Orange County’s new District 7 has 12 commission candidates to choose from – Orlando Sentinel

The voters in Orange County’s District 7 certainly don’t lack for options.

The Aug. 18 election in the newly-created county commission district has drawn a dozen candidates, easily the most in recent memory for a local seat. No other Orange County contest this year drew more than six, including the mayor’s race.

Those in the running are, in alphabetical order by last name: Selina Carter, Shannon Currie, Shakaya “Kay” Filmore, Angie Gardner, Deidre Graybill, Rasheeda Doris Jones, Gloria C. Joyner, Aaron Emmanuel Lewis, Zach Moldof, Patricia Rumph, Beryl Thompson-McClary and Vicki Vargo.

A thirteenth candidate on the ballot, former Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District Board member Nate Douglas, ended his campaign last week.

While the race is wide open, experts said one thing is for certain. Candidates will likely carve up the electorate, creating narrow margins to determine who will make it through to an almost certain two-person runoff in November.

“I think this race is perfect case study in what it means to ensure that every vote gets counted and that voters know that every vote matters,” said Jasmine Burney-Clark, co-founder of the black-led voting rights group Equal Ground.

The double-digit slate of candidates comes after voters decided to expand the Board of County Commissioners in 2024, adding two districts and expanding the board from seven to nine voting members.

In addition to the new District 7, which includes Pine Hills, College Park, Maitland and Rosemont, District 8 was created in southern Orange — though that race has a mere six candidates.

The winner in District 7 will serve a two-year term, with a full four-year term on the ballot in 2028.

While the race is officially non-partisan, a 11 of the 12 remaining candidates are registered Democrats. One, Thompson-McClary, has no party affiliation. The Orange County GOP made no endorsement in the race.

A plurality of the electorate is Black at 38%, with 37% white. It also skews heavily in favor of Democrats, who make up 50% of registered voters compared with 21% who are Republicans.

Jarred Cornell, the interim chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, said the massive field shows that voters were correct in deciding to expand the board two years ago and that the district was hungry for new leadership.

“When you look at the number of people that are in this race, yes, it can absolutely be overwhelming for voters, but I see it as a positive that the process of redistricting was a success,” he said.

Two of the candidates have been elected to other seats before. Gardner is a former Eatonville Mayor and Vargo is a former Orlando City Commissioner. Nine of them have spent at least $7,500 as of July 28, with Vargo as the big spender to this point with $42,000, followed by Rumph with more than $22,000 spent and Thompson-McClary with more than $21,000.

Several campaigns are reliant on personal funds: Vargo has loaned herself about $48,000, Thompson-McClary has loaned herself more than $28,000 and Gardner has loaned her campaign $10,450.

According to information drawn from an Orlando Sentinel questionnaire, websites, campaign materials and social media posts, the platforms of all 12 candidates across the board reflect concerns on housing costs and availability, and investing in infrastructure.

Carter wants to develop a “Neighbors First” initiative to develop neighborhood cleanups and watch teams and intends to host monthly town halls across the district. She also wants to expand parks and create urban agriculture programs, promote environmental education and says she will fight for access to clean water, air and transit.

Currie, a former staffer to one-time state Sen. Gary Siplin, is endorsed by the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association. She wants to expand neighborhood business districts and invest in safer roads.

Filmore is a licensed claims adjuster and notary. She wants to create programs to help working families with childcare and expand after-school programs and mentorship and career-training programs.

Gardner, the former Eatonville mayor and school teacher, wants the county to pursue new housing strategies like co-ops, land trusts and collaborative housing. She also wants to increase youth sports teams and community policing to curb so-called “teen takeovers” and wants the county to crack down on modified e-bikes.

Graybill is a realtor and the president-elect of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, which also endorsed her campaign. She wants to increase housing supply and programs to help first-time homebuyers, she supports the Sunshine Corridor proposal expanding SunRail to Orlando International Airport and she plans to strengthen county partnerships with the University of Central Florida and Valencia College.

Jones, an educator for 20 years, said she would support workforce development opportunities, responsible budgeting and programs that reduce financial burdens for families and seniors. She also said she backs development of workforce housing.

Joyner, a real estate agent who previously worked in finance and insurance, wants to enact policies to protect renters and homeowners from displacement, expand after-school and mentorship programs and increase access to mental health services.

Lewis, with endorsements including U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon and the progressive advocacy group 50501, is a military veteran and nonprofit leader. He wants to strengthen the county’s affordable housing trust fund and establish Community Land Trusts to help keep homes affordable long term. He also wants to expand rapid bus transit and create more trade training and apprenticeships.

Moldof is the vice chairman of the county’s Transportation Mobility Advisory Commission. He wants to test rapid bus routes, establish a safety plan for users of e-bikes and scooters, and create a county-owned ride-sharing app to improve transit and provide jobs to residents.

Rumph, a former president of the Pine Hills Community Council endorsed by county Tax Collector Scott Randolph, wants to streamline permitting to lower the cost of housing and invest in violence prevention and youth programs.

Thompson-McClary, an attorney for 35 years, believes faster permitting, building Accessory Dwelling Units and encouraging growth near job centers and transit will help boost workforce housing supply. She said she supports stormwater and “green” infrastructure investments, as well as land-use decisions that protect natural areas and minimize urban sprawl.

Vargo, who served on Orlando’s city council from 2000 to 2006, wants to build more parks with more youth recreation, upgrade public transportation and improve county infrastructure. She’s endorsed by former county commissioner Ted Edwards and former Eatonville Mayor Anthony Grant.