| Mayor of Orange County | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the mayor of Orange County | |
 Flag of Orange County, Florida | |
 | |
| Type | Mayor |
| Reports to | Board of County Commissioners |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Precursor | Orange County Chair |
| Formation | 1990 |
| First holder | Linda Chapin |
| Deputy | Vice Mayor |
Themayor of Orange County is thecounty executive andchairman of theBoard of County Commissioners ofOrange County, Florida. The mayor is independently elected countywide.
The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county government of Orange County, overseeing over 8,000 employees with a budget of over $7.2 billion, as of 2025.[1][2] The mayor and county commission have municipal-equivalent authority overunincorporated areas andcensus-designated places within Orange County.[3]
On April 14, 1986, the Orange County Commission formed the Orange County Citizens Charter Government Study Committee to advise on whether ahome rule charter should be drafted for the county.[4] The Committee presented its finding to the Commission in July,[5] and on September 22, the Commission adopted the charter and submitted it to voters for their approval. Voters approved the charter on November 4, 1986.[6] After the election, however, a voter challenged the legality of the charter's adoption, arguing that it ran afoul of a state law that required a minimum of 45 days between the adoption of a proposed charter by a county commission and its ratification by voters. The circuit court upheld the ratification of the charter, but on appeal, theFifth District Court of Appeal reversed, holding that the charter had been unlawfully ratified.[7]
Several weeks later, theFlorida Legislature adopted legislation that retroactively modified the submission deadline for county charters, effectively nullifying the court's decision.[8] On reconsideration, the court withdrew its ruling,[9] but then ultimately reinstated the original ruling.[10] The county subsequently appealed to theSupreme Court of Florida.
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As the appeal took place, county voters were presented with amendment to the 1986 charter that proposed the creation of an elected county executive, originally called the "County Chairman,"[11] which they ultimately approved.[12] The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the validity of the 1986 charter,[13] queueing up a 1990 election for the newly created office.[14]
At the first election for County Chairman in 1990, County CommissionerLinda Chapin was elected.[15] She was re-elected in1994. Chapin was term-limited in1998, andMel Martínez was ultimately elected as her successor. Martínez resigned as County Chairman upon his confirmation asUnited States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2001, and GovernorJeb Bush appointed County Property AppraiserRich Crotty as his successor. Crotty was re-elected in2002 and2006. In 2004, voters approved a charter amendment that renamed the position from "Chairman" to Mayor."[16] County CommissionerTeresa Jacobs was elected in2010 and re-elected unopposed in2014. In2018, County SheriffJerry Demings was elected, and he was re-elected in2022.
| No. | Image | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda Chapin | November 21, 1990 | November 17, 1998 | Democratic | |
| 2 |  | Mel Martínez | November 17, 1998 | January 24, 2001 | Republican |
| 3 |  | Rich Crotty | January 24, 2001 | January 4, 2011 | Republican |
| 4 |  | Teresa Jacobs | January 4, 2011 | December 4, 2018 | Republican |
| 5 |  | Jerry Demings | December 4, 2018 | Incumbent | Democratic |