Florida Senate - 2025 (NP) SR 1872 By Senator Brodeur 10-02755-25 20251872__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing the contributions made by 3 Harris Rosen to the Central Florida community. 4 5 WHEREAS, Harris Rosen was President and Chief Operating 6 Officer of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality company he 7 founded in 1974 which now includes three convention hotels and 8 four leisure hotels, with more than 6,300 guest rooms and suites 9 and 730,000 square feet of meeting space, and 10 WHEREAS, Harris Rosen grew up in a modest apartment in New 11 York’s Lower East Side with his parents, Jack and Lee, and his 12 younger brother, Ron, and attended the High School of Music & 13 Art in the Bronx and, later, Cornell University, where he 14 obtained a degree in hospitality management, and 15 WHEREAS, in the early 1960s, Harris Rosen joined the United 16 States Army and served for more than 3 years before beginning 17 his career in hospitality as a convention salesman for the 18 Waldorf Astoria in New York City, and 19 WHEREAS, Harris Rosen rose to management level, working for 20 the Hilton Hotels Corporation in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cape 21 Kennedy, and Dallas, and 22 WHEREAS, when hired by the Walt Disney Company to help with 23 its major development in Florida, Harris Rosen created a central 24 reservation system for Disney’s hotels, and 25 WHEREAS, in 1974, Harris Rosen used his savings to purchase 26 a 256-room Quality Inn hotel in Orlando, and, after converting 27 two rooms into an office and a small apartment, he lived on the 28 premises and took charge of every aspect of the facility, from 29 cleaning and gardening to working the front desk, and 30 WHEREAS, Harris Rosen went on to acquire six additional 31 hotels, the Rosen Inn near Universal Studios Florida, the Rosen 32 Inn at Pointe Orlando, the Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista, the Rosen 33 Plaza, the Rosen Centre, and the Rosen Shingle Creek, and 34 WHEREAS, not only was Harris Rosen a successful hotelier, 35 he was also a philanthropist and humanitarian who donated 36 millions of dollars to multiple foundations and programs, 37 including the education initiatives in Tangelo Park and 38 Parramore, which provide free preschool programs and 39 scholarships for colleges and vocational schools for children in 40 those underserved communities; the University of Central Florida 41 Rosen College of Hospitality Management, which trains students 42 in hospitality and is ranked among the top hospitality schools 43 in the world; the Jack and Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center in 44 Southwest Orlando, which serves more than 200 children, from 45 infancy to prekindergarten; the University of Florida Adam 46 Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, which houses multiple 47 laboratories conducting research on brain tumor treatments; and 48 the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center, which hosts swimming classes 49 to prevent childhood drownings and is home to past and present 50 Olympians, and 51 WHEREAS, Harris Rosen also took care of his employees and 52 their families by creating RosenCare, an award-winning insurance 53 plan that not only provides its members with comprehensive 54 coverage, but also pays for 90 percent of all of their 55 medications; and by establishing the Rosen Medical Center to 56 offer his employees and their loved ones top-notch medical care 57 and wellness programs, and 58 WHEREAS, for his phenomenal charitable works and 59 contributions to improve the lives of residents in the Central 60 Florida community, Harris Rosen received numerous awards, 61 including the 2022 LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award from 62 Leadership Florida, the 2022 United Negro College Fund Orlando 63 Chapter Community Champion of Education Award, and the 2023 H. 64 Clifford Lee Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of 65 Fundraising Professionals, and 66 WHEREAS, Harris Rosen passed away at age 85 on November 25, 67 2024, surrounded by his family and loved ones, NOW, THEREFORE, 68 69 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 70 71 That the Senate recognizes the remarkable contributions 72 made by hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen to the Central 73 Florida community. 74 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be 75 presented to the family of Harris Rosen as a tangible token of 76 the sentiments expressed herein.