Florida teenager wins National Spelling Bee. Sunshine State now has three champs
Florida is on a roll.
The Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals. The Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten off to one of the best starts in Major League Baseball history.
And on Thursday night, an eighth grader from Largo was crowned the 2023 National Spelling Bee champion.
Dev Shah, 14, earned the crown when he correctly spelled psammophile to win a competition that started in 1925.
Who are Florida's National Spelling Bee champions?
Shah is only the third person from Florida to win the National Spelling Bee and the first since 1999. Largo is just north of St. Petersburg, near Clearwater. Nupar Lala, a 14-year-old from Tampa, took home the coveted trophy when she correctly spelled logorrhea.
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A closer look at the Florida winners: D-R-O-U-G-H-T: It's been 23 years since Florida has had a National Spelling Bee champion
Meet the other competitors from Florida: 9 Florida kids are competing at the Scripps Spelling Bee. Who's representing your city?
The second win for the Sunshine State came in 1996 when West Palm Beach middle schooler Wendy Guey, 12, was the last person standing on stage. She correctly spelled vivisepulture.
The newest champ, Shah, cliched the victory in the 14th round.
What is the meaning of the winning word in the 2023 National Spelling Bee?
Psammophile is an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas.
The 2023 Spelling Bee featured 231 spellers from around the United States. Florida joined Indiana with three National Spelling Bee champions. Texas has the most with nine titles.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 2023 National Spelling Bee winner is Florida's third ever champion
