Orange County Mayor-Elect Tiffany Moore Russell speaks with reporters in downtown Orlando Tuesday night.
MOLLY DUERIG/CENTRAL FLORIDA PUBLIC MEDIA
Tiffany Moore Russell will be Orange County’s next mayor. She’s the first Black woman to be elected to the position.
Mayor-Elect Moore Russell was the strong frontrunner in Tuesday night’s runoff election, earning nearly 59% of the vote as of 9:30 p.m. with votes in from almost all county precincts. Her opponent, Chris Messina, earned nearly 35% of votes by that same time.
While the election is nonpartisan, Moore Russell is a Democrat and Messina is a Republican.
Moore Russell will be sworn into office next month, a spokesperson said, replacing outgoing mayor Jerry Demings. Moore Russell called her historic win as the first Black woman to be elected Orange County mayor “exciting.”
“I think we’re still breaking barriers here in this country, and in Florida, and in Orange County,” Moore Russell said. “For me, it’s hoping to be an example to that next young lady who’s looking to say she wants to run for office one day.”
On historic win
Earlier in the night, speaking to a room packed full of more than a hundred supporters in downtown Orlando, Moore Russell shared an anecdote she’d heard from a voter.
The voter’s 7-year-old daughter had searched for the candidate’s name on her mother’s ballot, “so they could elect the first Black female mayor in Orange County,” Moore Russell said.
“I don’t take that lightly,” Moore Russell said. “History means very little if we don’t use it to open the door wider for people coming behind us.”
Addressing that young girl, she went on: “If you’re watching me tonight, know this: you belong in every room where decisions are being made.”
Throughout her campaign, the former clerk of courts and county commissioner often touted her prior experience working in county government.
It was a point Messina had used against her, referring to Moore Russell as “another recycled politician,” without business experience like himself.
On Amendment 3
Just as Moore Russell was celebrating her victory, Orange County voters were also making the close call to approve Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that — for some homeowners — would eliminate all non-school property taxes by fiscal year 2028-29. It’s a proposal Moore Russel has adamantly opposed.
Nearly 49% of voters in the Democratic-majority county approved Amendment 3, with nearly 47% voting against. Statewide, the measure passed with nearly 62% of the vote.
By fiscal year 2028-29, Florida counties would lose more than $5 billion in property tax revenues under Amendment 3, according to the Florida Association of Counties’ statewide estimate.
In Orange County, property tax revenues would drop by roughly $165 million in 2027, then another $275 million the following year — affecting the local government’s “ability to fund services, maintain infrastructure, and address the needs of a growing community,” according to the county.
“I mean, it’s going to be tough,” Moore Russell said Tuesday, responding to reporters’ questions about Amendment 3’s apparent victory. “But that’s what the residents are calling for us to do.”
It’s a possibility Moore Russell and her team had been preparing for, given resounding affordability challenges, she said. “We were hearing from voters that they are feeling the pinch.”
The biggest challenge, Moore Russell said, will be making up the lost revenue and, simultaneously, ensuring “we don’t sacrifice the quality of our services to the residents of Orange County.”
A subcommittee on Moore Russell’s transition team will be dedicated to “finances, understanding county governance, and making recommendations” on how to make up for the revenue loss and make necessary “tough changes,” the mayor-elect said.
Reached Tuesday night, Chris Messina called his loss “disappointing — but “it wasn’t totally unexpected,” he said.
“There was a big funding gap [between the two campaigns], and we knew that would be a bit of a disadvantage,” Messina said.
Molly Duerig is a reporter for Central Florida Public Media. For more visuals and audio, visit cfpublic.org.