Florida Archives - Rolling Out

A grieving mother whose son was shot and killed by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in mid-November was later shot at his burial service in the city of Cocoa. According to WOFL-TV, the mother, Quasheda Pierce, 39, already was traumatized by the death of her 18-year-old son, Sincere Pierce. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, she…

A 23-year-old Florida rapper is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting and killing two men execution-style inside a recording studio in Tampa, Florida. Billy Bennett Adams III, who performs under the stage moniker Ace NH, is being held at a local jail without bail as he faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count…

In this week’s episode “Are you serious?,” A Florida father took his 8-year-old son on a crime spree in order to “toughen him up.” Ernest McKnight III, 36, of Lake Wales, Florida, which is an hour’s drive east of Tampa, took his impressionable prepubescent on an illicit expedition to burglarize three unoccupied domiciles, steal a…

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is drafting legislation that would empower anyone with a gun the right to shoot rioters and looters in the future. DeSantis was appalled by the levels of endless protesting and marches unleashed in the aftermath of the violent death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin on…

The Miami Police Department is now working to track down the gunman who committed a violent crime, leaving Kerry Jacques’ body in the middle of the street in a Miami neighborhood. On Thursday night, the 33-year-old was transported to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. According…

Tyler Perry has never been shy about his desire to build up the Black community. The movie mogul recently joined an initiative that will target 25 counties and 250k Black residents in Florida in an effort to mobilize the Black vote in the republican dominant state, according to TMZ. Equal Ground Education is the nonpartisan…

A Black jogger was stopped by officers who said he fit the description of a burglary suspect in the predominantly White neighborhood of Deltona, Florida. According to CNN, the suspect stole a weed eater from the shed of a nearby home and Joseph Griffin, who was sweating profusely while jogging down the sidewalk, matched the…

Chanda Branch is an educator, art enthusiast and Ms. Black USA 2019. Being taught the importance of leadership and civic engagement at an early age has carried her through a successful career in pageantry. Branch graduated from Tennessee State University, with a bachelor’s in speech communications and theater. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native has formerly…

A Black child became the youngest person in Putnam County, Florida, to die from the coronavirus. Kimora “Kimmie” Lynum, 9, began to have stomach pain and a fever on July 11, 2020, according to WTLV and the Florida Department of Health. However, the hospital would not give her a COVID-19 test and only gave her…

Stacey Dash has filed for divorce. The Clueless actress announced last month that she had split from Jeffrey Marty, but documents filed in Pasco County, Florida, on Monday, June 15, 2020, listed their date of separation as Oct. 1, 2019. According to TMZ, Dash wrote in the documents that there is no jointly owned personal property…

Dwayne Johnson delivered an emotional high school commencement address after receiving $7 from a graduating student. The Hollywood star had the same amount of money in his pocket when he was cut from the Canadian Football League 26 years ago, and he received the symbolic gesture alongside a touching note from student Lorraine Angelakos inspired…

A valiant and vibrant voice in the fight for justice has been silenced. Florida protester Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, who had become prominent in the local insurrection against police brutality and other injustices, has been found dead after she tweeted about being sexually assaulted. The bodies of Salau, 19, and a 75-year-old woman, Victoria “Vicki” Sims,…

Two NFL defensive backs turned themselves in to authorities to be officially arrested after allegedly committing armed robbery at a party in South Florida on Wednesday, May 13. House party residents testified to Broward County Sheriffs investigators that DeAndre Baker and Quinton Dunbar stormed a party and stole thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry…

Rapper and murder suspect YNW Melly says he is dying after contracting the coronavirus in jail and is begging a judge to let him out while he awaits trial. In court documents obtained by TMZ, the rapper’s lawyer tried to explain to the presiding judge that Melly has COVID-19 and is suffering from its devastating…

While most of us are adhering to keeping social distance steps top of mind and governing ourselves accordingly, there are some people who have thrown that safeguard to the wind. Tampa megachurch Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne decided to have church anyway and over 500 people attended 2 services at The River at Tampa Bay church. They…

Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic candidate for governor of Florida in 2018, told his supporters he is going to enter rehab to recover from alcoholism and deep depression. This announcement comes in the aftermath of the scandal stemming from Gillum being found inebriated and unresponsive by police in a South Beach…

The woman that rapper DaBaby allegedly slapped with stunning force inside a Tampa, Florida, nightclub is seeking damages totalling $30,000. Tyronesha Laws claims in court documents obtained by The Blast that she did not hit the rapper with her phone while he walked by a crowd en route to the stage. She also claims that…

Nona Jones is an author, pastor, business executive, and international speaker. She is also the founder and CEO of Nona Jones Ministries. Jones graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s of business administration. She previously held executive leadership roles across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors before…

Andrew Gillum, who won over the hearts of Florida voters during the 2018 gubernatorial race when he came 34,000 votes shy of winning the election, was found in a Miami hotel room filled with bags of possible methamphetamine. According to the Miami Herald, Gillum was one of three men in a South Beach hotel room…