Orange County races set after qualifying ends, and there are some familiar faces

Races are set for Orange County Mayor, five Orange County Commission seats and other key local positions, now that Friday’s afternoon deadline to qualify for races has passed.

Some of the candidates include Democrats who have run serious campaigns or held higher office before, while others are political newbies.

For Orange County Mayor, Republican businessman Chris Messina and three Democrats — Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy and Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe — have all qualified to be on the ballot.

Moore Russell is resigning from her post to run for Orange County Mayor, to replace outgoing Mayor Jerry Demings. For the open Clerk of Courts post, three Democrats qualified, including term-limited Orange County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero, former Property Appraiser Rick Singh and Roberta Walton Johnson, the current General Counsel for the Orange County Clerk of Circuit and County Courts. Independent candidate Terrell Thomas, a Real Estate agent who also owns a technology consulting and web solutions company, also qualified.

For Orange County Commission District 2, five candidates qualified, including former Rep. Kamia Brown, Orange County Sheriff Lt. Mike Crabb, former Orange County Democratic Chair Wes Hodge, Ocoee City Commissioner George Oliver III and lawyer Marsha Summersill.

For the open District 4 to replace Gomez Cordero, state Rep. Johanna López and Brian Jones qualified. Isabella Arthur qualified as a write-in candidate.

District 6 Commissioner Mike Scott is running for re-election. He faces four challengers, including Loody Delice; community advocate Lawanna Gelzer, who unsuccessfully ran for Orlando City Council last year; Cynthia Harris; and Hedder Pierre Joseph.

Thirteen candidates qualified to be the first-ever District 7 Commissioner, while six qualified for the new District 8.

In District 7, Nate Douglas, a Democrat who narrowly lost to Rep. Susan Plasencia for House District 37 in 2024, has qualified for race. So has President-Elect of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association Deidre Graybill; former Orlando City Commissioner Vicki Vargo; Eatonville Mayor Angie Gardner; Selina Carter; Shannon Currie; educator Rasheeda Doris Jones; licensed claims adjuster Shakaya “Kay” Filmore; Gloria Joyner; Framily Support Network President Aaron Emmanuel Lewis; Skate Bud Executive Director Zach Moldof; retired state corrections department employee and ex-President of the Pine Hills Community Council Patricia Rumph; and lawyer Beryl Thompson-McClary .

For District 8, the six qualifying candidates include former Democrat Sen. Victor Torres Jr.; Isaiah Louis Anderson; business owner Tatiana Fernández; George Haas, a former for coordinator for then-Sen. Marco Rubio; Jeannette Quinones Hernandez; and Julio Rocha.

Both Districts were created after last year’s voter-approved redistricting to expand the County Commission districts from six to eight seats. (The ninth vote belongs to the County Mayor.)

For the Orange County School Board Chair race, retired Orange County Public Schools administrator Mike Armbruster withdrew, leaving two current board members, Alicia Farrant and Angie Gallo, to vie for Chair. Both Farrant and Gallo qualified Friday.

Other Orange County races ahead include several judges, three School Board members, and other positions.