PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis presented a special proclamation Wednesday to the parents of Miya Marcano, who was murdered by a maintenance worker at her apartment complex in Orlando.
The late teen was honored in a special way with her family getting a key to the city of Pembroke Pines in honor of her, according to News 6 partner WPLG.
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This coming April 26, which would have been Marcano’s 20th birthday, will also officially be named Miya Marcano Day.
Marcano was murdered in September 2021 in Orlando when police say an obsessed maintenance worker at the complex where Marcano lived killed her.
Marcano’s father sat down with Local 10 News in the months after her death.
“It’s something that will play in my mind over and over everyday,” Marlon Marcano said.
Her disappearance set off a massive multi-county search and her loved ones, desperate to find her, would soon learn she was found dead. The Flanagan High School grad was only 19 and had moved to Central Florida to attend college.
Justice for the Marcano family would never come, as the suspect took his life, but since then, the family channeled their pain into change.
Miya’s Law was passed by the Florida Legislature. It mandates landlords to require background checks for employees and give tenants a 24-hour notice before repairs take place.
“It’s an honor, it’s a tribute,” Marlon Marcano said of the day named for his daughter. “I can’t ask for anything else. It’s a blessing.”
He added these moments give him a small bit of peace as he continues to mourn his daughter.
“It’s not an easy road,” he said. “They say it will get better, but I’m not there yet. I am taking it day by day.”
The ceremony to honor Marcano and her family began at City Hall at 6:30 p.m.