South Florida radio personality, Hollywood commission candidate Jill Tracey dies

Jill Tracey Folmar, a well-known South Florida radio personality and current candidate for Hollywood city commission, has died at age 60.

Originally from Detroit, Jill Tracey, as she was known professionally, was a long-time personality on Miami’s WHQT Hot 105 and had been in the radio industry for three decades, including on WEDR 99Jamz. She was in a three-way race with Peter Hernandez and Richard Walker for Hollywood’s District 2 commission seat in next week’s election.

Throughout her career, Tracey served as news director at Hot 105 and was a former president of the National Association of Black Journalists South Florida chapter, the NABJ said in a statement shared with the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday evening.

A biography page on the Hot 105 website says Tracey hosted the show “Hot Talk” and co-hosted the Rickey Smiley morning show. She was involved with numerous South Florida organizations and nonprofits, including the Embrace Girls Foundation and the NFL Sisters in Service. She attended Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.

“We are very saddened to hear of Jill Tracey’s passing and extend our condolences to her family and all her friends and fans across the many years of her public life,” Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said in a statement Friday evening. “As a candidate for City Commissioner, we got to know her as a fun-loving spirit who wanted the best for our city. We will continue with that spirit and in her honor.”

Hernandez told the Sun Sentinel: “I liked her. She was fun, she was vibrant, and as a candidate, I liked her. We got along great. It is really sad.”

Tracey was found dead in her home Friday, Stephanie Anderson, a long-time friend of Tracey, told the Sun Sentinel. She lived alone with her two dogs, her “fur daughters,” Lola and Joy. Anderson said police did not expect any foul play.

“She did have some health issues, but her death was completely unexpected,” Anderson said.

Anderson said Tracey was the type of person who “went all out for her community,” in her career and in her personal life, volunteering with local organizations and mentoring in the community. She was passionate about preserving the city of Hollywood’s history and wanted to advocate for affordable housing for working people in the city, Anderson said.

“What ultimately drew me to her was just her spirit. We were kindred spirits,” Anderson said. “There wasn’t anything that has been asked of Jill Tracey in this community in the last 30 years that she has not done … She was here, 100%, for South Florida.”

Anderson said she spent at least part of every Thanksgiving for more than a decade at Tracey’s home, where she hosted a dinner with her friends. She was the kind of friend who hosted barbecues at her pool with friends, and they’d all gather around to talk about community issues.

“I would ask that at this time that we’re going through, at this particular time in our nation that we’re going through, that everybody sort of take a little piece of her in terms of coming together and loving each other because no matter what — it doesn’t matter if she agreed with a person or disagreed with them, she was so respectful and so loving and so kind,” Anderson said.

Tracey’s friend and another well-known South Florida radio personality “Supa Cindy,” first met Tracey while she was on air at 99Jamz more than two decades ago, before she transitioned to Hot 105.

The Miami Herald reported in June that Tracey was fired from the radio station. Supa Cindy said she does not want Tracey to remembered for the ending of her career, but rather that she is remembered as “legendry, royalty, a GOAT (greatest of all time)” in the industry.

Supa Cindy recalled Tracey’s “infectious laugh,” her larger-than-life personality and distinct style and “flavor” that made her stand out from others, including her signature saying, “Love you, mean it.” She was “the it girl” in the Miami radio world, she said.

Lisa Arneaud, a spokesperson for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, told the Sun Sentinel that the votes Tracey received will still tabulate on election night.