Mable Butler, a Central Florida political trailblazer and longtime advocate known for using love and dogged determination to get things done for her constituents and her community, has died at age 98.

Her family issued a press release Saturday night announcing her death after a brief illness. “During her years in public office, Butler championed affordable housing, fought for representation in government, and played a pivotal role in bringing the Florida Classic to Orlando,” her family said. “Known as the ‘Matriarch of African American politics in Orlando and the community at large,’ she continued to serve well into her later years, especially through her volunteer work at the L. Claudia Allen Senior Center.”

Butler became the first Black woman elected to the Orlando City Council from 1

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