JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One Jacksonville native is shining bright after her most recent statewide success.
Action News Jax anchor Chandler Morgan sat down with Miss Florida, Paris Richardson, about what it means to hold the title and represent her community.
Before the crown, there was persistence.
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Jacksonville native Paris Richardson didn’t just wake up Miss Florida. She worked her way there, one setback at a time.
Richardson grew up on Jacksonville’s Northside, learning early that success doesn’t always come quickly, but it does come with grit.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, more downs than ups,” Richardson said.
She first entered pageants as a teen.
“I didn’t do as well as I thought I would,” Richardson said.
But she kept showing up. In high school, she won Miss John Ribault Senior High and reigned for a year.
“I won Miss John Ribault Senior High. I reigned for the year. It was a magical year for me to be able to, again, live out that dream of mine,” Richardson said.
Richardson went on to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree at the University of Florida, all while cheerleading in college.
She kept at her dream, balancing multiple Miss Florida competitions, refining her talent, sharpening her focus, and building resilience along the way.
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“Thinking back, there was times when I didn’t want to keep coming back,” Richardson said.
That perseverance paid off this past year.
“For the Miss Florida competition, this year I felt like I’d done everything that I could do to show them that I really worked really hard to put myself out there and show them the best talent I had,” Richardson said.
Richardson won the Miss Florida title while completing her master’s degree and starting a career in medical sales.
Her work, from advocacy to authorship, reflects a deeper purpose beyond the pageant stage.
“Thinking about the little girls who would come up to me and tell me, ‘Hey, you look like me. You’re competing in Miss Florida. You’re doing so well,” Richardson said. “We only have one other Miss Florida who happens to be African American, Ericka Dunlap, who also won Miss America. And I know how much she meant to me and so many other of my peers who competed. So that really pushed me to want to continue to come back and to be that influence on other young Black women as well.”
Now back home in Northeast Florida, she balances her professional life with a mission rooted in service.
“Growing up in Jacksonville, I saw a lot of health inequities in my community,” Richardson said.
She works to address health inequities and food insecurity in the same community that raised her.
And at just 24, Paris Richardson is still defining what’s next.
But one thing is clear: Her success isn’t about a title.
“I’m going to continue to stay impactful in my community,” Richardson said.
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