another pic..

It's hard to tell, but it may be one of the cultivars of Pennisetum purpureum, like 'Prince,' 'Princess' or 'Princess Caroline.' It should be an evergreen in your zone, but it looks like it was starved of water, and some of the foliage died.

If it were me, I'd sit down on a bucket, next to the plants, and methodically trim out the dead foliage. Some of it may just pull out. If it's P. purpureum, it doesn't like pruning much, and this would be the wrong time of year to cut it back.

Thanks donn.......this is my third spring in florida and second in my own place. These are in a bed that was neglected the first year and I'm finding that most of the things in this bed need more moisture than has been provided in the sandy unamended soil :(.

Again thanks for the help.

Cindy