Nicole Wilson, Orange County commissioner for District 1 Credit: Facebook
Well, the votes are in. This year’s election cycle saw three competitive races for Orange County commission seats in districts 1, 3 and 5 on the ballot. The Board of County Commissioners, a nonpartisan body, is made up of six commissioners, plus Orange County’s mayor, but not all seats were up for election this year.

With 72.7% reported voter turnout as of 9:35 p.m., turnout was significantly higher on Tuesday than during the August Primary Election, as expected. County commissioners in Orange County serve four-year terms and currently receive an annual salary of $123,382.

As of publication:

District 1 winner: Nicole Wilson

Incumbent county commissioner Nicole Wilson, an environmental lawyer by trade, faced off against challenger Austin Arthur, a marketing executive and gym owner with documented anti-abortion views, for the District 1 seat, which includes Winter Garden, Windermere, the Dr. Phillips area, Disney property and Horizon West. Wilson was first elected to the Orange County Commission in 2020.

Wilson: Received 52% of the vote with 38/39 precincts reporting
Arthur: Received 48% of the vote with 38/39 precincts reporting

District 3 winner: Mayra Uribe

Incumbent county commissioner Mayra Uribe faced off against challenger Linda Stewart, a Democratic state senator with name recognition, for the District 3 seat, which includes the Curry Ford and SoDo areas. Uribe, also a Democrat, was first elected District 3 commissioner through a special election for the seat in 2018.

Uribe: Received 52.6% of the vote with 46/47 precincts reporting
Stewart: Received 47.3% of the vote with 46/47 precincts reporting

District 5 winner: Kelly Semrad

UCF hospitality professor and environmental protection activist Kelly Semrad faced off against former Winter Park mayor and developer Steve Leary for an open seat representing District 5, which includes areas of east Orange County, including Bithlo. The seat will be vacated by commissioner Emily Bonilla, who was term-limited from seeking reelection.

Semrad: Received 57% of the vote with 48/50 precincts reporting
Leary: Received 43% of the vote with 48/50 precincts reporting

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This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2024.

General news reporter for Orlando Weekly, with a focus on state and local government and workers' rights. You can find her bylines in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, In These Times, and Facing South.