A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis is paying tribute to the legacy of a longtime former Northeast Florida legislator who passed away recently, ordering flags to be flown at half staff in Tallahassee and Jacksonville.
“As a mark of respect, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida, the City Hall of Jacksonville, Florida, and at the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, from sunrise to sunset on Monday, March 11, 2024,” DeSantis said, regarding former State Legislator and Senator Betty Holzendorf.
She passed away on Leap Day, and a quick review of her life’s work is like a review of history itself in North Florida.
A former aide to Mayor Jake Godbold, Holzendorf served in Tallahassee until she decided to pursue the top job in the city herself in 2003 after being term limited in the Senate the year before.
Hers was an ultimately unsuccessful run for Mayor marred by a late start, a lack of budget, and a deep field.
“I don’t think that there is any question in anyone’s mind whether or not I can do the job. A lot of people want to know that I can win it and it’s up to me to show them that I can,” she told the Jacksonville Daily Record when starting her campaign.
While she got under 3% of the vote in that race, her legacy was recognized far and wide after she died.
“One of our city’s legendary leaders and proudest Democrats has passed. Words cannot express the deepest gratitude and honor we have for her dedicated service to our community. A fierce advocate for education, affordable housing, healthcare, and the re-nourishment of the beaches, Betty always exuded integrity, a fighter spirit, and a love for our city,” the Duval Democratic Party said.
Though Jacksonville’s partisan divide has been pronounced of late, the chair of the Republican Party of Duval County also offered a tribute to the “great legislator and a strong leader for our city.”
“In her time in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate; she was a passionate voice for her constituents and for the causes she held dear,” asserted Rep. Dean Black.
The statewide Democratic Party offered its own tribute to Holzendorf, calling her “a dedicated public servant and trailblazer” and adding that “her legacy of advocacy will forever be remembered.”
