ORLANDO, Fla. – The city of Orlando has a council of six commissioners who represent different parts of the city when making important decisions, like where tax dollars should go, or what roads to be built or maintained, or whether to increase the number of police and first responders in the city. Two of those commissioners are up for reelection on Nov. 7, along with Mayor Buddy Dyer.
Those elections include the District 4 commissioner, who represents the Mills 50, Milk District and SoDo neighborhoods, and District 6 commissioner, who represents Downtown Orlando and Parramore, west to Pine Hills, Washington Shores and Metrowest.
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There was supposed to be an election for District 2 commissioner (which includes the Semoran Boulevard corridor down to the airport), but no one challenged incumbent Tony Ortiz, so he was reelected.
Early voting runs Saturday, Oct. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 5. Early voting will take place at three sites: the supervisor of elections office on Kaley Street, the Alafaya Branch Library on East Colonial Drive, and the Valencia College, Lake Nona Campus on Narcoossee Road.
To find out if you are eligible to vote in the Orlando elections, and where you vote, head to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website.
You can check your registration information, check the status of your vote-by-mail ballot or find your polling place at that site.
Here’s what you need to know about the candidates for Orlando City Commission districts 4 and 6.
District 4
KATIE KOCH — Website
Katie Koch is a newcomer to politics but she may be known for her community work around the city, as she’s also worked with Habitat for Humanity, Come Out With Pride, and Second Harvest Food Bank, among others.
Koch is an executive with IFCO Systems, working in the field of supply chain management with a focus on logistics and data analytics. She and her husband also own a chiropractic, health and wellness business in downtown Orlando.
If elected, Koch says she would focus on amping up law enforcement and crime prevention efforts. She also wants to speed up permitting for businesses starting up. Koch also wants to pass term limits and roll back city commission pay raises. Koch says it’s time there is a mother of school-aged children on the council.
RANDY ROSS — Website
Randy Ross is well-known in local political circles as a Republican activist and candidate for office. He ran against incumbent Commissioner Patty Sheehan before in 2015, and in 2022, he ran in the Republican primary for Florida House District 39, losing to Doug Bankson, who went on to win the election.
But Ross says Orlando is in desperate need of a change in leadership. He says the council is too beholden to Mayor Buddy Dyer, and the city is not doing enough to deal with the homeless population and crime. He wants to improve the budget for both police and street maintenance. He accused Sheehan of not prioritizing district resources properly, giving too much money to “murals and speed bumps.” He also wants to increase resources and programs for seniors. He also wants term limits for the city commission.
Ross is also highly critical of the city of Orlando’s handling of the Pulse nightclub property over the last few years, saying Dyer and Sheehan should have done more over the past few years to make sure onePulse Foundation properly memorialized the Pulse shooting victims and says taking seven years to purchase the property is a failure of leadership.
PATTY SHEEHAN — Website
Commissioner Patty Sheehan has been on Orlando’s City Council since her first election in 2000. The artist has used that time to promote and bolster many Orlando programs, including the Mainstreet Districts program, supporting programs to send mental health counselors to respond to non-violent police calls for service, completing the Anderson Street Bike Path, supporting the restoration of Lake Eola and the Lake Eola’s swan program, working with the Orlando Police Department to fight graffiti, and providing constituent services like advocating for district 4 businesses, and helping residents during storms and the pandemic.
Sheehan says she’s also proud of Orlando’s response in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting in 2016, from building a memorial to Pulse victims at Greenwood Cemetery to how the city helped survivors and victim’s families.
District 6
BAKARI BURNS — Website
Bakari Burns is an Orlando native and a Jones High School alumnus who runs Health Care Center for the Homeless, which runs a family health clinic for people who may be homeless or are insured or underinsured. He was first elected to the city council for District 6 in 2020.
Burns says he is focusing on making the neighborhoods in District 6 safer and improving public transportation and roads. He also wants to continue to advocate for more affordable housing.
Burns says that among his accomplishments were creating programs to help local residents with their mental and physical wellness, helping seniors better understand tenant’s rights, helping to fund emergency rental assistance during the pandemic, funding youth programs and scholarships, starting a business of the month program to highlight small businesses in the district, and getting some two dozen roads in the district improved.
RUFUS HAWKINS — No website
Rufus Hawkins is also an Orlando native, and also a Jones High School alumnus. He worked in several big corporations before he started his own distributorship business. He’s worked as a community organizer in District 6, and served in several community groups.
Hawkins says the city needs a fresh approach to its problems. If elected, Hawkins promises to go on a listening tour to find out what residents feel the district needs, and he also wants to audit any short or long-term plans and programs for the district. He wants to increase programs for seniors, improve infrastructure, and work to reduce crime and increase affordable housing. He also wants to encourage more businesses and residents to be more active in the community.
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