Miss Florida 2014: Wrong contestant crowned

Elizabeth Fechtel was Miss Florida for just six days after organizers realized there had been a vote count error last Saturday.

Elizabeth Fechtel, a 20-year-old student at the University of Florida, was dethroned on Friday.

The ballot counter at the event, which was held in front of 2,000 spectators in St. Petersburg, didn’t see that one of the five judges had changed his mind, writing a new line up on the left-hand side of his ballot.

The true Miss Florida contest winner was Victoria Cowen, a 21-year-old student at Florida State University.

Mary Sullivan, executive director of the Miss Florida pageant, delivered the bad news to Elizabeth Fechtel in person on Thursday evening, traveling to her home in Leesburg, Florida.

“Our organization had to do the right thing, and the right thing is to crown the young woman that was intended to be crowned,” said Mary Sullivan.

Elizabeth Fechtel is now the runner-up, and Victoria Cowen will compete in September’s Miss America contest.