Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is running for reelection. It will be his last, he says

ORLANDO, Fla. – In the nearly 150-year history of the city of Orlando, no mayor has held office longer than Buddy Dyer. But he’s looking for only one more term in office.

Dyer confirmed to News 6 Wednesday after his State of Downtown address that his current campaign for reelection will be his last.

The 65-year-old Dyer first took office in 2003 after a special election, and he’s been consistently reelected ever since. In that time, Orlando’s population grew from 204,750 people to 316,081 as of 2022, according to the U.S. Census.

“When I was first elected, I had only been in City Hall one time before that,” Dyer said. “Now I have 20 years of experience, so I’m better prepared to serve the people of Orlando than I was the first day. But I’m more excited about the next four years than I was the first four years.”

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First, Dyer has to convince voters to keep him for another four years. The next election is Nov. 7 in Orlando. Dyer is facing three candidates: former city commissioner Sam Ings, businessman Tony Vargas and former Florida Senate candidate Steve Dixon.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 7 city of Orlando election is Oct. 10.

Early voting will take place from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5.

If you want to vote by mail, you need to request such a ballot from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office. All requests that were on file in 2022 have expired, per Florida law.

To find out the status of your voter registration, and to request a vote-by-mail ballot, head to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website.

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