Jacksonville native Paris Richardson, Miss Florida 2025, builds hometown health initiatives ahead of national competition

A Jacksonville winner steps onto Florida’s largest pageant platform

Paris Richardson, a Jacksonville native and Jean Ribault High School alum, was crowned Miss Florida 2025 after competing as Miss Gainesville. The title positions her as Florida’s representative within the Miss America Opportunity system and brings a scholarship award tied to the state competition.

Richardson earned degrees in public health and health administration from the University of Florida and has been involved in school- and community-focused programs aimed at improving access to health resources. Her Miss Florida biography and related program materials describe a long-running emphasis on health equity and prevention-based education.

From Northside roots to statewide advocacy

Richardson’s public work is closely linked to her experiences in Duval County schools. While at Ribault, she helped launch Get R.A.W. (Ribault Access & Wellness), described as a student-led advisory effort connected to school-based health priorities. That work later informed her broader initiative, C.R.O.W.N. of Health—an acronym for Community, Research, Outreach, Wellness, and Nutrition—designed to expand wellness programming and health education across Florida.

In pageant week coverage and organizational profiles, Richardson has also been described as using school visits and community outreach to promote nutrition education, particularly for students in areas identified as “food deserts.” She has included children’s reading events as part of that approach through her book, The Not-So-Perfect Garden Project, which focuses on fresh produce and healthy habits.

Volunteer pipelines and measurable hours

Another component of Richardson’s civic profile is Paris’s Pals, a service-focused program she founded to connect students with volunteer opportunities. Materials associated with the program state that, since 2016, it has helped facilitate more than 150,000 community service hours through partnerships with multiple nonprofit and community organizations.

• Program emphasis: connecting school-aged students to accessible volunteer placements
• Stated outcome: more than 150,000 service hours facilitated since 2016
• Operational model: collaboration with established community organizations to place volunteers

Results on the national stage

After winning the Miss Florida title on June 28, 2025, Richardson advanced to the Miss America competition held in Orlando in early September 2025. She finished as second runner-up, placing in the top three of the national field. Post-pageant updates from the Miss Florida organization stated that she accumulated more than $64,000 in scholarships through participation in the Miss America Opportunity system.

Richardson’s current public agenda, as outlined in organizational biographies and program descriptions, centers on scaling health equity initiatives through school partnerships and community-based prevention work.

What comes next for Jacksonville-centered outreach

Richardson’s in-state role continues through her Miss Florida year, which typically includes school appearances, community events, and program development activities. While her platform is statewide, much of the story she highlights—Ribault, Duval County school-based programming, and student volunteer access—keeps her work closely tied to Jacksonville and the community institutions that shaped her early leadership.