The editorial board of the Orlando Sentinel named Harris Rosen, President & COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, the 2011 Central Floridian of the Year. Staff writer Paul Owens said Rosen is "one of Central Florida's most successful and visionary businessmen and one of its most generous philanthropists. He has created thousands of jobs, given millions to a long list of good causes, and devoted much of his personal energy to them. We chose Rosen as our 2011 Central Floridian of the Year, not with reservation but with enthusiasm."
The article cited many of Rosen's philanthropic endeavors, including his earthquake recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti, sizeable charitable contributions to the University of Central Florida, as well as the creation of Rosen's Perfect Pizza™, a program designed to bring healthier foods to public schools and also fund scholarships and educational grants. At the top of the editorial board's list for selecting Rosen, however, was the Tangelo Park Project, a program Rosen started in 1993 which offers free preschool as well as full college and vocational school scholarships to disadvantaged youth in the Tangelo Park neighborhood. To date, more than 200 students have received a college education from the program.
