Former Florida state rep. and community activist Roy Hardemon dies at 63
Whenever Ebonie Taylor looks at one particular photo of herself standing in front of her old Grand Marquis, it reminds her of how she could always depend on her father, former Florida state Rep. Roy Hardemon, for help.
One day, the car broke down. “There was no transportation in Tallahassee, you’re out there by yourself, what are you going to do?” she recalled thinking. But in no time, Hardemon hopped on the phone and walked his daughter through fixing the car’s fan belt.
But that’s the kind of dad Hardemon’s children said he was: “He was always there. Never missed a birthday, never missed nothing. He was just that great father, which is why I call him my hero,” Hardemon’s daughter Monique Nicole Barley told the Herald.
Barley confirmed her dad’s death on Wednesday in a public Facebook post. He was 63. “My hero is gone,” she wrote. “I don’t even think my life would ever be the same. I’m going to miss my dad so much. This hurt[s] so bad, it feels like a dream.”
For Barley and her siblings, Hardemon was always available when they called him, no matter the hour. He poured his love into his children as well as his community. “He was a loving person. When it came to his community, he was there. He tried to stand up for his community,” daughter Gloria Maestre told the Herald.
Born and raised in Miami, Hardemon was a truck driver before he eventually became a janitor for Miami-Dade County parks and recreation, his family said. His daughter Nicole Williams said working there is what inspired him to enter politics. “At the parks, he was seeing the struggles that everybody was having within childcare, housing, food, and stuff like that,” she said. “I think that kind of pushed him more into the politics side and, trying to help and fight for them.”
Hardemon, a Miami Northwestern High School grad, served in the Florida House from 2016 to 2018, representing District 108, which included parts of North Miami, Miami and unincorporated Miami-Dade County. While in office, he served on several committees including the Health and Human Services Committee and Careers and Competition Subcommittees.
During his time in Tallahassee, Hardemon championed measures to expunge criminal records for certain offenses. (Hardemon himself had been arrested several times on charges ranging from felony battery to trespassing, many of which he said were bogus.)
He also started a statewide initiative to help children in disadvantaged areas and passed a resolution recognizing filmmaker Barry Jenkins and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney for their success with Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight,” which was set in Liberty City.
Hardemon comes from a political family: His nephew Keon Hardemon is the commissioner for District 3 in Miami-Dade County and previously served as a commissioner in the City of Miami. His brother Billy Hardemon was a political consultant who assisted late U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek in launching her political career. His daughter, Barley has run for office three times: a 2020 bid for Miami-Dade mayor, county commissioner in 2022 and a seat in the Florida House last year.
Barley said her dad inspired her to pursue politics by bringing her along to his many meetings. “He took me to the meetings with him since I was a little girl in elementary school,” she said. “I think it’s in my bloodline, pretty much, because being around it, it became a passion of mine to make a difference in our community and do the things that my dad did in the community.”
Hardemon wasn’t reelected in 2018, but continued to advocate for his community after leaving the Legislature. Hardemon’s daughters said he continued to be involved in Liberty City, serving on the Model City Community Advisory Committee.
News of Hardemon’s death came as a shock to Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency executive director James McQueen, who has known Hardemon at least 30 years and described him as “a true public servant.”
McQueen said he saw Hardemon last week at Miami Commission Chairwoman Christine King’s reelection party, which made the death even more shocking.
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“The last time I spoke to him, he was still advocating for the betterment of his community,” he said. “He was an individual who supported the little guy.”
King, who worked with Hardemon while he was a state representative, recalled the back-and-forth drives from Miami to Tallahassee where they’d have car karaoke to gospel songs. King met “Uncle Roy,” as she affectionately calls him, through his brother Billy when she worked on the campaign for late Miami-Dade Commissioner James C. Burke.
King said that Hardemon wasn’t afraid to stand up for his community in Tallahassee — even urging fellow Democrats to protest a budget he felt didn’t represent them. Though others didn’t follow him, she said his boldness stood out. Over time, he built relationships across party lines and became widely respected and well-liked. “He made friends with everybody, and everybody loved him in Tallahassee,” said King.
Tributes poured in this week from friends, activists and politicians alike, including Miami-Dade County District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien who called Hardemon “a dedicated public servant, a tireless advocate for the people, and a true champion for our community.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recognized Hardemon “as a dedicated public servant, a tireless advocate, and true champion” for Liberty City. “His work touched countless lives, and his commitment to justice, equity, and opportunity elevated the residents he served with such passion,” she posted on X.
Florida state Rep. Dottie Joseph, who won Hardemon’s seat in 2018, acknowledged their initial rivalry and posted her condolences to the Hardemon family. “Roy did the best he knew to do for our community, in the only ways he knew how, and I appreciated that about him,” Joseph wrote.
Hardemon’s daughter, Williams said she will always remember her dad as someone she could rely on.
“He was a great father. He was our Superman. He was my Superman,” she said. “So I feel like I don’t have that superpower, that superhero to rescue me anymore.”
Hardemon is survived by two sons and 10 daughters and many grandchildren.
Services for Roy Hardemon: A viewing will be held from 3-6 p.m. Nov. 21 at 4500 NW 17th Ave and a wake will be held 6 -9 p.m. Nov. 21 at 6114 NW 7th Ave. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Nov. 22 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 740 NW 58th St., Miami. A repast will follow at 2 p.m. at 1350 NW 50th St.
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
