Haitian-American Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen shot and killed

Haitian-American Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was shot and killed Wednesday in what authorities describe as an apparent domestic violence incident, according to information initially provided to Florida Politics off the record and later confirmed by the Coral Springs Police Department.

Her husband, Stephen Bowen, is a suspect and is now in police custody after initially fleeing to Plantation, where he was apprehended at the Landmark Towers apartment complex.

Police responded to reports of multiple gunshots, one source said.

“The Coral Springs Police Department is currently working a death investigation involving the City of Coral Springs Vice Mayor, Nancy Metayer Bowen. It is still an active investigation,” Coral Springs Police Sgt. Francis Capre said by email.

The department announced it will hold a press conference at Coral Springs City Hall at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday in the Sawgrass Room.

Trailblazing Haitian-American leader

Metayer Bowen, 38, was an environmental scientist and first-generation American who built a reputation as a trailblazing public servant and rising political leader in Broward County.

She won her seat on the Coral Springs Commission in 2020, becoming the first Black and Haitian-American woman elected to the panel. Four years later, she was re-elected unopposed.

While serving in Coral Springs, she worked on the city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and Charter School Advisory Board, the Broward County Climate Change Task Force, and the Florida League of Cities’ Legislative Committee.

Her interest in politics began early and, in recent years, she emerged as a rising star within the Democratic Party.

A graduate of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a master’s degree in environmental health sciences, Metayer Bowen worked as a legal and outreach intern with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before accepting internships with former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and the administration of former President Barack Obama.

She later worked on Haiti relief efforts before joining Broward County government as Program Manager for the Junior Sustainability Stewards Program. In June 2017, she was elected to the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District, where she served for about two years, while also holding several roles with the now-defunct Florida New Majority advocacy group.

After a stint as a community engagement liaison for the city of Tamarac, Metayer Bowen held additional positions with environmental and nonprofit groups before successfully running for the Coral Springs Commission.

Role in national politics

In 2024, she was tapped first by former President Joe Biden and later by former Vice President Kamala Harris to serve as their presidential campaigns’ Florida Caribbean Vote Director.

That same month, she drew attention as one of the first elected officials to publicly criticize Vice President JD Vance for spreading claims that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Ohio.

In March last year, the Florida Democratic Party named her Vice Chair of Haitian American Voter Engagement.

Metayer Bowen also marked her second wedding anniversary with Stephen Bowen in a Nov. 22, 2024 Instagram post showing the couple in front of the Coral Springs seal at City Hall.

“Two years with the amazing Stephen Bower,” she wrote. “Cheers to love, growth, and building a beautiful life together.”

Family tragedy in the past year

The Metayer family experienced another tragedy in December when her 26-year-old brother, Joshua, died by suicide after a years-long battle with schizophrenia. He was also a survivor of the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Florida Democratic Party responds

Following news of her death, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried released a statement mourning Metayer Bowen’s passing:

“It is with a broken heart and profound grief that the Florida Democratic Party mourns the sudden and horrific death of our beloved Vice Chair, Nancy Metayer Bowen.

Just days ago, I spoke with Nancy. Just two weeks ago, I held her in a hug at our Party’s Leadership Summit, never imagining it would be one of our last moments together.

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. 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.

Above all, Nancy was my friend and a friend to everyone who has ever believed that democracy was worth fighting for. The world is less bright without her in it.

Her memory will forever be a blessing to me, to our party, and to every person whose life she touched. My heart, my prayers, and the full love of the Florida Democratic Party are with her family and the people of Coral Springs as they face this unimaginable, devastating loss.”

Career and legacy

Metayer Bowen was elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. On Nov. 13, 2025, she was appointed to serve a second one-year term as Vice Mayor by fellow commissioners.

Her career included environmental advocacy, disaster relief, and community resilience efforts, including responses to Hurricanes Irma, Michael, and Dorian. She also served on numerous boards and committees, including the Accessibility Advisory Group, Environmental Sustainability Committee, Multicultural Advisory Committee, Broward League of Cities, and the Broward County Climate Change Task Force.

Metayer Bowen held a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and a Master of Health Science from Johns Hopkins University.

Her honors included Top 20 Under 40 by the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce, the United Nations Clean Water Advocacy Award, and induction into the CLEO Institute Leadership Circle. She also served as an Executive Board Member for Avanse Ansanm and Friends of the Earth.

Authorities say the investigation into her death remains ongoing.

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