Tampa Bay Area Hooters Girl Places Top 10 In Miss Hooters Pageant

Congratulations to Kiana Mahabir! She competed in the international Miss Hooters International Pageant for the first time and landed in the top 10! This is also the first time a Land O' Lakes resident has competed in the pageant. Kiana got the chance to fly to Las Vegas to compete for a chance at $30,000 and the title for "Miss Hooters International". Out of 50 contestants from other Hooters stores around the country, she was one of the best! During the competition, she stayed with Emily Johnson, who ended up winning the crown. Kiana said she gave her some awesome advice and the confidence to be herself.

Kiana has been working at the Odessa Hooters location (located off State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway) for 2 years. She's a Land O' Lakes local and plans to attend USF to study Journalism and Communications.

Kiana is a graduate from Sun Lake High School. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She loves giving back to her community! She often volunteers at golf tournaments to benefit education and veterans, the American Cancer Society Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk, and fundraisers for Moffitt Cancer Center. You may have seen her in the 2023 Hooters Calendar and you might see her in next year's calendar!

Kiana had this to say about her experience in Vegas: “Being chosen to compete in the Miss Hooters International Pageant was a dream come true. Little did I know I was going to place in the top ten! It was absolutely surreal hearing my name called on stage. The flood of emotion and happiness is something I can never forget."

Hopefully Kiana will be sent for redemption next year! She already stated that she hopes to attend next year and bring home the crown!

We all know how great it is to live in the Sunshine State. Between no income tax, sunshine year-round and so many things to explore, it's no wonder why so many are flocking down here. In fact, several Florida cities have been named the best place to live in the South by U.S. News. It should be no surprise that Tampa is one of the cities, but who else joined them on the list?

The U.S. Census Bureau defines the south as the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Which means Florida has a lot of competition. When comparing cities in this study, U.S. News compared the population, median home price, and average annual salary. We'll spoil it and let you know the number one city to live in the South is Huntsville, Alabama. The main reason why this city made number 1 is because they have a high average annual salary and low cost of living. Click here to see the full list. 

We get these metrics are important to consider when making these rankings. But we think U.S. News could have included a couple other factors when making this list. For example, if they had included recreational opportunities, weather, and traffic trends. Perhaps if they included more factors in this ranking, we might see Tampa or more Florida cities as the number 1 spot.

There's been a lot of love for Sarasota recently, they've also been named the best place to retire and Siesta Key beach was named one of the prettiest white sand beaches in the country! They were the highest rated Florida city for this ranking and came in at number 3. It seems that people appear willing to exchange the higher cost of living for the warm weather, photogenic beaches and active population.

This southwest Florida city has also been named one of the best Florida cities to live in by other rankings. U.S. News says this metro area has the lowest crime rates out of the 150 metro areas on the list.

Melbourne is known to be one of the more popular retirement spots in Florida. Located along the "Space Coast", you'll see your fair share of rocket launches at this city, which is pretty cool! Between 2020 and 2021, Melbourne’s population increased by 2.05% due to net migration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

We're surprised to see Jacksonville rank above Tampa, it could be because they have a healthy tourism industry with fewer visitors than Tampa and Miami. However, Jacksonville’s population grew by 1.6% due to net migration.

Tampa was ranked number 11 on U.S. News' list, but it's number 1 in our hearts. No wonder it's one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. The Tampa metro area grew by more than 1.43% between 2020 and 2021 due to net migration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This panhandle city has been getting a lot of love thanks to their soft white sand and clear blue water beaches, making it a popular destination for beach lovers and fishing enthusiasts. With many military and engineering career opportunities', many people would call this a desirable place to live.

Daytona Beach came in at number 25 on U.S. News' list. Daytona is known to be famous for the Daytona International Speedway, among their spring-break beaches. U.S. News says it’s also the 8th-fastest growing metro area out of the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S. due to net migration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.