Tiffany Moore Russell won the county mayor's race with 62.8% and the school tax renewal passed with 78.7%. Amendment 3 drew 50.9% in Orange County, short of 60%.
Tiffany Moore Russell will be Orange County’s next mayor. She beat Chris Messina with 62.8% of the vote, according to unofficial results. Voters also renewed the school district’s one mill property tax by a wide margin.
The figures come from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections’ unofficial results. They were last updated at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday, with 261 of the county’s 263 precincts counted. Results stay unofficial until the county canvassing board certifies them.
The county races
These contests were on every Horizon West ballot. Shares are of the votes cast for candidates in each race.
| Contest | Winner | Votes | Share | Runner-up | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County mayor | Tiffany Moore Russell | 278,746 | 62.8% | Chris Messina | 164,941 | 37.2% |
| Clerk of Courts | Roberta Walton Johnson (DEM) | 312,269 | 70.3% | Terrell Thomas (NPA) | 131,727 | 29.7% |
| Soil and Water, District 1 | Quinnie Perez | 35,518 | 42.6% | Doug Sahr | 30,622 | 36.7% |
Vicente Rafael Perez Carreno was third in the Soil and Water race with 17,302 votes, or 20.7%. All 40 precincts in that district were counted.
No county commission seat was on Horizon West ballots. The District 1 seat that covers Horizon West is not up this year, as our ballot guide explained.
The school tax passed
The School Board of Orange County asked voters to keep its one mill property tax for operating costs. The renewal passed 351,400 to 95,327, or 78.7% yes.
The tax runs from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2031, under the ballot wording. One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value. It continues a tax already on the bill. Our property tax guide explains how millage works.
How Orange County voted on the amendments
Each constitutional amendment needs 60% of the statewide vote, under Article XI of the Florida Constitution. None reached that mark in Orange County.
- Amendment 1, a larger state budget stabilization fund: 159,704 yes and 293,607 no, or 35.2% yes.
- Amendment 2, a tax exemption for equipment on farmland: 215,205 yes and 239,579 no, or 47.3% yes.
- Amendment 3, a larger homestead exemption and new limits on property tax spending: 230,014 yes and 222,203 no, or 50.9% yes.
The outcome of each amendment depends on the statewide count. The Florida Division of Elections’ statewide results could not be reached Wednesday morning, so this story does not say whether any amendment passed.
Orange County voters also chose not to retain Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos G. Muñiz, with 53.8% voting no. Retention is decided statewide, by a simple majority.
State House and Congress
The supervisor reports only Orange County’s votes. For districts that cross the county line, these are not the full results.
- State House District 45: Leonard Spencer (DEM) 34,176, or 54.4%, to Erin Huntley (REP) 28,661, or 45.6%. All 26 of the district’s Orange County precincts were counted.
- State House District 39: Jarod Fox (DEM) 29,909, or 59%, to Doug Bankson (REP) 20,806, or 41%. All 28 Orange County precincts were counted.
- U.S. House District 11, Orange County part: James Pericola (DEM) 84,087, or 58.1%, Joe Strada (REP) 58,876, or 40.7%, and Ralph Groves (LPF) 1,643, or 1.1%.
In Orange County, David Jolly (DEM) led the governor’s race with 64.1% to 34.6% for Byron Donalds (REP). Angie Nixon (DEM) led the U.S. Senate race with 63.8% to 35.3% for Ashley Moody (REP). Those are county figures only, not the statewide result.
What it means for you
- Your school tax bill does not change because of this vote. The renewal keeps the same one mill levy through June 2031.
- Amendment 3 is the one to watch for your tax bill. If it passed statewide, the homestead exemption for non-school taxes would rise in 2027. Our property tax guide has the county’s own estimate of what it would cost the county budget.
- Check the final count on the supervisor’s results page. Two precincts and any provisional ballots were still to be added.
This story reports results only and does not endorse any candidate or measure. Our voting page has the supervisor’s contact details.
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