Jerry Demings | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 5thMayor of Orange County | |
| Assumed office December 4, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Teresa Jacobs |
| 28thSheriff of Orange County | |
| In office January 6, 2009 – December 4, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Beary |
| Succeeded by | John Mina |
| Chief of theOrlando Police Department | |
| In office 1998–2002 | |
| Mayor | Glenda Hood |
| Preceded by | Bill Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Michael McCoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-06-12)June 12, 1959 (age 66) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Florida State University (BS) Everest College (MBA) |
Jerry L. Demings (born June 12, 1959) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as the fifthmayor of Orange County since 2018.[1] He is the firstAfrican American to hold the position.[2] A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously served assheriffof Orange County from 2009 to 2018 and as chief of theOrlando Police Department from 1998 to 2002.
Born and raised inOrlando, Florida, Demings graduated fromFlorida State University with a bachelor's degree infinance in 1980.[3] After a brief career in accounting, he joined theOrlando Police Department in 1981 and was promoted through the ranks until his appointment as chief of police in 1998, becoming the first African American to hold the post. In 2008, Demings was elected Sheriff of Orange County and was the first African American elected countywide. His tenure coincided with the2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre; then thedeadliest terrorist attack in the United States since theSeptember 11 attacks and thesecond deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016.
Due to Florida'sresign-to-run laws, Demings resigned as sheriff to run for county mayor in2018, and won the August primary with 62 percent of the vote; avoiding the need for a runoff election. Demings became the first Democrat to be elected as Orange County mayor sinceLinda Chapin's re-election in1994. He was re-elected in2022 with 61 percent of the vote.
Demings is married toVal Demings, a formerU.S. representative and the2022 Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator from Florida.
Demings was born and raised inOrlando, Florida, the youngest of five children, although he has a twin brother who is only minutes older.[4] His father was a taxi driver and his mother a maid.[5][6] One of his brothers died of an illness related todrug addiction.[7] He graduated fromJones High School in Orlando and later attendedFlorida State University andEverest College, earning a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in business administration.[8][7] He also has a certificate of completion fromHarvard University'sKennedy School,FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.[9][10]
Demings worked as an accountant before beginning a career in law enforcement.[10]Demings joined theOrlando Police Department in 1981 after certification from the J. C. Stone Memorial Police Academy.[11] He worked in the department as Deputy Chief of the Investigative Services Bureau before he became its first African-American police chief in 1998,[12] serving until his retirement after 21 years with the department in 2002.[13][14][15] In 2002, he was named Director of Public Safety for Orange County, a position in which he served until 2008. In 2008, Demings ran as the Democratic candidate for Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, the chief law enforcement officer of the county. He defeated his Republican challenger John B. Tegg III,[16] and became the first African-American to serve in the post.[13][17] Demings was re-elected in 2012,[4] and again in 2016.[18] In July 2016, Demings was elected as president of the Florida Sheriffs' Association.[19]
When Demings was elected county sheriff in 2008, his wife,Val Demings, held his former job as Chief of the Orlando Police Department.[7][20] Demings' Republican opponent in the Sheriff's race, John Tegg, alleged that his election would create a conflict of interest.[19][7]
In April 2022, Demings spoke out against the repeal of theReedy Creek Improvement Act, saying that the Florida legislature had not "adequately contemplated the ramifications" and said it would put an "undue burden" on taxpayers.[21][22]
Facing the threat of being removed from office by GovernorRon DeSantis in August 2025, Demings signed an addendum allowing Orange Countycorrectional officers to transportimmigrant detainees toImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, includingAlligator Alcatraz.[23]
After awhistleblower came forward in August 2025, theFlorida Department of Financial Services andFlorida Department of Government Efficiency issued investigative subpoenas to 16 Orange County employees for the allegedcover-up of illegalDEI government spending.[24] TheChief Financial Officer of Florida,Blaise Ingoglia, also expressed interest in opening acriminal investigation after Orange County employees purportedly concealed spending reports during a 2025Florida DOGE audit.[24][25] Demings denied the allegations of described the investigations as "mean-spirited" and "politically motivated."[26]
Demings is married to former U.S. representativeVal Demings, whom he met during his early years with the Orlando Police Department. He was a detective and she was a first-year police officer when they both worked a juvenile go-kart-accident case.[5][27] They married in 1988 and have three children along with five grandchildren.[5][28] His wife served as a captain in the police department while he was chief and later went on to become the first female police chief of the Orlando Police Department, serving from 2007 to 2011. She was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 2016.[5] Demings wrote and published a book,Believe: Faith, Truth and the Courage to Lead which details his response to the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre and his leadership as county mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, in August 2025.[29]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Orange County 2018–present | Incumbent |