Playmate of The Year is Kara Monaco, Who Was Raised in Lakeland

The woman on the cover of the latest Playboy may be doubly familiar to some in Polk County. Kara Monaco, the 2006 Playmate of the Year, is a repeat centerfold, having appeared in the magazine's feature pictorial last June. She is also a Lakeland native.

Nude images of Monaco occupy 10 pages of Playboy's June 2006 issue, currently on newsstands. Monaco, a blueeyed blonde, was selected Playmate of the Year by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and the magazine's editors, who also considered the results of an online reader vote.

"I was real surprised because we had such a great group of girls in my year," Monaco said Friday by phone from Chicago, where she had made a Playboy-sponsored event at a dance club the night before. "Hef (Hefner) kind of pulled me aside and congratulated me and said, 'Out of all the girls, we just felt like you were the best fit for the job.' "

Monaco, 23, lived in Lakeland until the age of 15 and attended Santa Fe Catholic from 1996 to 1998. Her family moved to the Orlando area, and she graduated from Altamonte Springs' Lake Brantley High School in 2001.

In addition to the second round of magazine exposure, the aspiring actress will appear in a DVD, "Video Centerfold: 2006 Playmate of the Year Kara Monaco," scheduled for sale beginning June 13. The selection also brings material rewards: a yellow Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, valued at more than $40,000; a red-and-black Honda sport motorcycle; and $100,000 in cash.

"I'm going to be an ambassador for Playboy, and travel around making appearances and promoting the magazine as much as possible."

Monaco said the publicity of her selection already led to a call from someone in the film industry and an audition for a part in the sequel to "The Dukes of Hazzard."

In announcing the selection, Playboy emphasized Monaco's background as a one-time cast member at Walt Disney World, where she portrayed such characters as Snow White, Cinderella and the Little Mermaid.

Monaco moved from Orlando to Los Angeles after her initial appearance in Playboy last summer. She appears as instructor on workout videos in the "Envy" series and has had a role on "CSI: Miami."

Though she hasn't lived in Lakeland for eight years, Monaco said she retains close ties to her hometown. She said her grandmother and several aunts, uncles and cousins live in Polk County.

"Every time I go home (to Orlando) to see my mom (Debbie Monaco) and my sister," she said, "I always go to Lakeland."

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or at 863-802-7518.