With apologies to P.T. Barnum, we think there’s a leader born every minute. Of course, many people don’t know that they have that potential until called to action. In South Florida this year, leadership came from many quarters — some surprising, some more predictable, some from residents who decided to step up to make life better for the rest of us.

Norman Braman, billionaire car salesman, pulled off one of the more jaw-dropping feats this year when he spearheaded the successful recall of the Miami-Dade County mayor, at the time, Carlos Alvarez. Angered by Mr. Alvarez’s deal with the Marlins for a new stadium paid mostly with resort tax dollars, Mr. Braman had earlier gone to court, arguing a voter referendum was needed. He lost. Stadium construction was allowed to proceed.

Nevertheless, Mr. Braman had tapped into a gusher of anger on the part of Miami-Dade residents, many of whom thought they should have had a say on the wisdom of the stadium deal. They got their say, all right, when Mr. Braman bankrolled a petition drive to recall Mayor Alvarez. This time, the stadium financing, combined with the mayor’s financial missteps such as giving staff raises while telling everyone else to sacrifice, was enough to get Mr. Alvarez, along with Commissioner Natacha Seijas, ousted from office.

It was a stunning achievement. And, agree with him or not, you have to hand it to Mr. Braman — his beef with county government resonated to such an extent that residents’ sense of resignation turned into a sense of empowerment. His crusade was a bracing reminder to tone-deaf elected officials and the sometimes-complacent people who put them into office: Power is a two-way street, to be shared, not hoarded. Now the focus is on charter reform for county government.

New county Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who was against the Marlins deal from the beginning, took the recall’s message to heart and, so far, has heeded residents’ demands for a responsible steward of public funds and charter reform. Mr. Gimenez has streamlined administration, imposed greater efficiencies and is bent on spreading the pain of budget cutbacks more equitably — yet another example of the type of leadership voters wanted to see.

But neither great wealth nor elective office are requirements to compel someone to work for the greater good, fairness and tolerance.

Yes, Wayne and Marti Huizenga in Broward County, clearly people of means, generously donated funds this year to help poor students attend Nova Southeastern University. And Broward School Board members voted to protect the rights for transgender students from harassment. In fact, the district’s anti-bullying policy is a model across the state.)

And Andrew Viveros, 17, who was born male but identifies as female, put herself on the front lines, running for prom queen at McFatter Technical Senior High. She won.

Rising to the challenge also can include some fun. In Miami-Dade County, Caroline Lamarre and Estrellita Sibila have organized pub crawls, lively events that encourage not just networking, but also civic engagement. They benefit a variety of local charities.

Now, with the roiling debate over casinos in South Florida, elected officials, the business community, residents and others are squaring off and taking sides. It’s good to see people stepping up and considering all the options. Here’s hoping that the multifaceted spirit of leadership that we saw in 2011, continues in the coming year to build clarity of purpose for the community’s best interest.