In a heartfelt celebration of service, culture, and community impact, the Rotary Club of Coral Gables honored its 2025 Citizens of the Year on May 22 during a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. More than 40 attendees gathered to recognize this year’s honorees: Mitchell Kaplan, founder of the iconic Books & Books, and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, a leading pediatric medical institution with deep roots in South Florida. Jose Perdomo, Sr. VP Nicklaus, Arianna Urquia, Sr. VP Nicklaus & president Miami Market; Marlene Fernandez, executive director Orthopedic Sports Medicine & Spine Institute, Nicklaus were on hand to receive the award on behalf of the hospital.
The awards are part of a tradition now nearly two decades old. First presented in 2006 and later named after the late Martin Hughes—a beloved Coral Gables Rotarian and civic leader who helped create the award—the Martin Hughes Coral Gables Citizen of the Year Award celebrates individuals and institutions that have made enduring contributions to the city.
Sally Baumgartner, Rotary Club administrator and past president; Kaplan and Pardo.
Champion for literature, expression
Kaplan, a Miami native and former high school English teacher, opened the first Books & Books in 1982. Since then, he has grown it into a literary landmark, with five locations including an outpost in Grand Cayman. Kaplan also helped launch the Miami Book Fair—now the largest community book festival in the United States—and has played national roles as president of the American Booksellers Association and board member of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.
More recently, Kaplan has emerged as a vocal opponent of censorship in Florida. Through Books & Books and his work with the Freedom Coalition, he has helped distribute banned books, support literacy activism, and fight back against the state’s Stop WOKE Act. “It is beautiful to see people fighting censorship and building community at a local level,” he said in 2023. “This foundation ensures this work… can continue, hopefully for generations to come.”
Jose Perdomo, Arianna Urquia, Baumgartner and Pardo.
Hospital with legacy of care
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, also recognized this year, traces its roots to 1950, when it opened as Variety Children’s Hospital to serve children during the height of the polio epidemic. Over the decades, the hospital expanded to become a premier pediatric medical center. Renamed in 2015 in honor of a generous gift from the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation—founded by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara—the institution now offers world-class care and specialty services and has touched generations of South Florida families.
From humble beginnings, the hospital has grown into a dazzling campus that includes family-oriented amenities such as libraries, theaters, and gyms. Its mission remains steadfast: ensuring no child in South Florida must leave home to receive the highest caliber of care.
Legacy of service recognized
This year’s honorees join a distinguished roster of individuals and institutions who have received the Martin Hughes Citizen of the Year Award since its inception. In 2020 the club decided it was time to recognize corporate entities as well. The full list of recipients is:
- 2006: Betsy Adams
- 2007: Teresa Rodriguez
- 2008: Dr. Arnold Mattis
- 2009: David Lawrence
- 2010: Robert Fewell
- 2011: Roxcy Bolton
- 2012: Judge Steve Leifman
- 2013: Leona Cooper
- 2014: Joe Milton
- 2015: Bill Kerdyk
- 2016: Dr. Pedro Greer
- 2017: Mayor Dorothy Thomson
- 2018: Wayne “Chip” Withers
- 2019: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
- 2020: No award given due to the pandemic
- 2021: Lynn Bauer and Bill Ussery Automotive
- 2022: Jennette Slesnick and Bacardi International
- 2023: Ruth Martinez and the Coral Gables Community Foundation
- 2024: W. Allen Morris and Waste Management
- 2025: Mitchell Kaplan and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
Tradition rooted in civic spirit
The award’s namesake, Martin Hughes, was a quiet, thoughtful man known for his kindness, wit, and dedication to both Coral Gables and the Rotary Club. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly after proposing the idea of an annual citizen award, he lived to see its first recipient honored in 2006. Following his passing, the club renamed the award in his memory the following year.
Each year, the award honors not only those who serve—but also the values of compassion, civic dedication, and excellence that Hughes embodied. As club members often say, the award recognizes not just achievement, but a life dedicated to making Coral Gables a better place.
This year’s honorees reflect that ideal perfectly—one through the power of storytelling and community advocacy, the other through decades of healing and hope.
Founded in 1946, the Rotary Club of Coral Gables is one of South Florida’s most respected civic organizations, dedicated to “Service Above Self.” With a membership that includes local business leaders, professionals, and public servants, the club focuses on community improvement through volunteerism, education, and philanthropy. Its initiatives range from supporting youth leadership programs and international aid to funding local scholarships and recognizing exemplary civic contributions—most notably through its annual Citizen of the Year Award. The club meets weekly and remains a vital force for positive change in the City Beautiful. For more about the Rotary Club of Coral Gables or past recipients, visit rotarycoralgables.org.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
Absolutely well deserved honor for both Mitch Kaplan and Nicklaus Children’s. Congrats to the Rotary Club for their recognition, and many many congrats to Mitchell and his wonderful efforts on behalf of literacy at every level, and to Nicklaus Children’s who will forever be Variety Children’s Hospital to me (where I lost my tonsils and adenoids in 1962). Nicklaus and its leadership has come a long way since then, and our community is so blessed to have you!