Orange County, Florida

Orange County Mayor

2 candidates are tracked for Orange County Mayor, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Chris Messina and Tiffany Moore Russell. Candidate information follows official Orange County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

About this race

August 18 result: no candidate won a majority, so Tiffany Moore Russell (32 percent) and Chris Messina (27 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff; Stephanie Murphy and Mayra Uribe were eliminated, per unofficial results with all precincts reporting.

What this office does

Mayor. The mayor is the city's chief elected official. In a strong-mayor city the mayor runs the city government, prepares the budget and appoints department heads; in a council-manager city the mayor presides over the council and a hired manager runs operations. Which model applies depends on the city charter.

This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels.

Florida › Orange County › Orange County Mayor

Chris Messina

Nonpartisan

Top priorities

Innovative job creation and economic diversification, including SpaceTech proposals
Affordable housing and transportation solutions
Eliminating government waste through zero-based budgeting

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Tech entrepreneur from Winter Park; CEO of Body1 with 30+ years of executive leadership, holding a master's in city and regional planning and a Harvard MBA, per The Apopka Chief candidate Q&A.

Campaign finance

$80,420 raised · county campaign-finance filings

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Tiffany Moore Russell

Nonpartisan

Top priorities

Affordable housing expansion across all eight county districts
Responsible growth with infrastructure investment
Budget efficiency, proposing a 25% budget-cut exercise from every department before considering tax increases

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Tiffany Moore Russell is the sitting Orange County Clerk of the Circuit Court, resigning effective Aug. 31, 2026 to run for mayor; cites 20+ years of public service including County Commissioner and Clerk roles, per West Orlando News and The Apopka Chief Q&A.

Campaign finance

$266,648 raised · county campaign-finance filings

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Next on your ballotOrange County Clerk of the Courts

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Voting info and more

Questions about this race

Who is running for Orange County Mayor in 2026?

When is the Orange County Mayor election in Florida?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Florida are on the Florida election hub at theballotbrief.com.

How do I see my exact Orange County ballot?

Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.

Verify this race

Candidate roster from official Orange County Supervisor of Elections filings, last verified September 29, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.

Cross-check with the official Florida election office, or see the full Orange County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.

The rest of your Orange County ballot

20 tracked races in Orange County, Florida. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.

Also on your ballot

Orange County Commissioner District 2 Orange County Commissioner District 4 Orange County Commissioner District 6 See all 20 Orange County races

Candidate profiles

Chris Messina, full profile Tiffany Moore Russell, full profile Official Florida election office