Florida vice mayor found dead in her home, husband charged with murder

A Florida vice mayor considered a rising political star was found dead in her home Wednesday and her husband was arrested on suspicion of premeditated murder, authorities said.

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The body of Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was found by police who were conducting a wellness check, according to a city release. The Coral Springs Police Department, located in Broward County, has launched an investigation.

Metayer Bowen’s husband, Stephen Bowen, was arrested following a preliminary investigation, the city said, adding that “the incident was determined to be domestic in nature” and there are no other suspects at this time.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office website listed Bowen, 40, as in custody and charged with premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Before becoming vice mayor, Metayer Bowen served as Coral Springs’ first black and Haitian-American female commissioner. She was first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, according to the city’s website. In 2025, she was appointed to a second term as deputy mayor of the city of Coral Springs by her fellow commissioners, according to the city’s website.

Metayer Bowen was also an environmental scientist, and prior to her role on the Coral Springs City Commission, she “led environmental justice efforts across the state of Florida, focusing on improving community resilience,” according to the city’s website.

The city said that while it was a member of the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District, its work was “instrumental in addressing water crises and responding to major natural disasters, including Hurricanes Irma, Michael and Dorian.”

Metayer Bowen’s family released a statement saying she was “a valued member of our family, but also a dedicated public servant who dedicated her life to improving the lives of others.”

“Throughout her years of public service, she led with integrity, compassion and an unwavering sense of purpose. She believed in bringing people together, listening to those she served and working tirelessly to create positive change in her community,” the Metayer family wrote. “To us, she was a source of strength, wisdom and love – someone who always put others before herself. »

“Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped shape, but also in the countless lives she touched,” the family said.

Lawmakers across the state expressed condolences and shock over the death of the “beloved” vice mayor, while praising her leadership.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement Wednesday that “it is with a broken heart and deep sorrow that the Florida Democratic Party mourns the sudden and horrific death of our beloved Vice President, Nancy Metayer Bowen.”

“Just a few days ago, I spoke with Nancy. Just two weeks ago, I hugged her at our party’s Leadership Summit, never imagining that it would be one of our last moments together,” she said in the statement.

“Nancy was not just our Vice President of Haitian Outreach. She was a scientist. An environmentalist. A brilliant barrier breaker who made history as the first Black and Haitian-American woman elected to the Coral Springs City Commission,” Fried said. “A vice mayor who showed up every day for the people she served. She loved her community deeply and believed, with every fiber of her being, that a better, more equitable future was possible for all of us.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Democrat of Florida, said on social media that he was “in shock” after learning of Metayer Bowen’s death.

“I was with her on Saturday. She had just buried her brother. She was about to announce that she was running for Congress,” he wrote. “Nancy was one of the kindest people I’ve ever worked with. Always fighting for her community, always pushing to help them. She had such a future. It’s terrible.”

Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said in a statement that Metayer Bowen “has served his community with dedication and heart, and the impact of his dedicated public service will be felt throughout Broward County.”

“Our thoughts are with his family, his colleagues and the Coral Springs community during this difficult time,” he said.