- April 18, 2024
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Brie Smith is a cop in a silver Miss Universe sash.
Her fellow police officers joke around with her, telling her she’s the pageant queen—the “girly girl” of the team. It’s all in good fun, because they know Smith isn’t afraid to get to work.
The former Miss Flagler County 2015 is now this year’s Miss Volusia County. Consequently, Smith, 22, will be competing in the Miss Florida USA pageant in Dec. 14-17, in Tampa, where if she wins, she’ll be representing the state in the upcoming Miss USA pageant. It’s the biggest pageant she’s ever competed in.
“I’m kind of excited to go out there and be myself," Smith said. "What I call it is putting on a show that I don’t get to do often,” Smith said. “So I guess it’s my way of expressing myself.”
On the job
Smith, who is also a former Ormond Beach police officer and currently works for the Orange City Police Department, said the link between her job and pageants is the ability to interact with people — and giving back to the community.
"I’m getting to put a smile on someone’s face that I don’t even know," Smith said. "I don’t know if I’ll see them tomorrow, or next week. I might only see them one time, but if I can make a good impression on them once, then it might stick with them for a lifetime.”
In both law enforcement and the pageant world, Smith said she interacts with people who are strangers and brings smiles to their faces.
“Seeing a smile in someone else’s face makes me happy,” Smith said. “I’d rather see other people smile. It makes my day that much better.”
A role model for girls
Growing up, she struggled with her thin frame. Now, she’s confident in her own skin, and, as a role model, Smith hopes to inspire young women to be themselves and feel beautiful no matter what. It’s a confidence her mother, Yvette Smith, sees in her daughter.
“She is who she is, and that’s going to make her what she’ll end up being,” Yvette said.
"I’d rather see other people smile. It makes my day that much better.”
Brie Smith, Miss Volusia County
Yvette said her daughter is able to make a difference by showing other women they can have a career and not be afraid to show their feminine side.
“How many officers do you meet that do pageants?” Yvette said. “It’s very rare, and it’s nice to be able to bridge that situation.”
Whether she’s in a dazzling floor-length gown or a police uniform with her blonde hair tied back, Smith is proud to represent the county she works for.
As Miss Volusia County, Smith wants to show that women don’t have to limit themselves to one identity, or one descriptor — that if they want, they can be police officers and beauty queens.
“You don’t have to limit yourself to one thing,” Smith said. “You can do many things.”
