Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe, who is currently running for county mayor, is facing intense pressure from leaders in the Democratic Party, community organizers, and even some of her constituents to step down from the commission by August 2026, well ahead of the November election. Uribe, however, said she is planning to serve on the commission until that time and has no plans to resign early.
However, thanks to several changes made in Florida state campaign laws, if the District 3 commissioner doesn’t resign by August 1, GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has the authority to call for a special election for the seat or even appoint his own interim commissioner without any input from Uribe’s constituents. Uribe decided against an early resignation, despite the Orange County Democratic Party raising the issue with her.
Uribe rejected the notion that remaining a member of the commission through November was a politically motivated tactic, stating that resigning before the election would “jeopardize everyone’s well-being for partisan politics.” If she changes her mind and steps down from the position by August, Uribe could end up missing key votes on tourism money and a homeless shelter in her district, along with the county budget.
According to a report published by Central Florida Public Media, the commission is already short a member following the resignation of District 2 Commissioner Christine Moore due to a failed race for Apopka mayor. State Republicans are highly interested in developing a constitutional amendment that would cut property taxes this year, which could put a damper on the county’s budget.
“We have a huge budget, or lack thereof, and loss of property tax, that we’re going to deal with,” she went on to say. “You don’t need an empty seat trying to figure out the future of Orange County.” Despite the commission being officially dubbed nonpartisan, all of its members are registered Democrats. She said that if the governor were to appoint a hardline GOP ally to the commission, the other members would put a check on the individual’s influence.
It’s important to note that Gov. DeSantis is not obligated to fill any vacancy on the commission. He hasn’t chosen a replacement for District 2, which became empty over a month ago. The seat, along with ones for districts 4, 6, and the newly drawn 7, will be included on the ballot in November. Uribe also pointed out that the governor has not filled a Miami-Dade state House seat that has been vacant for seven months.
During an event commemorating Emancipation Day in Florida, community organizers shot down Uribe’s characterization of the situation. “She has publicly stated that this is not a political decision, but I would say that it is either naive or disingenuous to say that that is not a political decision,” Sam Delgado, lead organizer for Jobs With Justice, went on to say.
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Another speaker at the event, Genesis Reyes, stated that giving the constituents the chance to choose Uribe’s replacement would allow them to put their interests first. “This is not about DeSantis’ ability or lack thereof to choose,” Reyes explained. “This choice does not belong to him. It belongs to the voters.” Uribe was recently the guest speaker for an Orange County Democratic Party meeting.
Many of those in attendance demanded to know why she was choosing to stay on the commission instead of resigning. Some individuals stated that they felt she was cheating them out of the opportunity to shape the future of the county. “I am not going to abandon my community for politics,” she said, which led to snickers from the audience.
“This is a nonpartisan race, and this is not a political process, and I will stand firm on that, because my obligation is to the people of my district,” she added. Four other people have announced their intentions to run for Orange County mayor, a list that includes Brandy Griffin, Randy Fust Jr., former U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy and Chris Messina.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video