Six candidates, five of whom have never won an election, are vying to be the first elected commissioner in Orange County’s new District 8.
Four are Hispanic, which may be an advantage in the district which has a Hispanic plurality among its nearly 107,000 registered voters.
The district was one of two seats created by a voter-approved charter amendment in 2024 to expand the Board of County Commissioners from seven to nine members, including the mayor. District 8 was cleaved from parts of Districts 1 and 4 and includes Hunter’s Creek, Lake Nona, Moss Park, Williamsburg and Wyndham Lakes.
The candidates are running in the August 18 election for a four-year, nonpartisan post, budgeted to pay $135,000 a year in fiscal year 2026-27.
Of the district’s registered voters, 41% identify as Hispanic, 34% as White and 9.7% as Black. About 16% identify as “other.”
Registered Democrats account for about 39,000 voters; 37,000 are registered without a party affiliation; and 27,000 are registered Republicans.
The best known name among the half dozen candidates is Victor “Vic” Torres, 79, a Democrat who served 12 years in the Florida Legislature, four in the House of Representatives and eight in the Florida Senate. His daughter, Amy Mercado, serves as Orange County’s twice-elected Property Appraiser.
Others seeking the job are, in alphabetical order, Isaiah Louis Anderson, an Air Force veteran; Tatiana Fernández, a community volunteer and advocate for people with autism; George Haas, an engineer who became a naturalized citizen in 2019; Jeannette Quiñones-Hernandez, who is endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party; and Julio Rocha, who has served in leadership roles with Prospanica, an association of Hispanic business professionals.
Unless one of the six wins more than half the primary ballots cast, the winner will be determined by a run-off in November’s General Election.
Not all agree — in interviews or responses to candidate questionnaires — on the top issue.
Some say it’s a lack of affordable housing, while others say it’s fixing the tangle of traffic plaguing residents who drive Narcoosee Road.
Anderson, a first-time candidate, said if people want to learn about his position or problem-solving ideas they ought to visit his campaign web site, where he addresses a host of community concerns under a link entitled “Our Path Forward.” One idea he has proposed to address housing affordability would require developers seeking permission for a zoning change to increase density to set aside “a meaningful portion” of the development to directly serve the workforce already living and working in the area.
“Under this plan, 20 to 25 percent of units in qualifying developments would remain workforce-affordable long term,” he wrote of the proposal. “Priority access would go to Orange County residents and workers, and affordability agreements would last decades, not just a few years.”
Fernández, born in Puerto Rico but a Florida resident since 2004, described a lack of affordable housing as a great challenge for Orange County residents, regardless of age. “We must increase the supply of affordable and workforce housing so that teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, hospitality employees, and other essential workers can afford to live in the communities they serve,” she wrote in a candidate questionnaire.
A small business owner, she said she relocated to Orange County from Seminole County in November. She was appointed in February to fill an open seat on the Orange County Commission on Aging.
She also pledged to support development that “expands affordable housing without sacrificing quality of life.”
Haas, a native of Slovakia, has reached out to voters through a series of Youtube videos in which he signs off, saying he approved the message while holding a goat named Oreo, one of several his family care for on their farm.
One video addresses “broken, high-friction bottlenecks that trap commuters” who travel Narcoosee Road. “This country, particularly men and women of this area of Central Florida, put mankind on the moon and safely returned them back over half a century ago, but we still cannot manage the traffic of the Narcoosee corridor,” he said in a video. “As commissioner, I will not accept this failure and status quo. We need effective ways to travel the area so we don’t continue to waste our lives in car pile-ups.”
Quiñones-Hernandez did not return calls seeking an interview. Her LinkedIn page says she previously worked as an “outreach specialist” in Central Florida for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. According to her candidate questionnaire, traffic congestion is her top priority.
“Our rapid growth in District 8 (especially Beacon Park, Hunter’s Creek, Lake Nona, Meadow Woods and Williamsburg) has outpaced our roads. Families are stuck in traffic instead of spending time together,” she wrote. “As Commissioner, I will prioritize completing key road projects like the Narcoossee Road widening, Lake Nona Blvd improvements, and better connectivity to I-417 and the Turnpike.”
Rocha, a financial advisor who has served as a political analyst for local Spanish language television, said housing and traffic congestion are his top priorities. “We need to build more housing while protecting the character of our neighborhoods,” he wrote in a candidate questionnaire. “I will focus on making the permitting process faster and more predictable, encouraging responsible development, and supporting opportunities that help more families achieve homeownership.”
He also said the county’s road network has not kept up with growth. “I will work to improve traffic flow, coordinate infrastructure with new development, and make sure growth is planned responsibly so taxpayers are not always left paying the bill.”
Torres, a former transit police detective in New York city and a former bus driver for Lynx, said affordability is a top issue for the community and for him. “I’ve spent my life working alongside the people who keep this community running, as a Marine, detective, bus driver, union member, and State Senator. I know what it’s like to work hard and still worry about paying the bills,” he said, answering a candidate questionnaire.
“On the county commission, I’ll focus on increasing the supply of workforce and affordable housing, making sure growth pays for itself, and protecting existing neighborhoods from displacement,” he said. “Hard work should be enough to build a good life in Orange County.”
Torres raised about $73,000 for his campaign, by far the most among the candidates. He has received strong financial backing from political action committees of labor unions as well as $9,000 from entities affiliated with Avalon Park developer Beat Kahli. Torres also has spent the most, about $57,000, campaign finance reports show.
Anderson, at 28 the youngest candidate in the field, has raised the least, just $4,981, and spent nothing, according to campaign reports.
Quiñones-Hernandez raised about $35,000 and spent about $19,000. Rocha raised $20,000 and spent about $15,000.
Two candidates mostly self-funded their campaigns. Haas loaned himself $36,000 and Fernández loaned herself $15,000, records show.
shudak@orlandosentinel.com