Coral Springs: Marly Métayer falls short of winning her slain daughter's commission seat

Marly Métayer's bid for Seat 3 on the Coral Springs City Commission in Florida, once held by her daughter, ended in defeat on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, The Haitian Times reports. Voters chose retired police Sgt. William "Bill" Capplis, who received 15,561 votes, about 39%, according to unofficial results. Métayer finished second with 13,984 votes (35%), 1,577 votes behind, in a five-candidate race.

The seat had been vacant since April 1, when Vice Mayor Nancy Métayer, 38, was found dead in her Coral Springs home. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, was indicted by a grand jury on first-degree premeditated murder and evidence tampering charges and has pleaded not guilty, according to CBS12 and WLRN. Nancy Métayer was the first Black and Haitian American woman elected to the commission, in 2020. Reelected unopposed in 2024, she became vice mayor in 2025. Capplis, a 26-year veteran of the Coral Springs police, will serve the remaining two years of her term.

A nurse born in Port-au-Prince

A political newcomer, Marly Métayer, 57, entered the race in May to continue her daughter's public service. Born in Port-au-Prince, she immigrated to the United States as a teenager and built a nursing career of more than 35 years, including in mental health and hospice care, according to her campaign biography. She is also a former vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party, The Haitian Times notes.

She made mental health a campaign priority. In December 2025, her youngest son, Donovan, 26, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, died after a years-long struggle with schizophrenia, WLRN reported. The family set up a mental health fund in his name.

Other Haitian American candidates in Florida had mixed results, according to The Haitian Times: Madline Noel lost in Lauderhill, while Cynthia Alcéus Dominique, Christina Romélus and Linda Cothière won first-time school board seats in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.