WILTON MANORS, Fla. (AP) — The 41-year-old mayor of a Broward County city has died. City officials in Wilton Manors abruptly adjourned a city commission meeting on Tuesday night due to an emergency.
It was later announced that Justin Flippen had died at a hospital in the Fort Lauderdale area.
Flippen was elected mayor in 2018. He had served on the city commission previously.
Wilton Manors is a Fort Lauderdale suburb that elected an all-LGBT city commission in 2018 and has become a tourist destination in the LGBT community.
Leaders across Florida said they were saddened by Flippen's death. The city said funeral plans will be announced soon.
We are deeply saddened to share that Mayor Justin Flippen passed away earlier this evening. Please respect Mayor Flippen’s memory, family members, friends, & our entire community that is mourning by allowing the City to provide official information via https://t.co/GYrt60EMZb. pic.twitter.com/TOYooiLtiq
— WiltonManorsOfficial (@WiltonManorsCty) February 26, 2020