Florida Ships Documentation to Verify Attempt to Break a World Record

Florida has officially submitted its final documentation to Guinness World Records™ in its attempt to break the record for the "Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously in Multiple Locations." More than 186,000 Florida middle school students were confirmed as participants. The event, “Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud!,” overseen by the Just Read, Florida! office, aimed to bolster reading among middle school students. The record attempt aired via a live public broadcast and Web cast from Disney-MGM Studios on September 28, at 11:25 a.m., when then-Governor Bush led students statewide in reading an excerpt from the book "Peter and the Starcatchers" written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

According to Guinness World Records™, the current record is 155,528 students from 737 schools throughout the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth's poem "Daffodils," on March 19, 2004. Since the record attempt in September, the Just Read, Florida! office has worked with school districts statewide to ensure all the proper documentation and certification were in place to validate the event under the rigorous requirements of Guinness World Records™. Within the coming months, the state will receive confirmation as to whether or not the attempt was successful.

To view the Web cast of the event visit www.JustReadFlorida.com.