City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, a co-founder of Gaines Street Pies who grew up on Tallahassee’s south side, is one of two candidates left in the race to become Tallahassee’s next mayor.
Matlow received 36% of the vote in the Aug. 18 primary, ahead of former state Sen. Loranne Ausley at 34%. Since no candidate won more than 50%, the two advanced to a runoff. Voters will choose between them in the Nov. 3 general election to succeed Mayor John Dailey, who is not seeking a third term. Though the race is nonpartisan, both candidates are Democrats.
More: Who is Loranne Ausley? Tallahassee mayoral candidate profile
“I’m in this race to bring transparency back to City Hall and bring our government back to the people,” Matlow said in a candidate questionnaire published by Florida Politics. “For too long we’ve seen insider deals that favor the well-connected while our city grows stagnant and everyday people get left behind.”
As mayor, Matlow would preside over City Commission meetings, perform ceremonial duties, and act as the city’s political leader in negotiations with state and federal officials. Tallahassee’s mayor has no veto power and holds one of five votes on the City Commission.
Policy stances
Matlow’s campaign website identifies five challenges facing Tallahassee: income inequality, economic segregation, brain drain as graduates leave the city, aging infrastructure and what it calls “an old guard grasping to power.” His proposals fall under three categories: a strong economy, stable neighborhoods and a safe environment.
Matlow proposes creating “business incubator zones” in Railroad Square and South City. He also wants to invest more in local artists and public venues, saying that supporting local art and culture will make Tallahassee “a regional destination for visitors and a draw for young professionals after college.”
Drawing from his experience as a business owner, Matlow aims to “cut the time to receive a permit in half” with a Blue Ribbon Business Panel.
“I’ve opened five businesses, and each time it has felt like a different permitting process. It’s burdensome, time-intensive, and difficult to get a straight answer from anyone,” Matlow said. “We will repurpose the Office of Economic Vitality to be the front door for businesses.”
To address housing affordability, Matlow would push for “500 municipal units of affordable housing,” according to his website. He would also create city-owned childcare centers for city employees before expanding the service to other residents through the Parks and Recreation Department.
Other proposals include adding water features to parks and more tree-lined canopy roads. As mayor, Matlow would still need the support of at least two other commissioners to pass any of his proposals.
Flock cameras
Matlow supports a complete ban on Flock surveillance cameras in Tallahassee. On Aug. 26, his motion to begin removing the city’s Flock cameras failed 3-2, with only Commissioner Jack Porter supporting it.
More: ‘Stop the Flock’: Tallahassee students protest Flock cameras
Days later, on Aug. 31, the Florida Department of Transportation revoked approvals for license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office soon suspended its own.
Facing public backlash, the commission reversed course Sept. 9 and unanimously voted to switch off the Tallahassee Police Department’s readers. Matlow’s push to bag them immediately fell short by the same 3-2 margin.
Many students have taken strong stances against Flock cameras, as covered in previous FSView reporting. Nearly all of the students the FSView spoke with about the mayoral race raised the candidates’ Flock positions as an issue for them in November.
“I like the movement of the anti-flock programs that I believe both candidates have taken up,” FSU international affairs major Derek Pfeiffer said to the FSView. “I’m a big fan of trying to eliminate the idea that AI and mass surveillance are needed to keep people safe. Police departments do that very well already, and I think they’re not given enough credit for that.”
Under the Sept. 9 vote, the cameras will stay off until national guidelines are established and the city adopts policies for the technology. A future commission would have to vote to bring them back.
“I’m looking for an example of local politics done the right way, you know, like anti-flock things, anti-surveillance, and letting us students speak out about the issues that concern us,” FSU history and political science major Gabriel Murad said to the FSView.
Campaign manager
In July, a Facebook account called “Tallahassee Conservatives” posted police body camera footage of former City Commission Seat 3 candidate Talethia Edwards, recorded after she was flagged by Orlando police for potential unauthorized use of an expired disabled parking placard. The post also included emails from Edwards.
The page was later revealed to be run by Matlow’s campaign manager, Kristellys Estanga. She also worked as a consultant for P.J. Perez, a progressive Seat 3 candidate Matlow supported.
Edwards and mayoral candidate Daryl Parks criticized the Matlow campaign, with Parks calling it “sneaky.” Matlow denied any knowledge of the post. Estanga took responsibility, said she acted alone, and resigned as campaign manager.
On election night, the Tallahassee Democrat photographed Estanga with a Matlow aide at his watch party at Gaines Street Pies.
Ryan Ray, aide to Jeremy Matlow and chair of the Leon County Democratic Party, huddles with former Matlow campaign manager Kristellys Estanga at Gaines Street Pies, 104 E. 6th Avenue, in Tallahassee on election night, Aug. 18, 2026. Estanga resigned her role after she accepted responsibility for posting body camera video of Talethia Edwards under a fake conservative Facebook page. Estanga is listed as a consultant to commission candidate PJ Perez, an Edwards opponent.
Matlow also trailed both Ausley and Parks financially, raising $193,000 and spending $140,000 ahead of the primary, according to Florida Politics.
“It’s been a very hard slander campaign against Matlow. It’s interesting to be able to watch,” Pfeiffer said. “And if you always want to know how confident a candidate is, you can see how little money they’re spending and how much they’re talking about their policies.”
Background and political rise
Matlow was raised on Tallahassee’s south side by a single mother. He graduated from Leon High School and briefly attended Florida State University, where he studied computer science.
Matlow went on to co-find several local businesses, including Gaines Street Pies, which opened in 2013, and The Wilbury. He owns 50% of both, and he reported a net worth of more than $1.6 million as of the end of 2021, according to the financial disclosure he filed with the city in 2022.
More: Late night eats fuel Tallahassee nightlife
Matlow’s political career began in 2018, when he won City Commission Seat 3. He was reelected in 2022 to a four-year term that expires this year, and he gave up the seat to run for mayor.
Matlow also serves on the Capital Regional Transportation Planning Agency, the Downtown Improvement Authority and the Council on Culture & Arts, according to his page on the city’s website.
“Matlow’s definitely been around Tallahassee forever. I mean, I’ve been eating at Gaines Street Pies my whole life,” economics major and Tallahassee native Connor Jackson said to the FSView. “I’ve been hearing his name a lot, and he’s been in city government forever.”
Endorsements
Matlow has been endorsed by state Rep. Angie Nixon, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, City Commissioner Jack Porter and several former Tallahassee and Leon County commissioners. Former Mayor Dorothy “Dot” Inman-Johnson, who is running for City Commission Seat 5, has also endorsed him.
Election information
The general election is Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting in Leon County begins Oct. 19, including at the FSU and Florida A&M University student unions. All eligible voters can participate in the mayoral race, regardless of party affiliation.
“All students who live in Tallahassee are eligible to vote in Tallahassee, even if they are out of state or live in a dorm,” Samantha Mason, an organizer for People Power for Florida, said to the FSView. “If students would rather vote in their local elections, they have until Oct. 22 to request their vote-by-mail ballot.”
Ethan Hicks is a Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU and Tallahassee communities. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.
This article originally appeared on FSU News: Who is Jeremy Matlow? Meet the Tallahassee mayoral candidate