JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council President Tommy Hazouri was released from Mayo Clinic on Tuesday, 10 days after he underwent a successful lung transplant.
A statement from the council president’s office said Hazouri, 75, still has a “long and arduous” recovery ahead, but he said “Zoom will soon be his friend.”
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“He wants to humbly thank everyone for their prayers!” the release said.
During Hazouri’s rehabilitation, City Council Vice President Sam Newby will serve as acting president of the council.
Hazouri was selected as the council’s newest president in May, and the Democrat has had a lengthy political career, serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1986 and as mayor of Jacksonville from 1987 to 1991.
The announcement of Hazouri’s lung transplant came just one day after Hazouri led a City Council meeting regarding the Republican National Convention, which was canceled in Jacksonville.
Newby said that shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows Hazouri.
“Well, that shows what kind of leader he is,” Newby said. “He put his city over his self so citizens of Jacksonville are lucky to have a leader like president Hazouri.”