An appreciation of the late James Miller: 'Epitome of dedication'
Friends and relatives of the Florida League of Cities' James Miller struggle to find enough superlatives to describe his cheerful demeanor. He died Tuesday, May 21 at age 48.
Most end up defaulting to his actions: His generosity expressed itself less in lavish gifts as in his complete presence, in the service of clients or colleagues, whoever he was with at the time.
“People called him James, Jimmy or Jim,” said longtime friend Ken Granger. “He would never correct you. He was always making sure you were comfortable.”
People wanted to be around Miller because he could lift the mood of an entire group. He wanted to be around them too, so much so that he managed to function for seven years despite colorectal cancer that hospitalized him 10 times in 2023 alone.
“We are grieving the loss of a remarkable colleague and dear friend,” said Jenna Tala, who heads strategy and external affairs for the League of Cities, where Miller served as associate director of communications. “James was the epitome of dedication and a beacon of positivity for our team.”
By all accounts, his highest priority and focus was his wife, Angela, and sons, CJ and Riley, ages 12 and 10. On weekends he often had multiple big games going on different televisions around the house.
Born in Winter Park, Miller graduated from FSU in 1998 with a degree in sports management and communications. He spent the next 25 years gaining expertise in sports media and the state of Florida.
In 2014, he took a post as communications manager for the Florida Retail Federation, and was later promoted to senior director of external communications. Samantha Padgett, the federation’s general counsel at the time, won’t forget doing daily video updates during legislative sessions for FRF’s membership.
“Somebody has got to have a great blooper reel somewhere,” said Padgett, who is now a lobbying and general counsel for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “To get a laugh out if that made it interesting and unique.”
Miller’s diagnosis came in 2017, followed by multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. His buddies, deprived of his company for a cruise they had been taking together every year since college, settled on the next best thing — a life-size cutout with movable arms.
“We took it everywhere around the ship with us,” said Granger, who is now a government affairs specialist for Capital City Consulting.
Besides his wife and sons, Miller is survived by his mother, Sharon Miller; father Lloyd Miller and his wife, Susan; and brother Darby Miller and his wife, Serena. A celebration of life is being planned for the fall.
A version of this column first appeared on Florida Politics and is republished with permission. Andrew Meacham is a writer living in St. Petersburg. He worked for the Tampa Bay Times for 14 years, retiring in December 2018 as a performing arts critic. You can contact Andrew at ameacham437@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida League of Cities' James Miller was 'epitome of dedication'
