Gone but not forgotten. That’s the attitude of Jacksonville’s City Council, as members honored former Chief Administrative Officer Karen Bowling.
Bowling’s departure from the Donna Deegan administration was announced earlier this month, and mystery still shrouds why she left.
However, the City Council unanimously voted for and sponsored a resolution to “commend and honor” Bowling’s “steadfast commitment to this community, demonstrating vision, service, leadership, and innovation across sectors,” with members of both parties offering testimonials.
“Karen Bowling was our chief administrative officer, did an incredible job, and all of a sudden was gone,” remarked Republican Rory Diamond, a frequent critic of the Democratic Mayor.
“Karen Bowling is a history maker. She was the first woman to do this job in the history of the city of Jacksonville,” added Democrat Rahman Johnson.
“I got a chance to know Karen as a colleague in media, who, as a reporter, when she started her career in this city and continued to change the game and everything she does. So I was honored to do this. I think it’s important when young people, like the ones we see as pages today, can see people like Karen Bowling rise to the highest heights of our city. It shows that anything, in any way is possible.”
Bowling moved from television media to become the former CEO of Solantic Urgent Care, a company she co-founded with current U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in 2001. She had numerous other governmental roles before joining the Deegan administration, including serving as former Mayor Alvin Brown’s CAO.