Forsyth County lowers flags to honor Congressman David Scott

Forsyth County lowered the U.S. flag and Georgia flag at county government facilities to half-staff on April 23 after Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a statewide tribute to Congressman David Scott, the longtime lawmaker whose career stretched from the Georgia General Assembly to more than two decades in Congress.

The county said the gesture honored Scott’s passing and followed Kemp’s executive order, turning a state-level mourning directive into a visible local observance at county buildings and other public spaces. For residents passing county offices or other government property, the lowered flags marked more than protocol. They signaled that Forsyth County was taking part in a broader recognition of a public figure whose work touched metro Atlanta and communities across Georgia.

Kemp’s order directed the flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Georgia to fly at half-staff on all state buildings and grounds from the date of the order through sunset on the day of Scott’s interment. That timeframe applied to the county’s own observance as well, giving Forsyth residents a clear window for when the tribute would remain in place.

Scott died April 22 at age 80. He represented Georgia’s 13th Congressional District from 2003 until his death and was seeking his 13th term in Congress. His public service began long before his time in Washington, with election to the Georgia General Assembly in 1974. He later served in the Georgia State Senate, then became the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, a milestone that reflected his standing in a state where agriculture, health care, education and transportation shaped daily life.

State and university materials describing Kemp’s order said Scott’s legacy included support for farmers, healthcare, education, veterans, children and transportation. That range helps explain why his death prompted such a broad response from state and local government. In Forsyth County, the half-staff notice sat alongside other April 23 updates on the county’s public news page, a reminder that official mourning and everyday county business often move through the same channels.

For a county in the fast-growing metro Atlanta region, the tribute connected local government to a statewide moment of loss. The lowered flags told a simple story in public view: Georgia was honoring a public servant whose influence lasted more than 50 years, and Forsyth County joined that recognition at the county facilities people see every day.