The race for Orange County Mayor officially has its first candidate, as Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell has filed her intent to run for the job.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is term-limited, which means there could be a crowded race to replace him next year.

The Orlando Sentinel recently reported that several well-known local officials are considering running for County Mayor, including former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy and Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe. 

The Sentinel also said other potential candidates could be Demings’ wife, former U.S. Rep. Val Demings, former Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh, and others.

The Orange County Mayor oversees a more than $7 billion budget. Orange County brings in millions of tourists every year, which helps generate a lucrative hotel tax to fund projects. But the community is also wrestling with an affordable housing crunch, a lack of public transportation, crowded roads and other problems.

Russell, a Democrat, has a long history in Central Florida politics, which led to some groundbreaking moments.

According to her bio, Russell was the youngest person elected to the Orange County Commission when she won the job in 2006. She served for two terms.

In 2014, she became both the first Black woman to be elected as a Clerk in Florida and the first Black Clerk ever in Orange County.

Russell’s background includes a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Florida and a Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law.

“Away from the office, Clerk Russell is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Psi Theta Omega Chapter and the St. Mark AME Church, Orlando, Florida,” her clerk campaign website said. “She is married to Anthony K. Russell, Jr. and they are the proud parents of Anthony K. Russell, III and Aiden K. Russell.”

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U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s push to let new mothers vote in Congress by proxy may move forward after all. All it took was support from the biggest Republican leader in America.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One he has no problems with members of Congress remotely voting for six weeks after giving birth to a child. “If you’re having a baby, I think you should be able to call in and vote. I’m in favor of that,” Trump said, as reported by NBC News. “I don’t know why it’s controversial.”

Yet until now, it has been deeply controversial, enough so that Speaker Mike Johnson effectively stopped all business in the House over his opposition to it. But Luna, a St. Petersburg Republican leading the fight for proxy voting for new parents, said Trump’s support made Johnson more open to compromise.

“Speaker Johnson has called me after (President Trump’s) statement and we discussed limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of emergency etc.,” Luna said. “This is smart. Remember: only 13 in U.S. history. Also, this should not have anything to do with the legislation being passed for the President. I’ve told him this.”

The development could end an impasse that led Luna to resign from the House Freedom Caucus and war with establishment leadership of the chamber.

Luna has worked cooperatively with Democratic U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado on a discharge petition, the first filed this year. That’s an alternate — and rarely successful — process to force legislation to the floor that isn’t being advanced by leadership but boasts the support of a majority of House members.

The petition reached the requisite 218th signature on March 11, which normally would mean a floor vote in the near future.

But Johnson called proxy voting unconstitutional, despite taking advantage of the method dozens of times when a Democrat-controlled House allowed it during the pandemic. He took the unprecedented step of trying to block the petition moving forward as part of a package of bills.

To stop the bill, Johnson put forward a legislative restriction that would block Luna’s petition discharge from reaching the floor and connected it to other Republican legislation. But nine Republicans joined all Democrats this week in voting the entire package down. That prompted Johnson to call off floor business for the rest of the week

“This is a major step forward in our fight to remove barriers that make it difficult for new parents to serve in Congress, and I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made,” Pettersen posted afterward.

But Johnson appeared to dig into his position as he shut down floor business the rest of the week.

“I don’t concede on something that I believe to be unconstitutional. I can’t. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution. So, we’re going to find a path through this. We’re working on that,” Johnson later told ABC News. “I talked to everybody who voted against the rule, and we’ll work it out. So, we got time to do it, and those conversations continue.”

According to Punchbowl News, Johnson floated conditions like requiring a constitutional amendment to pass before proxy voting takes effect. Only 27 amendments to the Constitution have ever been ratified.

Luna has also scoffed at the idea that proxy voting is forbidden. When Democrats controlled the House when the COVID pandemic unfolded in the House, the chamber allowed any member to vote by proxy through a member present on the floor. That was before Luna’s election in 2022. But she noted that members of both parties used the process.

“Most of the Republican body most vocal about unconstitutionality all voted by proxy. Irony,” Luna posted. “I have not. Either way this is really about discharge petitions. For example: Congress has introduced legislation for MANY cycles on term limits and it never comes to the floor. I hope if I do a discharge petition on term limits and it gets 218 signatures they don’t change the rules and send everyone home.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, was among those GOP members who sided with Luna, though he said it was more about the procedural abuse than the issue at hand. He notably did not sign Luna’s discharge petition, and suggested in a post explaining his vote that he may vote against Luna’s bill on the floor.

“I voted against a rule bill that undermined a Member’s right to utilize the discharge petition — a century-old tool that empowers individual Members to force a vote when leadership blocks legislation. Rep. Luna used this process successfully, yet yesterday’s vote played games with that rule,” he posted.

“I know firsthand why this process matters. I led the first successful discharge petition in over a decade — one that delivered critical tax relief for hurricane victims in my district and disaster victims nationwide. Without that petition, that relief would still not be law today.”

At the same time, some lawmakers who supported Luna’s petition discharge also voted for the legislative package Johnson put on the floor, including U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples.

One lawmaker who would benefit from Luna’s bill, voted with the Speaker. U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican who just announced she is expecting her first child, said there was more at stake. She made note of an election reform bill that would forbid states allowing noncitizens to vote.

“It’s a misconception that today’s vote was about proxy voting for new moms. The rule to consider the SAVE Act, which is required to consider legislation on the floor, was unnecessarily attached to Rep. Luna’s proxy voting discharge petition,” Cammack said.

“For years, I’ve heard from thousands of my constituents that the integrity of our elections is a critical issue for them, and thus, I voted to advance the debate on ensuring the safety and integrity of said elections.”

But Cammack said she expects Luna’s bill to reach the floor soon, and would like the measure to be considered on its own merits instead of being tied to other priorities.

“As a longtime proponent of single-issue bills, I’d have liked to see each of these measures receive consideration independently to give them the time and attention they deserved,” Cammack said. “I look forward to the debate and subsequent vote on this issue next week.”

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Just before Memorial Day Weekend, Universal is opening its brand-new theme park to the public — the biggest event happening in years in Orlando’s tourism industry.

So how does Disney World — home of the No. 1 theme park in the world — respond to its rival’s move?

Recently, Disney announced a series of deals and is slashing prices to help draw in visitors this Summer once Epic Universe officially opens.

Just after Epic Universe’s May 22 grand opening, Disney is rolling out a special where kids between ages 3 and 9 get 50% off tickets for three days or longer between May 27 and Sept 20. (Children under 3 already get into Disney World for free.)

Disney is also offering discounted hotel stays during the normally busy Summer months, as well as adding a free dining plan on select vacation packages.

Company CEO Bob Iger has publicly downplayed Epic Universe’s impact on Disney World.

Iger previously said he welcomes Universal Orlando’s expansion, and that any competition that brings more visitors to the community will help Disney as well.

“We’ve had competition from them for a long time. I’m mindful of what they’re doing, but I’m confident. I like our hand. I’m confident in what we built and I’m confident we will continue to build,” Iger said during a quarterly earnings call last Spring. “It’s not something that should be distracting to us or anxiety-provoking.”

Meanwhile, Disney World’s biggest answer to Epic Universe — more rides — won’t come for years.

Disney has said it could spend up to $17 billion over the 20 years in Orlando.

For instance, Disney leaders recently announced a plan to build a Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom, which has drawn excitement from fans, as well as a new “Monsters, Inc.” land at Hollywood Studios featuring a high-tech roller coaster.

Other new rides have been more controversial with the fan base, like a plan to demolish Tom Sawyer Island and fill in the Rivers of America to replace it with attractions based on the movie “Cars.” Many fans were critical when the official Disney Parks account posted an update on X.

“Don’t destroy the heart that makes Walt and Roy’s park unique,” one person wrote.

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