Mark your calendars, the next City of Orlando General Election is currently scheduled for Tuesday, November 7.
This year’s election will see Commissioners Antonio “Tony” Ortiz of District 2, Patty Sheehan of District 4, and Bakari Burns of District 6 all out working the streets to re-win their opportunity to represent their constituents for another four years at city hall.
All three sitting commissioners confirmed with Bungalower that they intend to run again this year.
- Commissioner Burns won his seat in 2019 and is the CEO of Orange Blossom Family Health (Website), which provides health services in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties.
- Commissioner Ortiz, a former marine and Persian Gulf War veteran, has been in office since 2008 and has served as the mayor pro tempore of Orlando from 2010 to 2011. He also served as a police officer for the Orlando Police Department for 14 years with stints in the Gangs Unit, Uniform Drug Unit, and the SWAT Team, and is the current President of the Florida League of Cities (Website).
- Commissioner Sheehan is the longest-serving city commissioner having first been elected in 2000. She attended Seminole State College and the University of Central Florida and earned a B.A. in art and is a former administrator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Mayor John Hugh “Buddy” Dyer will also be running for re-election this year, after 20 years in the position, which makes him our city’s longest-serving mayor yet. He took office in 2003 in a special election when then-mayor Glenda Hood was appointed as Florida’s Secretary of State, and he was elected in 2004 in a regular election, then again in 2009, 2015, and 2019 — with a brief break in 2004/2005 for alleged election fraud which was later dismissed.
At the time of this post, no challengers to either the mayor or the commissioners had been announced. Click HERE for information on how to register as a candidate.
