end of 1981 he moved to New York and connected with Joe Humeres, a local freestyle skater that was riding for Walker. He was very active in the Eastern Skateboard Association and the National Skateboard Association freestyle contest programs. In 2010 he founded SURE Skateboards – a New York based company that teaches skateboarding & longboarding and promotes both as an alternative form of urban transportation. .
Tim Hubbard
Tim was one of the most determined skaters in the Pinellas scene and entered every contest he could as an unsponsored / independent skateboarder including the Sarasota Surfer Dome,Rolling Waves, Rainbow Wave and first Fun and Sun contest. In the Sarasota Surfer Dome contest, he won his 13-14 division in the slalom event held at the Van Wezel Hall in their parking lot. His results caught the eye of Muriel Yantiss, who managed the Clearwater Skatepark Team, and Tim was invited to a tryout for the Team. He continued to enter local contests as a CSP Team member, including the Pinellas Skatepark Series and the Fun and Sun events in 1979, and even entered the Clearwater Pro Event as a 16 year old. He skated the park a lot with Todd Webb and Brent Rademaker, who were in the same competition age group. His skateboarding continued to progress and evolve along with the sport, and he built a half pipe in his backyard. At the direction of Muriel, Brent drove Jim Goodrich over to shoot photos of his ramp, and a photo of him ripping that ramp was published in Skateboarder Magazine, which was the ultimate honor at that time. Tim went on to be an incredible photographer documenting
skateboarding, and the death metal music scene that exploded in Tampa in 80s. He continued to skate the backyard ramps throughout Florida throughout the 80s and 90s, and he still can run some cones with the boys when we all get together for some slalom fun and reminiscing about the Clearwater Skatepark days.
Mike King
Local Haulover Beach overpass skater from Miami FL, Mike King was one of the early pioneers of Florida Skateboarding. As a member of the Walker Skateboard Team, he did numerous demos all over Florida and he was also the local Pro at Skateboard USA Skatepark in Hollywood, Florida. Mike typically brought home trophies each time he competed in many of the Florida skate contests in the 70s era, as well as shuttling the Walker Team around the state to events, acting as a coach and a guide for the younger crew. Photos of King appeared in Skateboarder Magazine on several occasions. Mike eventually settled down in Melbourne FL and continued skateboarding right up to the end, when he tragically suffered a heart attack in his mid-50s after an afternoon game of golf.
Dave "Turkey" Rodrigues
Ask Charlie Gonzales
1980's Male Skater
Scott Staton
Traveled the world as a pro for Zorlac. Skated in several of the SUAS series events at the Skatepark of Houston. Many photos published and several full page ads in Thrasher and Transworld. He has seen success in his creative outlets of painting, and playing music.
Bobby Reeves
Prior to calling Florida home, Bob lived in Ohio, where he skated Apple and Cherry Hill and Illinois, where he skated The Turf.
In 1981 that changed when he moved to NE Florida where he quickly became a household name in the local skateboarding community. As one of the original KONA locals, his talents became recognized by the skateboarding community as a whole. His smooth, powerful, and aggressive style were his trademark, and his ability to make a ramp shake was amongst the best in the business. Having rode for Powell, Schmitt Stix, Airbourne and Tracker, he was in “The Search for Animal Chin, and had an Airbourne pro model.
Kevin Lambert
Renowned as one of the most aggressive skaters for his age and size he consistently push the limit at a young age, often youngest competitor to make the finals and sponsored contest through the 80s and 90s. Despite suffering a significant injury that impacted his career, he remains one of the most talented skaters and continues to skate today. He also starred in animal chain as one of the youngest skaters in spying the next generation of skaters for years to come
Mike Speranzo
Mike Speranzo is a proud Florida skateboarder whose influence on skateboarding and
youth culture spans more than four decades. He began skating at age 14 in Longwood,
Florida, and by 17 was asked by industry pioneer Steve Rocco to join the Sims Skateboards team in 1985. Mike rode for Sims, Vision Street Wear, and Tracker Trucks. Mike participated in demos and contests while building vert ramps for the National Skateboarding Association (NSA) and other independent events under the mentorship of legendary ramp builder Tim Payne.
In the summer of 1988, Sims sent Mike to central Pennsylvania for the very first year of
Camp Woodward’s skateboarding program, where he helped build the foundation for what
would become the most influential skateboarding camps in the world.
Mike went on to develop and oversee all action sports programs at Woodward from 1989 to
1995.
Still a fierce advocate for Florida skateboarding, Mike has carried the spirit and values of his roots into everything he’s done—blending skateboarding, music, entrepreneurship, and mentorship throughout his life.
Scott Hughston
Scott Hughston
Out of Tallahassee, he traveled with Barry Z. and Shawn's family to skate Kona and Sensation Basin regularly. He also skated Longwood, Tomoka Moon Forest, Clearwater, Rainbow Wave, and even the Get-A-Way and
Flying Wheels parks in Alabama. He spent 20 years in the Navy skating all over the world and rode for several teams. He is still ripping today and has his own Master's of Skateboarding Bro Model for Bandwagon Skateboards out of Atlanta.
He may be the oldest skater to have landed Frontside Inverts at 61 years of age. Scott is a notable Florida Skater that competed and placed in many Florida skateboard contests back in the day. He is a Florida native that is
currently working for the US military in Crete, Greece. And he still shreds. A true gentleman and awesome representative of Florida skateboarding.
Clint Deaton
Scott Hughston
Clint was a staple at any contest in Florida, and up & down the east coast. A master ramp builder of Team Pain alumni, he has built more than ramps than you have ever skated. He was sponsored by Vision in the 80-90's and still shreds today!
Rodney Meade
Rodney Meade
Rodney Meade
Rodney started skateboarding in 1981, on a Vert ramp in his backyard that Tim Payne had built for his brother's. Orange cycle works has his first shop sponsor, and they also helped him get on "Bad Boy Club" "Life's A Beach" in 84-85. He was also sponsored in the past by Steadham Designs, BBC, Airwalk, Tracker Trucks, Rector pads. He entered the Tampa Pro open in 1996 and was deemed pro ever since. He's had pro models with Jailbird, Oneway, Demonseed, Stedham and Embassy. He skated Masters in Sweden at Vert Attack 2019. He partnered up with the California Amateur Skateboard League to restart the Florida Amateur Skateboard League. He is still skating vert Hard at 54.
Current sponsors: Embassy skateboards, 187 pads, triple8 helmets, Tracker Trucks, Toxic Wheels and Galactic G Skateshop.
1990's Male Skater
Matt Milligan
Matt Milligan
Matt Milligan
Started skating in 1986. Skated in the FASL series. In 1993 he got sponsored by New Deal skateboards. In 1995 he was approached by Bill Weiss to turn pro for Balance skateboards. He also worked for 411 Video Magazine and had a profile in an issue of the video, and also had the cover and interview in Big Brother magazine in 1999 . In 2001 Matt moved over to DNA skateboards and Axion shoes. Around this time he got involved with World Cup Skateboarding as a judge and has judged contests at SPoT, the Phoenix Am and all over the world. In 2021 and 2024 Matt was the head judge for skateboarding at the Olympics. He is currently a brand manager for Adidas Skateboarding.
Caine Gayle
Matt Milligan
Matt Milligan
Born in Jacksonville and skated Kona in his formative years. His first sponsor was Sunrise Surf Shop. He came up skating with Clyde Singleton and Neal Mims in the FASL Series. First board sponsor was Airbourne/Zorlac and then to Dave Andrecht's 777 skateboards. He has had pro boards on Color, Prime, Plan B, City Stars. He also rode for Venture Trucks, DC Shoes, and had pro shoes on Axion Footwear. He was a highly competitive skater and placed high in every contest he entered, often taking first. He was featured in tons of 411 Video magazine and also traditional print magazines. Currently Caine resides in San Diego, CA and is a Muay Thai trainer and has trained many champions.
Bo Turner
Matt Milligan
Bo Turner is from St. Pete and grew up skating with Lance and Scott Conklin (Alien Workshop legend). He had the highest ollie in Florida for sure in the 90s! The man is a beast! He had so much power! He was also known to not to take shit from anybody, and speak what he had on his mind without worrying what anybody thinks. He is a true legend and icon. He skated for Venture Trucks, Spitfire Wheels, and turned pro for Alien Workshop. Alien Workshop has recently re-issued his Pro model board.
Pete Kelly
From Pensacola, FL, and has been skateboarding since 1979. In 1988 he became a sponsored skater while working for Hutson Surf and Skate in Pensacola. His first pro board was with the Panama City, Florida-based company Crown Skateboards, followed by another pro board with the Florida-based company Santa Fe Skateboards. Throughout his career, he's consistently aligned himself with brands and sponsors based in Florida, ensuring his roots remain in the community that shaped him.
Dave Duren
Dave is from Deland, Florida. He was first sponsored by H-Street and later switched to Dave Andrecht's 777. Steve Douglas offered him a spot on the team at the New Deal in 1993. He had a part in 1994's Children of the Sun video. As the New Deal was phased out, Dave moved over to Element. He left them for Media in 1997. Etnies and Duffs gave him some shoes over the years.
Neal Mims
Neal Mims grew up in Jacksonville FL, looking up to Caine Gayle. Bob Reeves hooked him up with his first sponsor Airbourne/Zorlac when he was 12. He became a professional skateboarder at the age of 17 when he began riding for World Industries. Since then, he has been featured in a variety of magazines from Thrasher to Transworld. He has also filmed several video parts. He also skated for Platinum Skateboards, Finesse and Deca Skateboards. He started the Neal Mims skate Academy, where he teaches and shares his experience with inspiring kids. He is also a coach/mentor for some team USA Olympic skaters.
FEMale Skater
Jenna Hirt
Jenna Hirt is an award-winning artisan, businesswoman, phenomenal philanthropist, & a spirited female skateboarder. Jenna started skating in 1990, in Daytona Beach, FL & became a fixture at the legendary Stone Edge Skatepark (RIP).
That same year she began creating jewelry, as a way to earn gas money to get to and from the skatepark. What started as a seemingly simple venture to make a little cash, evolved into a career that has enabled her to literally span the globe. She uses proceeds of her jewelry to travel around the globe bringing skateboards to give to kids in developing countries as part of her nonprofit For Skate, which was founded in 2017. In addition to bringing skateboards, she also helps build them concrete skateparks, teach them how to skate, and encourage the local youth to help
others.
Jenna has been able to help build skateboard parks in Ethiopia, Nepal, South Africa, the Maldives, Tanzania, 2 in Morocco and she has been able to contribute in giving 480 complete skateboards to kids in 18 countries on 6 continents.
Laura Elliot
From Melbourne Beach Florida, Laura Elliot was the first female skater on Bruce Walker's Fox Skateboards Team. She rode skateboards during the early era of the mid-70s, when there was generally a noticable absence of separate divisions for Women's competition. In order to compete, Laura typically had to enter and skate directly against the guys. Her first event was the 1975 Brevard County Labor Day Contest in Merritt Island, Florida where she emerged victorious, winning 1st Place - Slalom Race (Ages 11-12) against 21 male competitors. For Laura's age and size, she was tough, and never backed down. A few years later Laura Elliot's family moved away and we lost track of her whereabouts. Laura's early success in organized competition helped set the stage for the future of Women's skateboarding in Florida.
Industry
Linda Miller
Linda is the founder of FASL (Florida Amateur Skateboard League). Her family relocated to Sanibel Island, Florida in the late 80's.The organization created a wave of contest all over the state during a time that there was not much going on in terms of sanctioned contests. She also worked with the NSA for all of their events in Florida, The FASL series helped to spawn many skaters that went on to become pro. Without her, many skaters would not have been able to showcase their skills
Tito Porrata
Tito discovered skateboarding in 1985 and has worked in the skateboarding industry for the majority of his professional life. He has experience in both retail and events, and is an expert in skateboarding culture. In 2001 Tito aligned his career to focus on skatepark design and construction. His expertise lies in municipal, private, and specialty structures and has been a part of building hundreds of skateparks across the country, Puerto Rico and beyond. After two decades working and designing skate parks for various companies including Team Pain, Pivot Designs etc., he founded Platform Group with Ryan Clements and Rob Meronek from Boardr. His goal: create skatepark environments that not only function well, but also honor art and aesthetics, providing an inclusive and positive experience for the skateboarding community and beyond. Aside from remaining an avid skateboarder, Tito is passionate about his family, art, and especially food.
Brian Iverson
Brian built Rollin Waves Skatepark with his own money. He wanted a past vertical wall simulating a wave. When the park opened he ran it with his pregnant wife Dotty, and two year old daughter Liz. He added the twenty foot metal frame half pipe later. It was round and plywood was attached to the frame. They had to rent a low profile flatbed truck to get it from the manufacturer to the park. He moved it in the middle of the night lifting each street light to pass with sticks. It was how he addressed the pipe, and vertical scene. He supported a team and took the team to all events, covering all expenses to ensure availability
Ross & Jean Houston
Creators of SURF EXPO, one of the greatest success stories in surf/skate history and the first, and still best, trade show in the sport. Ross & Jean also started the very FIRST skateboard grip-tape company, FOOT TRED in Miami Beach, FL. Offering a variety of custom-stamped shapes & different-width rolls of genuine 3M material. The Houston's mark on the Industry of skateboarding was both pioneering and profound.
Spencer Family
Spencer Family
Dale and Jeff Spencer owners and builders of skateboard Safari. Had they not built Safari there would be no Sims East, Fox, Nomad, and many more Hall of Fame inductees. Dale Spencer especially turned out to support the Sims Team as well and along with Hunter Joslin both made sure that the teams were able to attend several contests across the state of Florida. Dale was a skateboard mother and probably one of the best. She supported us emotionally, financially, and with transportation. If there was no skateboard safari people like myself, Hunter Joslin, Mike Folmer, Steve Marinak, Pat Love, Chris West, Joe SantAngelo , Scott Mcranels and the list goes on would not of had a home park locally to practice and skate. The park is legendary already but not recognized like Tampa and Kona. It has produced 8 Hall of Famers so far. Had Dale not supported us we would have had no park close by to skate on. Tab Textor and John Textor from the Sims East team are the sons of Dale Spencer. The family entirely deserves recognition for their support for Florida skateboarding.
Friends of florida
Paul Zitzer
Paul moved to Tampa to go to college and ended up building the foundation of what would become the Skatepark of Tampa. He built a vert ramp in a warehouse in Tampa and after some sketchy situations, he owner of the building said they had to move out of the space. A few months later, Brian Schaefer found a warehouse to rebuild the ramp in and the Skatepark of Tampa was born. He Turned pro for Tony Hawk's Birdhouse Skateboard. As part of SPoT and the Damn Am series he has promoted skateboarding to the fullest. He recently opened a new indoor skatepark in Louisville , KY called Sprak and continues his involvement in the industry and contests
Roberto "Boly" Cortes
Puerto Rico National Skateboard Champion for multiple years in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Was featured in Skateboarder Magazine representing Puerto Rico. Boly moved to Florida to attend college in the early 1980’s at USF in Tampa. There he was welcomed to the Tampa/St. Pete Crew and skated Grigley’s ramp, the Bro Bowl, etc. He always placed high in any competitions in the USA. He has had a long relationship with Bruce Walker, Ocean Avenue and has been a fixture in Florida skating since the early 1980’s
David & Bob "Boober" Bentley
David & Bob "Boober" Bentley
David & Bob "Boober" Bentley
David & Bob ( Boober ) Bentley who both were a major friend of Florida skateboarders for years in the 70s and early 80s. Boober was a local at Cadillac Wheels and featured in the book The Secret History of the Ollie. Dave was one of the first East Coast riders to get a Who's Hit pic in Skateboarder Magazine along with Bruce Walker wearing a Fox Jersey. They spent many summers here in Florida shredding every park and contest they entered. He competed against Scott MCCRANELS in n a one wheeler contest at the Clearwater park. Even though Scotty won Boober was doing it Frontside. Amazingly gnarly wheelers one after the other.
Originally from New Jersey , they went to U of Miami, and they both competed in Clearwater, Kona,St Pete, Tampa, Cadillac Wheels and sponsored also by Fox first than The Sims East team.
Felix Arguelles
David & Bob "Boober" Bentley
David & Bob "Boober" Bentley
Felix was ranked as the #1 amateur in the country in 1989. He later turned pro in 1990, and was one of the first professional skateboarders with a signature shoe on Converse Footwear. He began touring the world doing demonstrations, signings and press in over 20 countries, making him one of the most recognized skateboarders in history. Thanks to these collective experiences, Felix has been blessed to make a living creating on and off the skateboard while his passion for skateboarding gave him a vehicle to showcase his artwork and designs in fashion, music and filmmaking.
Over the span of his career he has served as a driving promotional force that has generated the sales of millions of units in and outside of the Actions Sports world. His professional skateboarding career opened the door for television hosting of the X-Games on ESPN, and since then Felix has regularly hosted the largest skateboarding events (Dew Tour, Street League Skateboarding, Redbull Manny Mania) and music events (SXSW, WMC). On top of being featured on multiple networks (NBC, MTV, Fox Sports, Supersport), Felix was voted favorite designer on the show Tommy Hilfiger The Cut by the CBS audience online poll. Felix has hosted Agenda Emerge, a revolving talk panel of the most influential brands-men in young men's contemporary fashion and business. Few people walk through these hypercritical, highly influential worlds with the acceptance and ease that Felix does, thanks to his authenticity and gift of communication.--