ORLANDO, Fla. – Voters in Orlando’s third district turned out on Tuesday to decide who their next city commissioner will be.
Roger Chapin narrowly eked out rival Mira Tanna, receiving over 51% of the vote and cementing Chapin as the next district 3 commissioner.
No candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the November election, which meant the two top vote-getters, Roger Chapin and Mira Tanna, faced off in a runoff election.
Originally, Chapin got 34.01% of the vote in the five-way race, while Tanna got 33.83%.
Following Tuesday’s race, Tanna provided the following statement:
“I want to congratulate Roger Chapin in his victory and to thank all of those who came out to exercise our precious right to vote. While this is not the outcome that my team and I worked for, I am incredibly proud of this hopeful, people-powered, grassroots campaign that we created over this past year.
This campaign was never just about me, and it was also never just about being elected to public office. To me, the goal was and always has been to create a more equitable, sustainable and culturally vibrant city, by enacting a platform that includes expanding public transit, making our streets safer and tackling our affordable housing challenge.
Thank you to my family, our campaign’s incredible volunteer team, our endorsers, donors and each person who shared in my vision for a stronger Orlando. Now, I have a 6:45 AM bus to catch in the morning for my commute. I look forward to getting back to work at City Hall! ”
Mira Tanna
District 3 includes the neighborhoods of Audubon Park, Baldwin Park, College Park, and Rosemont. The district has 33,089 registered voters, and so far, almost 23% have cast a ballot.
[WATCH: News 6 speaks with candidates in Orlando District 3 runoff]
How to vote Tuesday
Polling precincts in the district closed at 7 p.m. Voters who are still in line to vote, however, cannot be turned away.
Vote-by-mail ballots had to be returned to the elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Meet the Candidates
News 6’s Orlando Community Correspondent Lisa Bell sat down with both candidates to find out what they think the biggest issues are in Orlando, how they feel about Gov. DeSantis’ plans to all but eliminate residential property taxes, and more.
You can watch the full interviews with the candidates below.
You can also read and watch excerpts of the interviews by going to the links below:
Roger Chapin
Businessman Roger Chapin emphasized affordability from a municipal government perspective. Noting that city commissioners can’t control interest rates or insurance costs, but he wants to focus on transit, zoning and walkability as well as keeping government efficient.
Mira Tanna
Orlando grants manager Mira Tanna also focused on affordability, but she approaches it from the perspective of public transportation, calling for expansions of SunRail and LYNX to get more cars off the road and free up land to build more affordable housing. Tanna does not use a car. She regularly rides LYNX to work.