Child advocate Dottie Berger MacKinnon named to Women's Hall of Fame

TAMPA — Child advocate Dottie Berger MacKinnon, who died at age 71 of cancer in October, has been inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame, the governor's office said Thursday.

Mrs. Berger MacKinnon, of Tampa, was a founder of Joshua House, a haven for kids removed from their families, and had chaired the Friends of Joshua House Foundation. She founded A Kid's Place, a home where siblings live together after being taken from their homes over abuse.

Scott named two others:

• Susan Benton, 64, sheriff of Highlands County. In 2004, she became the first female elected sheriff in state history. In 2012, she became the first female president of the Florida Sheriffs Association in its 118-year history.

• Louise Jones Gopher, 68, of Okeechobee, a lifelong educator. From 2003 to 2007, she served as education director for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. She was the first female Seminole Indian to earn a bachelor's degree.