ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County commissioners voted Thursday to appeal a judge’s ruling that stopped the elections supervisor and canvassing board from certifying the results of a rent referendum on the November ballot.
The 5 to 2 vote in support of the appeal gives direction to the county’s lawyers to file a briefing by a Dec. 2 deadline, which extends the ongoing legal battle.
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“I’m happy,” said District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe, who spoke to News 6 after Thursday morning’s meeting. “We worked really hard on this as a commission. The people have spoken, overwhelmingly, and right when it was ready to be cut off, we gave it some life to see it through all the way to the end.”
Uribe said the step to further litigation is also a step toward making Orange County more affordable.
“Our office gets called every single day, multiple times a day, people being evicted. We’ve had people show up with an eviction notice in their hand,” Uribe said.
The measure, which sought to cap rent increases, faced challenges in court before it even made it to the November ballot. An injunction granted by a judge days before the election stopped the results from being certified.
The Florida Association of Realtors and Florida Apartment Association sued Orange County to block the rent control ordinance from the ballot. The associations called the measure illegal.
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The Florida Apartment Association shared the following statement with News 6 after Thursday’s meeting:
The CEO of Florida Realtors®, Margy Grant, also shared a statement:
Commissioners Victoria Siplin and Christine Moore both voted against the appeal. They said previously they would not support the rent referendum proposal.
Supporters of the measure who attended Thursday’s board meeting thanked commissioners advocating for rent stabilization.
“We have people who are struggling,” said Father Charles T. Myers from the Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist. “The tourist industry, and the hospitality industry... they’re the ones who need the help the most. They’re the ones who need this relief.”
When voters cast ballots on Election Day, roughly 60% voted in favor of rent control.