ORLANDO, Fla. – The qualifying period opens Friday at noon for Orlando’s city council races in November.
Three seats are up for election this time:
- District 1, which includes southeast Orlando communities like Lee Vista and Lake Nona;
- District 3, which includes College Park, Rosemont, Ivanhoe Village, Audubon Park and Baldwin Park;
- District 5, Parramore, Rock Lake, Clear Lake, the Mercy Drive area, the Ivey Lane area, Lake Mann Estates, Malibu Groves, Timberleaf, Kirkman North and Metrowest, as well as much of downtown Orlando
In District 1, incumbent Commissioner Jim Gray has already filed for reelection and faces potential challenges so far from former State Rep. Tom Keen and Sunshine Grund, who ran for election supervisor last year.
In District 3, Commissioner Robert Stuart is retiring. Six candidates so far have filed to run for the seat:
[WATCH: Longtime Orlando commissioner Robert Stuart will not seek reelection]
Meanwhile, so far in District 5, we may see a match-up between current Commissioner Shaniqua “Shan” Rose will face the district’s suspended commissioner, Regina Hill, in the race on Nov. 4.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Hill last year after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested her for allegedly financially exploiting an elderly woman, a charge she has always denied.
However, last June, News 6 reported that an investigative report from the Florida Department of Children and Families concluded in 2023 that there was “no credible evidence to support the allegations” against Hill that led to her arrest in 2024.
A status hearing is set for October. No trial date has been set yet, and although her case has not been settled, she is eligible to run again according to state law.
Rose won the District 5 seat in a special election a few months later, after a contentious race against former State Rep. Travaris McCurdy.
No other candidates have filed to run in District 5 so far.
The qualifying period ends at noon on Sept. 11. That’s when we will know who all the candidates in the three races will be.
Hill held a news conference Friday in Orlando to officially announce her intent to retake the District 5 seat.
“We won’t go back, because this is bigger than politics. This is about the people. This is about progress. This is about power in the hands, or should I say back in the hands, of the people,“ Hill said. “(...) If I had any doubt about my innocence, I would not be here today attempting to run this race to continue the work. I have morals, I have integrity, and I would not do that and play with the emotions of my dear community where I grew up.”
[WATCH BELOW: Regina Hill speaks in Orlando]
If you are an Orlando resident and you want to vote in this election, you must be registered to vote in Orange County and live in one of the three districts. You have until Oct. 6 to register to vote for the election.
If you want to request a vote-by-mail ballot, you have until Oct. 23.
An early voting period will take place between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.
Election Day will be Tuesday, Nov. 4.
You can get all your voting questions answered by going to the City of Orlando website.
You can also go to the Orange County supervisor of elections website to check the status of your registration and request a vote-by-mail ballot.
Orlando’s city elections run in odd years compared to federal, state and county races, which run in even years. In 2027, for instance, the mayor’s seat will be up for grabs, along with Districts 2, 4, and 6.
Longtime Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer has said he is retiring.
So far, State Rep. Anna Eskamani is the only candidate who has filed in the mayoral race.
[WATCH: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer talks rapid growth and more (from 2023]