Alex Annunziato heads Florida Highway Patrol's Miami Canine Unit and has run for Miami Beach City Commission. And he's a dad, two times over.

Alex Annunziato

1998, Speech

Coral Park Senior High

Q: What do you remember about the night you won your Silver Knight award?

A: I got so surprised when I won that I ended up hugging and man-handling Alberto Ibargüen, the former El Nuevo Herald publisher. I remember coming up to him and just bear-hugging him in tears. That was the front page the next day.

Q: How do people react when they find out you're a Silver Knight winner?

A: They're actually kind of pleasantly surprised, and I'm surprised how many people know what that entails for me. It was an early recognition that public service would be central to what I would do in my professional life.

Q: Tell us about your life now.

A: I'm a sergeant with Florida Highway Patrol. I actually became a trooper when I was 19. I got promoted to sergeant at 23, the youngest person to attain that rank in the history of the agency. It was an awkward and demanding situation. In 2005, I ran for commissioner for the city of Miami Beach. I ended up in a run-off, but lost by 190 votes. It was a tight race. My wife and I had a child in 2006, and our second this month. Maybe next year I'll get back in the game, once my new son is a little older.

Q: What part does the Silver Knight play in what you do?

A: One of the people on the election committee asked me why I felt that speech was relevant. I expressed to her the importance of words and the ability to communicate is at the root of all public service -- you can avoid cultural disharmony and misunderstandings. If you can't touch somebody with words, you'll have a hard time being successful in life. As a police officer, I really have been able to impart my reasons and rationale in the work that I do.

Q: What were the Silver Knight interviews like?

A: I found them to be quite entertaining. I was so nervous going in, and when the panelists started asking me questions, I was amazed at how easily the answers were coming. I just gave sincere, uncontrived responses.

Q: What advice do you have for students who want to be Silver Knights?

A: I don't think you should want to win the Silver Knight. If you want to win it, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. If you are somebody who is exceptionally bright and want to impart your gift through service, the Silver Knight will be one of many things you can be recognized with in what you do.

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