Jaida Davis

2023 Florida Strawberry Festival First Maid

Tell our readers a little about yourself: I am proudly born and raised right here in Plant City, Florida. My family is a huge part of my life. My parents are Nate and Natasha Davis, also born and raised in Plant City. I have a younger sister named Paitlyn and a 4-legged brother named Biscuit. I am a junior at Plant City High School and dual-enrolled at Hillsborough Community College. I am currently ranked ninth in my class with a GPA of 5.33. I love being involved in as much as possible. My school involvement includes being captain of the varsity girls’ basketball team, playing on the varsity girls’ tennis team, member of the American Sign Language Honor Society, chaplain of the National Honor Society, Girls Interact Treasurer, FFA Treasurer, member of Raider Buddies, member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and I am on the committee for Youth Alive. I enjoy spending time volunteering, as I earned more than 100 community service hours at the 2022 Florida Strawberry Festival. Outside of school and sports, I love spending time with friends and family, boat rides, going to the beach, water sports, going to church and watching Florida Gator football.

Jaida, you shared with me the night of the pageant that you have little pageant experience. Tell us more about that and when did you decide to go out for Strawberry Queen?

Yes, Strawberry Queen is the 2nd pageant in which I have ever participated. I have never been one that was big into pageants. It wasn’t until this past October that I competed in my very first pageant, the 2023 Plant City High School Calendar Girl where I was awarded Miss March! From an early age I was always more interested in sports than pageants but growing up in Plant City and at the Festival, I have always looked up to queens and court members. Since I was little, I knew I wanted to represent the town I love and be a role model for little girls.

Does Festival royalty run in your family?

No, my mom competed in the 2001 Strawberry Queen Pageant where she made the top 10, but other than that I am the first of my family to become Strawberry Festival royalty!

Other than your responsibilities with the court, what other plans do you have for this year?

I plan to continue to get straight A’s, volunteer as much as possible, let God’s light shine through me, and represent not only Plant City and The Florida Strawberry Festival but also my family, myself, and our farmers to the best of my abilities.

To what or whom do you attribute your success?

Definitely my family, no matter what I do I can guarantee that my family will be the first ones there to support me. Without their incredible support system and the way I have been raised in a Christian home, I would be a completely different individual, so I owe everything to them.