Beloved local figure gunned down in parking lot altercation; 33-year-old Rijkaard Florvil charged and held without bond
The Orlando Haitian community is in deep mourning following the tragic death of beloved local DJ Kendy Alexandre, 29, who was fatally shot outside a club early Sunday morning, March 1.
Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested 33-year-old Rijkaard Florvil on Sunday for first-degree murder with a firearm in connection with Alexandre’s killing. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. at Bistro Paradise Restaurant and Bar in the 700 block of North Apopka Vineland Road.
Deputies arrived to find Alexandre lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the head. He was rushed by Orange County Fire Rescue to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:59 a.m.
Surveillance footage captured Florvil, also of Haitian descent, running from his lifted green Jeep toward Alexandre, raising his arm, and a muzzle flash occurring before the victim collapsed. Florvil then fled northbound on North Apopka Vineland Road. Deputies located the Jeep shortly after and pulled it over. Two witnesses positively identified Florvil as the shooter, with one stating they saw him fire directly at Alexandre’s head.
In an interview, Florvil admitted to being at the club and claimed he fired two shots into the air to break up a fight while retrieving a vape pen from his vehicle, blaming someone else for the fatal shot. When confronted with the video evidence, he requested a lawyer and stopped cooperating.
Florvil was booked into the Orange County Jail without bond. The investigation remains active.
Friends and community members describe Alexandre as someone with no known enemies, a familiar, positive voice in Orlando’s nightlife and Haitian music scene who brought joy through his sets and presence. His sudden loss has left many in shock over the senseless violence that ended his life.
Our deepest condolences go out to Kendy Alexandre’s family, friends, and the entire Orlando Haitian community during this heartbreaking time. May his memory live on through the music and love he shared.
L’Union Suite stands with the family and calls for justice and peace.
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://www.lunionsuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/809209156_18633930094023307_3630959692441275516_n-512x640.jpg)
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/809209156_18633930094023307_3630959692441275516_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=108&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=x34GLS09I-MQ7kNvwFqHCNl&_nc_oc=AdowqDCN9YT1Ab6Xr9C2sg7ga-9vqDxpgpSPQVu_SMkTWY4MV-DSZ2lzrsiKmJkeEI4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=x4jvEQmXU18ETczdhgoO6A&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIw2C71D9QY2QRwS8CynOCBRbSkwiTkJvMcpHL-eO6rjLCvt2NC-HknMIfi2dSDrKHvOgrHLKvP&oh=00_AQKtORgB_LskdDZkpzaSf44P44EHp9ny3NyDopfskLBMPQ&oe=6AB0ECDD)
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/788924694_18633930097023307_3043638025784358712_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=2C7Wl-aKuL0Q7kNvwF0SU-y&_nc_oc=AdqS67UJ5kM67AfhglIGf79iRqaHlSsnp0FyZd7KoG7qEtb5unEgcDoOFORhGwog7BI&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=x4jvEQmXU18ETczdhgoO6A&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIuCA_kheyGyRRrI4q6b0QqbFGvZC9kxkarVdanMJN-GlwMgenDokao3T6Nj9FS5vnUBrkMiTb2&oh=00_AQL_C9qkX0YkSTyJmU2Ts5qT-4tN2pAhsaqjmKQxOFvk8g&oe=6AB0D946)
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/793639979_18633930061023307_6775081790007234048_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=103&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=959UMb3qNvsQ7kNvwH6rJK5&_nc_oc=AdoHvjiCVJ4RZCft2Zf1MqTKYnS3MeeZCdOl2uaqrtKnTljvUZTVU0tPPq5vVVaaMfI&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=x4jvEQmXU18ETczdhgoO6A&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQI5rrEbAb5R4ZCVCrPpXaUFuTN-cj2XowrYNWue0PuRF6q9Hyz0_EYDPr7MLufK57ZuiMfanOJu&oh=00_AQKYTYxMTYl6ZKw-kNlDDurEd83WBwILvHuN5xaQZvUPnA&oe=6AB0BA94)
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/809209149_18633930070023307_3587221757907574561_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=sYH5oewDRocQ7kNvwFk8Eq8&_nc_oc=Adpwz3K5sapCkiMCDx4LctPqoIenB0Nce8S0xMHw-b-HP0E3OWmHWtHLSPU4-nwMh-c&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=x4jvEQmXU18ETczdhgoO6A&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIyrj4X30UU0YlDFBPND78-HdUt0B4_3AZlCvQXD5u0GO35lu9awd0tPCID6CYZHyp5V6ew8Nha&oh=00_AQIgRbyJiP6jW6TAl3QLbKBUYuqPhs8_5p25l300F8dyfw&oe=6AB0E8FE)
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/806298814_18633930079023307_5240743489890819950_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=JU6IDP_NkRAQ7kNvwGfn0dr&_nc_oc=AdodvcfcPm44koOpzSTOCErsPDONaFZ_QLfgYMtozzJNRqpTvybWCeMMsYnm2J9cuiU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=x4jvEQmXU18ETczdhgoO6A&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIpVXxX8ZIUmsn7wOYHfAo_213GC0WORYx9PzpGKtzJv4SBGMgSmn4OUUJBjpudFuF61HHcCrK_&oh=00_AQKuoK0NBt9eoBirzZrqoANvChXFKWim7ni9xGnZe9Uhww&oe=6AB0C279)
![Three of the Haitian music industry’s most recognizable names did not roll on Eastern Parkway for this year’s West Indian American Day Parade. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association says T-Vice, Tony Mix and SakPase Nation were barred because they failed to meet carnival rules. The bands tell a different story. T-Vice says it was not refused and chose to stay off the route. Tony Mix publicly announced he would not take part.
The annual parade stepped off Monday, Sept. 7, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. Days earlier, The Haitian Times reported that WIADCA had kept the three groups off the official lineup. As of that Thursday, five other Haitian groups had been approved to participate. Haitian flags, mas and music were still on the Parkway. The missing piece was the big konpa trucks that usually stop traffic.
Cecile Ford is WIADCA’s board secretary and chair of the Mas Committee. She said organizers had warned the groups that the rules would be enforced.
“We’ve tried to work with them and each year there was a promise… they just take it as a joke,” Ford said. Ford later pointed to overcrowding on trucks as a safety problem.“We have pictures & photos [they] were not compliant with the number of people they have on their trucks, which is a security issue & safety issue,” she said.
WIADCA’s written rules state only bands with a WIADCA permit can enter the parade. Participants must be costumed. Artist trucks, advertising trucks and “T-shirt bands” are excluded. Band leaders are required to put marshals on the route, keep vehicles insured and stay within height and safety limits set with police and the city. Failure to comply can mean removal from the parade.
T-Vice answered Ford by name. The band said it was not refused. T-Vice said the Parkway absence was its own choice, while the carnival association said the group was barred. Tony Mix also spoke with an official announcement circulated that he would not take part in the 2026 Labor Day carnival. SakPase Nation did not respond.
Haitian mas and music was still on the route, including Lespri Ayiti and RAM among groups carrying the Haitian presence.
#lunionsuite #haitianamerican](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/806298829_18633930142023307_1624406619840916561_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=sKWnTcy_VlAQ7kNvwGCmhxy&_nc_oc=AdqvFfjX_kn-mTDnUKIP8dtT-baGWOg-iCYo3fFbWLtRf5RE118QJG9tBiT0-lgJU_Q&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=x4jvEQmXU18ETczdhgoO6A&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLUxvhZNp6NbcuybV2uyWVXbY0acxM2xlAZYlILaHgMoPEKIMXhtx8ZSd2obhrqDO_m3dN1UA8P&oh=00_AQKLQ3P04DrtTU5Isb65PJFLy98BiJeoYyDXR1gziGXWQg&oe=6AB0C472)
