ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Big changes are coming to Orange County as voters had to decide on charter amendment number 6.
Enough of them agreed that Orange County needs two new commissioners.
It’s no secret that the county is growing quickly. The population is expected to grow to around 2 million by the year 2030.
Angel de la Portilla served on the Orange County Charter Review Commission and was Chairman of the Government Structure Committee.
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He came up with the suggestion to add commissioners, after extensive research on how to better manage a rapidly growing county.
Orange County will expand from six commission districts to eight. The change is expected to cost about $2 million to redo the commission chambers and offices. Then the estimated yearly cost will be about half a million dollars.
According to De la Portilla, the mayor will appoint three to a redistricting advisory committee, and they’ll begin meeting probably sometime in February or March.
“There’ll be 15 members. This is a public process. Members of the public will all be invited. They will have meetings throughout the county, and they will draw up the maps,” said De la Portilla. “They will work with a newly-elected supervisor of elections, Karen Castor Dental, and the legal staff to create the new districts based on the population.
The two additional commissioners will be elected in 2026.
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