The Application Deadline is Monday, March 2, 2026, at Noon EST
Preparing for Your Application
As you prepare to complete this application, please review the following information designed to help you understand Leadership Florida and the selection process better. A statewide Selection Committee reviews each application. Your application should reflect who you are.
Please use the CONTACT US form on our website for technical issues relating to this application form.
This application contains several questions that will take significant time to complete. Below are several suggestions to make the process smoother.
- We highly suggest downloading the sample applications available on our website as a working copy when preparing your application. Please remember, however, that all applications must be digitally submitted through this form. No paper or emailed applications will be processed.
- Plan to schedule a time to remain uninterrupted for the entire process.
- Have all the information available, such as your résumé and reference information, as outlined on the sample application.
- Open-ended questions will have character limits. Review these carefully before beginning your response. For your reference, a counter is included near the bottom right of each text field with limits (example format: 0 of 100 max words).
- Do not leave your browser idle for an extended period.
- A PDF of this application is available here. Paper applications will not be accepted and are provided as a courtesy only.
- You will be allowed to review and edit your responses before final submission.
- This form has a "Save and Resume" feature. We encourage you to use this feature early in the process.
Note: When using Save & Resume, files uploaded to the form and signatures will NOT be saved to the form until the form is submitted to the database. You should not upload files or sign the forms until you are ready to submit them.
About Leadership Florida
Leadership Florida is celebrating 44 years of educating, engaging, and inspiring Florida’s leaders. Leadership Florida is a highly respected and trusted leadership organization. Our mission is to continually convene a statewide community of committed leaders to enhance and recharge their leadership skills and to educate and inspire them to work across their strengths and diversities for a better Florida. We engage Floridians by providing meaningful forums for sharing essential information and viewpoints, and we create opportunities for shared experiences that are inviting, inspiring, and of lasting value.
One of the many ways we work to accomplish our mission is through our Cornerstone Class program. For our forty-fourth Class, 55 leaders aged 40 and older will be chosen to participate in a stimulating and thought-provoking 8-month educational program that consists of a series of 5 (five) two-day sessions held in cities throughout the state, the culmination of which is the equivalent of a sixth session where you will join fellow Leadership Florida members at our Annual Meeting. These sessions include programming on issues critical to Florida, refining well-developed leadership skills via sessions with leadership experts, and relevant information on Florida's history, demography, diversities, challenges, and opportunities.
One of the program's most rewarding and lasting benefits is the chance to spend valuable time interacting with other leaders from various professions, philosophies, and geographies who represent Florida's diverse composition. The Class program sessions provide ample experiences designed to facilitate the deepening of relationships among the Class members and thus extend the network of relationships that form the fabric of our statewide leadership.
Graduation from our Classes does not signify the end but the beginning of a lifetime of opportunity as a Leadership Florida membership network member. Leadership Florida convenes regular regional and statewide meetings to facilitate continuing issues-oriented education, advanced leadership training, networking, and the opportunity for members to work together toward shared goals.
The over 3,800 graduates of Leadership Florida Class Programs are men and women who serve as chief executive officers and high-level executives of some of Florida's top corporations, mayors, and other elected officials, executives of pivotal non-profit groups, and leading academicians. They are also farmers, managers of high-tech consortiums, rural hospital administrators, and head Florida's most important agencies. They own small businesses and even include law enforcement officers in communities throughout our state. They are committed to local and state communities through their collective service on over 5,000 boards of companies and organizations throughout Florida.
Selection Criteria
The Leadership Florida Selection Committee, comprised of Leadership Florida graduates from throughout the state, seeks to identify those most likely to utilize their leadership abilities for Florida's long-term benefit and individuals committed to making Florida a better place to live and prosper. Throughout the application process, including discussions with references, the committee strives to select participants who will represent Florida's diversity. The basic profile and criteria for selection include the following:
• Senior-level leaders with significant achievements in career and community
• Sincere concern about the future of Florida and a personal commitment to help shape its future
• Demonstrated commitment to the community through past and present activities
• The potential for exercising substantial leadership in the future
• Willingness to commit the time and energy necessary to continue involvement in the organization
Company Limits
Leadership Florida limits applicants to one per company per Class.
Example: Only one applicant from ABC Company will be sent to the Selection Committee for Cornerstone Class 44, and one applicant will be sent for Connect Class 16.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact Abbey Stewart at astewart@leadershipflorida.org or 850-321-1100.
Previous Graduates
It is a rare exception when Leadership Florida accepts a member into more than one Class Program. If you are a current member of Leadership Florida and are interested in applying for a Class different from the one you graduated from, please contact us immediately so we can provide some guidance. Please reach out to Abbey Stewart at astewart@leadershipflorida.org or 850-321-1100.
References
All applicants must include two references, and one must be a Leadership Florida Member reference. Please include this person as Reference #1 on your application.
Members of the Selection Committee will contact all references.
Application Procedure
All applications must be submitted electronically through this form no later than Monday, March 2, 2026, at Noon EST.
A processing fee of $100 must accompany the application. After confirming your application information, you will be taken to a secure page for credit card information input.
Your application will not be complete until:
•You have digitally signed your application
•You have accepted the policies and terms and clicked the final "Submit."
•Leadership Florida has received your processing fee
The Selection Committee's decision will be announced at the Leadership Florida Annual Meeting (June 11-14, 2026).
Please remember that the Selection Committee is building a Class representative of Florida's professional, geographic, age, racial, gender, and ethnic diversities.
Cancellation Policy
Leadership Florida strongly encourages participants to take their commitment seriously. Our cancellation policy is as follows:
• Withdrawal before August 1, 2026: full refund less $250.
• Withdrawal after August 1, 2026 will result in 100% of tuition forfeiture. Those funds will instead become a tax-deductible donation to Leadership Florida. This policy also applies to new Class members who cannot fulfill the attendance requirements.
Tuition and Payment Policy
Tuition for Cornerstone Class 44 is $5,500.
Tuition is payable upon acceptance to the Class. This amount includes most meals during meetings but does not include lodging. This amount also includes your first year's annual dues of $295 and 2027 Annual Meeting Registration.
All tuition must be paid by August 1, 2026. Failure to pay tuition by this date will result in eliminating your place in the Class, and an alternate will be placed in your slot.
Participation
Participants are REQUIRED to attend each session in its entirety to graduate with their Class. Leadership Florida strictly enforces this policy.
Class program sessions typically begin around noon on the first day listed and end around noon on the last day listed. Specific times will be provided after the Class is selected.
Class dates are as follows:
Cornerstone Class 44
October 23-25, 2026: River Ranch
December 16-18, 2026: Jacksonville
January 13-15, 2027: Tallahassee
March 10-12, 2027: Fort Lauderdale
April 14-16, 2027: Miami
June 3-7, 2027: Annual Meeting
Employer Commitment
Upon selection into the class, all current employers will receive an electronic committment form to be completed acknowledging the Class program's time commitment and confirming that the applicant will attend each session.