Dorrin Rolle, a former Miami-Dade commissioner and JESCA director, dies at age 75
Dorrin Delano Rolle, the longtime Miami-Dade commissioner and social-services director who lost his county seat in 2010 and filed to reclaim it this year, has died after an extended bout with health issues, family and associates said Sunday. He was 75.
Best known as a jocular and influential commissioner representing one of the poorest districts in Miami-Dade, Rolle’s nickname was “The Governor” for his outsized role in Miami’s black communities. His catchphrase was “Ya done good,” a compliment bestowed on county administrators, community leaders and others when Rolle handed out praise.
“He helped me a lot in formulating my ideas,” said former county mayor Alex Penelas, who campaigned with Rolle in recent months as Penelas runs for mayor again in 2020. “Especially on policies for the inner city.”
Born in Miami on Jan. 14, 1945, Rolle was the son of the late Samuel and Maepearl Rolle.
Then governor Lawton Chiles appointed Rolle to the vacant District 2 seat in 1998. He held it until 2010, when Rolle lost to the current incumbent, Jean Monestime. Monestime’s victory followed ethics probes of Rolle’s role as head of the James E. Scott Community Association, a county-funded services agency that went bankrupt a year after Rolle stepped down as its long-time director.
A former teacher, Rolle started as social worker at JESCA in 1972, and later ran the organization, one of the largest social-service providers in the county. A 1967 graduate of FAMU, Rolle received a masters in education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1973, according to a biography maintained by the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida.
Carnell A. White, a fraternity brother at FAMU with Rolle who remained close friends for life, described the former commissioner as eager to stay active in the district. “He was the good citizen,” said White, a former Miami-Dade principal. “Rolle didn’t run against anyone. He ran for the office, and for the opportunity to serve.”
Rolle challenged Monestime in each of his reelection campaigns, in 2014 and 2018, and filed this year to seek the District 2 seat in 2022, when term-limit rules bar Monestime from running again. With Monestime running for county mayor to succeed a term-limited Carlos Gimenez, the District 2 contest could happen later this year through a special election if Monestime remains in the mayor’s race through the qualifying period in June.
A family representative said no cause of death was available Sunday. White and others said Rolle appeared to be in failing health this year, and photos of him at events showed he had lost a significant amount of weight. White said he raised concerns about Rolle running for office again in his condition, but that Rolle waived off the worry.
The two talked on the phone multiple times a week. “He would always end by telling me, ‘I’m good,’” White said. “He had an abiding faith he would not shake.”
Rolle married his wife, Judith, in August 1966. She died in 2003 after 37 years of marriage. He is survived by three children, Yvette Curtis, Tangilar Dorsett and Damon Rolle; a brother, John Rolle; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Rolle’s sister, Sandra, and another brother, Samuel, preceded him in death.
Details on funeral arrangements had not been released Sunday evening.
This article was updated to correct the name of Dorrin Rolle’s longtime friend, Carnell White.
This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 6:12 PM.