Sylburn W. Robinson, 69, had suffered a stroke in 2022 and was not in good health, his daughter said. The cause of death is pending.
When Whitney Robinson’s mother showed up unannounced at her home in Las Vegas last week, the Coconut Grove native soon began to suspect the visit was more than a casual surprise.
From her mother, Robinson learned that her father, 69-year-old Sylburn W. Robinson, had been found dead earlier that day, Wednesday October 2, in Peacock Park.
“We were very close. And my mom didn’t want me to be alone when I heard the news,” said Robinson, 31, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant. “It was devastating.”
According to Miami police, the body of Sylburn Robinson was discovered by a park attendant about 8 a.m. “There is no ongoing homicide investigation,” said police spokesman Michael Vega in an email. “This means that there is no foul play.”
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner is to determine the cause of death.
Whitney Robinson said her father, who once worked as a chef at a popular Coconut Grove café, was not in good health. He suffered a stroke in 2022 and had high blood pressure, she said.
Robinson was a native of Jamaica who first came to Miami as a teenager, according to his daughter. He attended Ponce de Leon Middle School in Coral Gables before finishing his schooling in Jamaica. He returned to Florida as a young man, and had lived in and around the Grove for many years.
Last summer, Whitney Robinson said, her father came to live with her in Las Vegas, but after two months decided to return to the Grove. In addition to health woes, he was troubled by a recent divorce and problems with his immigration status.
Robinson, a 2011 graduate of Coral Gables High School, said she knew her dad was homeless. “He was just trying to find his own way,” she said.
In addition to his daughter, Robinson – also known by his middle name, Winslow, or by a nickname, Wills – leaves a sister and two brothers in Florida, and his mother in Jamaica.
There are no planned funeral services.