A Queensland mayor has been remembered as an inspiration during the state's devastating 2011 floods.
Family of Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones made the decision to turn off life support on Friday after the 55-year-old suffered a stroke during a meeting with fellow southeast Queensland mayors on Thursday.
Tributes to Mr Jones have flowed at all levels of politics within the state.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk led the tributes, hailing Mr Jones for his work in helping the devastated community of Grantham recover and rebuild following the January 2011 disaster.
The Lockyer Valley town was all but destroyed by the huge flash flood that hit the region with 12 people dying and several homes and businesses flattened.
Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Jones' leadership at the time and during the subsequent $18 million relocation of the town to higher ground was a legacy to be proud of.
"Steve was one of our hardest-working civic leaders," she said.
"He was an inspiration when Queensland was at its lowest. He lifted us all."
Mr Jones was elected as the inaugural mayor of the Lockyer Valley in 2008, following the amalgamation of the Gatton and Laidley shire councils.
He had first been elected as a Gatton councillor in 1997 and was that shire's mayor from 2004 until the amalgamation.
Local Government Association of Queensland president Margaret de Wit said Mr Jones had left an "unforgettable legacy".
"What we also should remember is that Steve never stopped fighting for the interests of those victims, their families and the entire community, from the time the floods hit to his untimely death," she said.
"By leading the rebuilding of Grantham and other communities, he was a champion and protector of the battlers in Lockyer Valley."
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, speaking in his role as the chair of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors, said Mr Jones had always put his community first and foremost.
"Mayor Steve Jones was a straight shooter, honest and real, and never took a backwards step when it came to standing up for the needs of the Lockyer Valley and its residents," Mr Quirk said.
"Steve was passionate and outspoken because he genuinely cared and worked every day for the people of the Lockyer Valley."
Long-serving Logan City mayor Pam Parker labelled Mr Jones a "champion" on her Twitter account.
Mr Jones's family thanked paramedics and staff at both the Ipswich General and Princess Alexandra hospitals for their efforts in trying to save his life.
Cr Jones's death may delay next month's Lockyer Valley council election, where he was set to contest against challengers Peter O'Brien and Glenroy Logan on March 19.
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