Ananth Prasad

CEO of SH 130 CC, Fmr Secretary of Florida DOT, Fmr Association Executive, and a Professional Engineer. Views are personal.

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

America's Top States for Business 2025: The full rankings https://t.co/9WrFEqgtKh

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

Epitome of bad infrastructure planning. And it is only going to get worse.

[Miami Herald @MiamiHerald]

Got a flight while Inter Miami debuts new stadium? Here’s when to get to airport https://t.co/sz3khACtvv

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

A Finnish startup claims to have perfected a revolutionary new battery. Whenever it reaches the market, its astonishing range and quick charging time could win over EV skeptics. https://t.co/DiX4G6xvvt via @WSJ

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

⁦@Tesla⁩ Finally Has Its First Semi-Truck and It’s Already a Hit With Truckers - The Wall Street Journal https://t.co/uHH1pHevWQ

[DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 @1Nicdar]

130 schools said no.
He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway.
Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami.

He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed.
So did FIU.
So did FAU.
So did everyone else.

At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs.
Not one FBS offer.
His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path.

Everyone told him to be “realistic.”
“Know your place.”
“Be grateful.”
He didn’t listen.
Because Mendoza understood something most people miss:
The worst outcome isn’t failing.
It’s never getting the chance to try.

Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang.
Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools.
He took it.
He arrived as the third-string quarterback.
Spent a year on the scout team.
Lost his first four starts.
Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line.

Still got up. Every time.
Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him.
So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes.
He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history.

People laughed.
“Career suicide.”
“Graveyard program.”
“Nobody wins there.”
One coach told him something different:
“I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.”
That was enough.
Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football.
His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years.

Before every snap, he thought of her.
“My mother is my why.”
Indiana went 16–0.
Beat six Top-10 teams.
Won their first Big Ten title since 1945.
Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns.
Won the Heisman—first in school history.
First Cuban-American to ever do it.

Then came the title game.
Miami. Near his hometown.
Fourth-and-4. Season on the line.
Quarterback draw.
The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone.

Game over.
Indiana—national champions.
The losingest program became the best team in America.
All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end.

Rankings don’t decide your ceiling.
Gatekeepers don’t write your ending.
Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point.

Sometimes all you need is one shot…
and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will.
Don’t quit.

Credit: Barclay Mullins

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@Sen_Hooper @FLSenateGOP Wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@RonDeSantis 💯solution searching for a problem.

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@TPFabricio @SenatorAMR @darielfernandez Can we also get Digital FL Drivers License?

[Ileana Garcia @IleanaGarciaUSA]

Senadora estatal Ileana García, cofundadora de Latinas por Trump se pronuncia ante escalada de operativos contra inmigrantes: "Esto es inaceptable e inhumano... Esto no es por lo que votamos" https://t.co/pNS3y139Nw

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@_ZachGriff American Airlines.

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

While Federal Government is in shutdown, the nature is not!

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@ComChrisLatvala Wish you a speedy recovery.

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

The US Used Electric Vehicle Market is Taking Off. Here's Why - Bloomberg https://t.co/ng89OAafDt

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

⁦⁦@VW⁩ CEO Oliver Blume said the company's future product plans depend on geography and borders more than ever. https://t.co/n6mVrXsil6

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@MearKat00 😂

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@USDOT Roundtable Examines Financing Models, Policies. @sh130south Co-Chairs Aument and Duvall participated in the roundtable to reinvest American Based Capital to address unfunded infrastructure needs of the country. #ToolsintheToolbox
https://t.co/d4H3aEM9ty

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

@C_Farrill @FDOT_Secretary Happy Birthday @FDOT_Secretary

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

Interesting piece of history in Macon, GA. Origins of @GADeptofTrans

[Ananth Prasad @APrasadPE]

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professor named Royal Aeronautical Society Fellow: https://t.co/bddKyz39mG
@FloridaState @AlviBeth

[Secretary Sean Duffy @SecDuffy]

American drone dominance starts by letting our innovators INNOVATE!

That’s why today we unveiled our “Beyond Visual Line of Sight” rule.

This is how our country leads on aviation 🇺🇸