In one for the record books, 314 Florida Realtors® members successfully earned the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ® title for largest human image of a key at the recent 2019 Florida Realtors Convention & Trade Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.
“Realtors are the key to homeownership, and we wanted to create a tangible symbol of the role we play for buyers and sellers,” said 2019 Florida Realtors President Eric Sain, a Realtor and district sales manager with Illustrated Properties in Palm Beach. “We’re all extremely proud to have a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title on behalf of every Florida Realtors member, but I think each of the 314 people in our human key can agree that what we do every day for Floridians – helping them secure a house and turn it into a home – makes us even prouder.”
The symbolism of the key takes on additional meaning this year because Florida Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC) celebrates 50 years of service.
“Realtors help Americans buy a home, and also help keep homeownership accessible and affordable before and after that home sale, thanks to RPAC,” Sain said. “No group speaks for the state’s homeowners other than Florida Realtors.”
Florida Realtors started working on the attempt almost a year ago. A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® adjudicator was on hand to certify the attempt, and strict guidelines were followed in order to officially set the record.
Since the Realtor-made key was 60-feet long, it wasn’t easy to photograph. To do so, an overhead truss was built with four cameras attached and then those four images were stitched together to create one photo.
When she first heard about this record attempt, participant and Panama City Realtor Teresa Dyer said it surprised her a little bit.
“I never heard of anything like this – I was really surprised,” she said. “But then I heard more about it and, as it gained momentum, I realized we’re making history for Realtors.”
Realtors are the key to your dream,” added Ana Gazzara, another Realtor participant from Orlando. “Being a Realtor isn’t about selling – it’s about connecting people to the right house and making the American dream come true. Being part of this key shows the world how important we think this is.”
Michael Empric, the official adjudicator, certified the results at the Realtors’ convention. He said, “It was so amazing to see the passion and enthusiasm of the Florida Realtors at their GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title attempt today. It was amazing to see 314 Realtors in the shape of a key.”
Florida Realtors® serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 187,000 members in 51 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at media.floridarealtors.org.
