The city of Wilton Manors, Florida is mourning the loss of Mayor Justin Flippen, who died on Tuesday of a massive heart attack after becoming ill on his way to a city commission meeting.

Said Commissioner Gary Resnick to the Sun-Sentinel: “We were notified that Justin apparently was on his way to the City Commission meeting and they had to rush him to the hospital and he passed away at the hospital.”

NBC Miami reports: “Flippen was a commissioner when he was elected mayor back in 2018. Just four years before, he was elected into city commission out of a field of seven candidates and was known as “The People’s Commissioner” due to his grassroots approach to public service. A native of Broward County, he graduated from Florida Atlantic University, where he served as Florida’s first openly gay student body president.”

Said Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill in a statement: “We are all shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden death of our dear friend, Wilton Manors Mayor Justin Flippen. He was a charismatic and dynamic leader, full of energy and facing a future of unlimited potential. From his time with the Broward Young Democrats and the Dolphin Democrats, through his tenure as an elected official, Justin retained his optimistic outlook. Justin was a lifelong LGBTQ activist and effective leader who found his calling in public service, most recently serving as mayor of the first all-LGBTQ city commission in Florida. He will be missed by so many people whose lives he touched, and his legacy will live on forever. The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus sends our condolences to Justin’s family, his constituents and colleagues.”

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