SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. — Author, award-winning Latin artist and businessman Joe Zuniga now has one more honorific to add to his name: "Mayor" of Sun City Center.

• Zuniga earned title through fundraising competition
• Top earner earned title of honorary mayor for Sun City Center, Ruskin, Wimauma
• Zuniga raised money for 3 community nonprofits
• More Good News stories

Zuniga is a jack of all trades, but his true passion, he says, is community service.

“When I'm not performing or doing book signings or doing some advertising, I’m here working with the community,” he said. 

Thanks to his efforts fundraising for nonprofit groups in his community, he was recently sworn in as the new honorary mayor of Sun City Center, Ruskin, and Wimauma. 

“It’s a great thing!" he explained. "It’s a great way to fund raise for nonprofit organizations and for community events."

Candidates "campaign" by raising money. Whoever raises the most wins the race.  

Half of the funds raised go to the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce. The rest go to three organizations of the winner’s choice. 

Zuniga chose the Ruskin Women's Club, Ruskin Community Development Foundation, and the Beth-El Farmworker Ministry. 

The organizations are all close to the Ruskin native’s heart, because they hit close to home: 

“I grew up as a farmworker myself, as a migrant, and that’s the least that I could do, to try to plant a little seed on behalf of them as well,” he said. “Going through adversity throughout my life - being raised by a single mom, working in the fields as a migrant, experiencing incarceration as well.”

Zuniga overcame those challenges and flourished, going to college, getting a degree, and ultimately finding success.

Now, he hopes to use this new role to inspire others.

“I wanted to do something where I can inspire the younger generation," Zuniga said. "To hopefully have them walk a better line than I did, and have better opportunities and have them more involved in their communities as well.”