Orlando City Council Seat Qualifying Kicks Off Election Season

ORLANDO, Fla. – The qualifying period opens Friday at noon for Orlando’s city council races in November.

Three seats are up for election this time:

• District 1, which includes southeast Orlando communities like Lee Vista and Lake Nona;

• District 3, which includes College Park, Rosemont, Ivanhoe Village, Audubon Park and Baldwin Park;

• District 5 encompasses areas like Parramore, Rock Lake, Clear Lake, the Mercy Drive vicinity, the Ivey Lane proximity, Lake Mann Estates, Malibu Groves, Timberleaf, Kirkman North, and Metrowest, as well as a large portion of downtown Orlando.

In District 1, current Commissioner Jim Gray is seeking reelection and may be challenged by former State Rep. Tom Keen and Sunshine Grund, who was a candidate for election supervisor last year.

In District 3, Commissioner Robert Stuart is retiring. Six candidates so far have filed to run for the seat:

[WATCH: Longtime Orlando commissioner Robert Stuart will not seek reelection]

For District 5, a potential election contest could feature sitting Commissioner Shaniqua “Shan” Rose against the area’s suspended commissioner, Regina Hill, with the election set for Nov. 4.

Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Hill the previous year following her arrest by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on allegations of financially exploiting an elderly woman, accusations she has consistently refuted.

However, News 6 revealed last June that an investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families concluded in 2023 that there was “no credible evidence to support the allegations” that resulted in Hill’s arrest back in 2024.

A status hearing is scheduled for October. While no trial date has been set, and her case remains unresolved, state law permits her to run for office again.

Rose won the District 5 seat in a special election a few months later, after a contentious race against former State Rep. Travaris McCurdy.

No other candidates have filed to run in District 5 so far.

The qualifying period ends at noon on Sept. 11. That’s when we will know who all the candidates in the three races will be.

If you are an Orlando resident and you want to vote in this election, you must be registered to vote in Orange County and live in one of the three districts. You have until Oct. 6 to register to vote for the election.

If you want to request a vote-by-mail ballot, you have until Oct. 23.

An early voting period will take place between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.

Election Day will be Tuesday, Nov. 4.

You can get all your voting questions answered by going to the City of Orlando website.

You can also go to the Orange County supervisor of elections website to check the status of your registration and request a vote-by-mail ballot.

Orlando’s city elections run in odd years compared to federal, state and county races, which run in even years. In 2027, for instance, the mayor’s seat will be up for grabs, along with Districts 2, 4, and 6.

Longtime Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer has said he is retiring.

So far, State Rep. Anna Eskamani is the only candidate who has filed in the mayoral race.

[WATCH: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer talks rapid growth and more (from 2023]