The2014 Orange County, Florida mayoral election was held on August 26, 2014, to select theMayor ofOrange County, Florida. Incumbent MayorTeresa Jacobs ran for re-election to a second term. Though she was originally set to face formerOrlando Police Department Police ChiefVal Demings, Demings dropped out of the race, and Jacobs was elected unopposed.
Jacobs was elected in2010 in a landslide, but anticipated a difficult campaign for re-election against Demings.[4] In Jacobs' first term, she weathered controversy over "textgate," a scandal in which Jacobs and members of the County Commission deleted text message exchanges with lobbyists while considering a proposed sick leave proposal. State Attorney Jeff Ashton requested that theFlorida Department of Law Enforcement investigate whether members of the County Commission violated the state's public records laws.[5] On August 28, 2013, Ashton announced that Jacobs and four county commissioners illegally deleted text messages,[6] which resulted the imposition of $500 fines against Jacobs and the county commissioners,[7] and a $90,000 settlement to a voter group advocating for sick leave.[8]
Despite the scandal, as Jacobs began her re-election campaign, she remained popular with county voters.[9]
After months of speculation as to whether Demigns would run, she announced her candidacy on January 9, 2014. Demings argued that her experience as Chief of Police, in which she "manage[d] over 1,000 law-enforcement employees and cut crime and corruption," would help her "make Orange County . . . the place every single one of us envisions and can be proud of."[10] Demings was endorsed byEMILY's List and prominent local Democrats,[11] but entered the race after Jacobs had raised several hundred thousand dollars and struggled to raise money.[12]
Though the race was formally nonpartisan, both candidates faced opposition from within their own parties. Former Orange County ChairmanLinda Chapin, a Democrat, endorsed Jacobs for re-election and hosted a fundraiser for her,[13] while former Republican State RepresentativeChris Dorworth sought to recruit a Republican opponent to Jacobs.[14]
Demings unexpectedly announced on May 20, that she was exiting the race, leaving Jacobs as the favorite for re-election.[15] After Demings' exit, Dunel A. Cadely, avehicle for hire driver and nonprofit executive, and write-in candidate Jeffrey Clyde Tepper filed to run against Jacobs. But Cadely was disqualified when the check he used to pay his filing fee bounced, leaving Tepper as Jacobs's only challenger.[16] In July, Tepper dropped out of the race, leaving Jacobs unopposed and removing the race from the ballot.[2]
