Submitted by Miami Times Editorial Team
(Source: The Miami Times)
Former Rep. Roy Hardemon, a passionate Miami lawmaker and lifelong advocate for Liberty City and its neighboring community, has died, according to his sister and his nephew’s office in Miami-Dade County.
He was 63.
Hardemon, who served one term in the Florida House representing District 108 from 2016 to 2018, was known as a blunt, neighborhood-first politician whose priorities rarely strayed far from the blocks where he was raised.
Born in Miami on Aug. 12, 1962, Hardemon rose from the city’s rough political scene to become one of its most outspoken voices in Tallahassee.
During his two years in the House, Hardemon sat on the Health and Human Services Committee, Careers and Competition Subcommittee, PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee and others, filing dozens of appropriations for youth programs, senior services, cultural groups and stormwater upgrades.
Hardemon co-sponsored legislation that became laws expanding children’s initiatives, improving public health grants, and allowing criminal record expungement for certain offenses. He also successfully carried a resolution recognizing the filmmakers behind the Miami-based feature film, “Moonlight,” which heavily featured Liberty City and won Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards.
After leaving the Legislature, Hardemon returned to local activism, serving for years as Chair of the Model City Community Advisory Committee, where he pressed county officials to reinvest in long-neglected neighborhoods. He remained on the panel until its dissolution in 2020.
Even after his defeats inlaterHouse races, he remained a fixture at Miami-Dade County Commission meetings, urging investment in housing, jobs and infrastructure.
Hardemon’s public life was not without controversy. He faced numerous felony charges and was convicted of misdemeanor battery in 2014 and drew media attention during his campaigns for his sometimes brash political style. But even his critics had to acknowledge his relentless focus on Liberty City’s residents and his insistence that the poor deserved a seat at the table.
Politics ran through the family. His nephew, Keon Hardemon, served as Miami City Commission Chair before winning a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2020. His brother, political consultant Billy Hardemon, has also been active in community and political circles. So has his daughter, business consultant Monique Barley Mayo, who ran for the Miami-Dade Commission in 2022 and House District 107 last year.
Hardemon was admitted to the hospital this month due to an undisclosed health issue. He died sometime between last Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
“Roy has passed away .. Silence is loud at this moment,” his sister, Lawanda Hardemon Washington, wrote on Facebook. “Thank you for your prayers. God please take care of him.”
His daughter, Nicole Spann, posted several times on the platform asking for prayers for her father.
Florida Politics contacted Keon Hardemon’s office, which said the County Commissioner was not available to speak because he and the family were mourning.
Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller, a fellow Democrat who served alongside Hardemon in the House, described his former colleague as an emotionally open man of great integrity.
“Roy was a good man, a good representative and, most importantly, he was always very devoted to his constituents and the people of his community. He was a fighter who helped people who needed help,” Geller said last Wednesday upon learning of Hardemon’s passing.
“I had the pleasure of serving with Roy in the House and knew him for a long time before he got there. He was an old friend. He was somebody I had a lot of respect for. I’ll mourn his passing.”
Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chair Kionne McGhee, who served in the House from 2012 to 2020, including as Minority Leader, said Hardemon’s passing “leaves a deep void in the heart of our community.”
“I witnessed Roy’s unmatched commitment to people over politics,” he said. “He saw beyond party lines — he saw humanity, opportunity, and access. Even after leaving the Legislature, Roy continued to advocate tirelessly for housing and fairness at the county level.”
Hialeah Republican Rep. Alex Rizo said Hardemon left a lasting impact.
“Roy Hardemon was a man that cared about his community, and even to this day, people speak very fondly of him as someone who cared and always wanted to be a part of what was going on,” he said. “He was willing to cross party lines to help people, which was always his main concern and initiative.”
Florida Politics has reached out to members of Hardemon’s family, his friends and colleagues for statements.
This report will be updated online.
Roy Hardemon, son of Ethel and L.G. Hardemon, is survived by 12 children and many grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Saturday, Nov. 22, at 11 a.m. at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 740 N.W. 58th St. The viewing was held on Friday, Nov. 21, from 3-6 p.m. at Richardson Funeral, 4500 N.W. 17th Ave. The wake was on Friday, Nov. 21, from 6-9 p.m. at the MLK Business Center, 6114 N.W. 7th Ave.
