Bob Matthews

Longtime city councilor Bob Matthews was named the 2020 Mr. Seminole by the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce.

Born in Texas, Bob and his wife, Pat, moved to the Seminole area in 1971 after he served in the US Air Force (1964 – 1968).  .Bob worked for the Florida Power Corporation as an instrument technician for 32 years.  After retiring from Florida Power Bob joined his wife Pat in their Seminole Gardens Florist and Party Store business.

Bob held many leadership roles with the Rotary Club of Seminole and  sat on the Seminole City Council since March 1990 when he was first elected.  Bob first became involved with Seminole City Council after bringing a drainage issue in his neighborhood to the city’s attention. Bob and the then Mayor, Holland Mangum, became “fast friends,” and the mayor encouraged him to run for council.

He was first elected to council in March 1990 he served until March 2006 when he was defeated by a handful of votes in the March 2006 election.  He was then re-appointed to council in November of that year when Mayor Dottie Reeder resigned to run for the Florida House of Representatives. Bob continued to serve the city through his death for a total of nearly 30 years in office.

Bob was involved with many other community projects including the creation of the Holland G. Mangum Recreation Complex on 113th Street in the early 1990s.  Bob also represented the city on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council for more than 20 years.

According to Vice Mayor Chris Burke “Bob was an icon on Seminole City Council and served the city spectacularly for so many years. He was an articulate and caring colleague, and a great mentor to me in my beginning years. Bob was a dedicated servant to his city and, equally important, to his country as a U.S. Air Force veteran. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Upon receiving his award as Mr. Seminole told attendees to “do what’s best and do it every day.”

Bob Matthews died of gastric cancer March 18. He was 75.