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‘A Brilliant Barrier-Breaker’: Coral Springs Mourns Death of Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen in Homicide Case

Nancy Metayer-Bowen {Facebook}

Coral Springs is mourning the death of Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen after police on Wednesday said she was found dead inside her home in what investigators said was a domestic violence incident and ensuing homicide investigation. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, was arrested, and authorities said there are no additional suspects and no threat to the public.

During a press conference Wednesday evening, Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock said officers initiated a welfare check at approximately 10 a.m. and, through investigative techniques, responded to Metayer Bowen’s residence in the 800 block of Northwest 127th Avenue. Once inside, officers located “the body of a deceased Black female,” who was later identified as the 38-year-old vice mayor.

“This is being investigated as a domestic violence incident,” Mock said.

Mock said Bowen is in custody, adding that there are no additional suspects at this time no immediate danger to the public. Authorities said the investigation remains active and declined to release additional details.

City officials later said Bowen was arrested as part of the homicide investigation.

Police thanked the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and Plantation Police Department for assisting in the investigation.

Earlier information released Wednesday indicated that Metayer Bowen had been shot inside the home. Investigators identified her husband as the suspect, and he was later taken into custody in Plantation.

Metayer Bowen’s death prompted an emotional response from city leaders, including her friend and colleague, Coral Springs Commissioner Joshua Simmons.

“Usually, I love speaking at press conferences and talking to reporters, but this is not one of those days,” Simmons said.

“Nancy was our colleague. She was our battle buddy,” he added. “She had such a good heart. She truly cared about people. Even when people were saying some of the most horrible things about her and us, she still cared. She rolled up her sleeves. She went to every event that she could go to because she truly cared about people and making sure people had a relationship with their elected officials.”

Metayer Bowen, a scientist and environmentalist, was a rising star in Florida politics who served as Coral Springs’ first African-American and Haitian-American woman commissioner and worked as the Florida Caribbean Vote Director for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

She began working in politics in 2011, interning in the Obama White House as well as in Tallahassee for former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

First elected to the city commission in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, Metayer Bowen served as the city’s most recent vice mayor.

According to her official city biography, she emphasized community engagement, accessibility, and public service, and was a frequent presence at local events throughout Coral Springs.

“She was more than a public servant, she was a light in our community,” the city of Coral Springs said in an online tribute. “Her leadership was grounded in compassion, strength, and an unwavering commitment to others. Her impact on Coral Springs is immeasurable, and her loss leaves a void in our hearts. We ask our community to keep her family, loved ones, and all who are grieving in your thoughts and prayers.”

In her professional life outside of government, Metayer Bowen advised and strategized with cities and institutions to help boost their climate resilience and policies. She had a background in governance, environmental science, and sustainability consulting.

As a climate and sustainability executive, she focused on “advancing environmental justice, social equity, and resilient community development” through her strategic policy and planning work, “ensuring that climate solutions are actionable, scalable, and rooted in local needs,” according to her LinkedIn page.

Elected leaders across Florida expressed shock and grief over her death, including the Florida Democratic Party, which said she would be remembered as a dedicated public servant who worked to uplift her community.

“Nancy was not simply our Vice Chair 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,” the party said in a statement. “A Vice Mayor who showed up every single day for the people she served. She loved her community deeply and believed, with every fiber of her being, that a better and more equitable future was possible for all of us.”

Following her internships for Obama and Nelson, Metayer Bowen took on a major humanitarian job in her beloved Haiti in 2014, managing relief efforts there. Her next professional stops were in city and county government, serving as a Community Engagement Liaison for Tamarac and as the Broward County District 1 Supervisor of the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District.

Among her other positions, according to Florida Politics, Metayer Bowen previously worked on climate justice with the Miami nonprofit New Florida Majority and in 2019 took on the job of Florida Coalition Manager of NEO Philanthropy, a nonprofit focused on left-wing causes.

According to her bio, she also served as Florida Coalition Manager for the National Institute for Reproductive Health’s State Infrastructure Project.

Metayer Bowen’s time in office also included recent hardship. In December, her 26-year-old brother, Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, died by suicide by shooting himself; a tragedy that deeply affected her family and that she spoke about openly.

City officials have not yet announced funeral arrangements for Metayer Bowen or said how her commission seat will be filled as the investigation into her death continues.

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Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.