‘I feel so proud.’ Miami-Dade County crowns new spelling bee champion
Logan Cox had never even heard of the word that would crown him champion of the Miami Herald Spelling Bee for Miami-Dade County. Drawing on his experience — and knowledge of word etymology — Logan powered through the final round on Wednesday like a pro.
“Lumbago,” a word used to describe lower back pain, wasn’t on any list Logan had studied (and he studies a lot). In spelling bee tradition, an off-list word means it doesn’t appear on the official study guide.
When the announcer said “Lumbago,” Logan,14, didn’t rush. He calmly asked for the definition and the word’s origin. Once he learned it came from Latin, the pieces started to click, said the eighth-grader from Herbert A. Ammons Middle School in the Richmond Heights area of South Miami-Dade.
“I feel so proud,” Logan said after clinching the win. This was his third time competing in the Herald spelling bee.
Even before taking home the trophy, Logan stood out among the 25 spellers from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. At the 86th annual spelling bee, held at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, he had a signature move. Each time he stepped up to the mic, he traced letters in the air before spelling them out loud.
He calls it “air writing,” and it helps him visualize each word and make sure every letter lands just right. He also did a happy dance after each word spelled correctly.
Logan’s mom, Janet Carballo, said he’s been air writing for as long as she can remember.
“I’m on cloud nine,” said Logan’s father, Adam Cox, after the win. “He worked really hard.”
Logan is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., where he’ll compete May 24–30. Four plane tickets, courtesy of LATAM and Delta, will send him to the national stage. He said he’s excited to make his TV debut.
A ‘diffability’
Logan was diagnosed with autism around age 3. With support from his parents, teachers and therapists — and a lot of determination of his own — he’s grown into what he proudly calls someone with a “diffability,” not a disability.
“We helped him a lot. He helped himself, and now he’s brilliant. He’s a gifted straight A student,” Carballo said.
His parents say Logan charts his own course. They’ve never pushed him to do anything.
“He gets home from school, goes straight upstairs and starts doing homework and studying,” Carballo said. “He just loves it. He loves education. He loves to learn. He thrives.”
While Logan proved to be a spelling whiz on Wednesday, math is his favorite subject. He also qualified for the 2026 Florida MATHCOUNTS State Competition in Daytona Beach next month.
“I would say it’s definitely not a negative thing,” Logan said of his autism, adding that he feels accepted — and even popular — at school.
A spirited afternoon
The Miami-Dade/Monroe County spelling bee kicked off in the afternoon, just after Broward County crowned its own champion, eighth-grader Lancaster Gramer. Many students filtered in still wearing their school uniforms.
MORE: Broward County has a new but old spelling bee champion
Once the spellers were seated on stage, Raymond Dueñas, the Miami Herald’s director of community affairs, gave them an unusual instruction: Scream. And scream they did — shaking off nerves before the first word was called.
If anyone seemed more anxious than the contestants, it was the parents in the audience.
“We are so proud of how far you’ve come,” Bob McFarlin, executive vice president of McClatchy Media, the Miami Herald’s parent company, told the crowd. “From classroom rounds to this very stage you’ve grown, not just as spellers, but as learners and leaders. Today is a celebration of your hard work and your love of work; you and your family should be very proud.”
The competition stretched 13 rounds — topping Broward County’s eight. Round one eliminated two spellers, with “necessity” becoming the first misspelled word of the day.
One by one, students exited the stage to hugs, kisses and proud smiles from their families.
The final three were Logan, David Furman of Aventura City of Excellence Charter School, and reigning 2025 champion Nikhil Sha of Palmetto Middle School.
Nikhil took third after misspelling “meropia.” David earned second place — the same impressive finish he achieved last year.
“This competition brings together some of the strongest readers and spellers in our community, and it reflects the hard work of students, families and educators to support learning every single day,” said Lindsay Francois of the Miami Children’s Trust, a sponsor of the event.
This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 11:05 AM.