Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson announced Friday that she will not seek reelection after serving in Congress for 16 years.
Wilson, 83, said at an event in her district that she has a lot of fight left, but the time had come to pass the torch.
“This has been a journey, but it’s time, it’s time,” Wilson said, quoted by NBC. “Even leather wears out.”
Wilson noted that while she is leaving Congress, she does not plan to leave public service entirely, intending instead to focus on other commitments.
She said she plans to tour the United States to promote the 5,000 Role Models for Excellence, a program she founded decades ago that aims to empower minority students.
Wilson had initially dismissed suggestions that this would be her last term, but she recently missed weeks of congressional votes while recovering from an eye operation.
Her absence affected at least one high-profile vote, as a vote earlier this month that would have limited President Trump’s war powers with Iran ended in a tie, with Wilson potentially able to tip the outcome for Democrats.
During her first term in Congress, Wilson became prominent after the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, who was from her district.
Her retirement announcement comes after Florida adopted a new congressional map earlier this month, consolidating five South Florida Democrats’ districts into three, directly affecting Wilson’s district.
Shortly after the announcement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wilson was “an unyielding champion of our children, a defender of the disadvantaged and a voice for the voiceless.”
“For more than a decade in the United States House of Representatives, Frederica Wilson has been a relentless advocate for our young people, fighting to increase economic growth, create jobs and lower costs for working families,” Jeffries said in a statement.
