This story is part of the News Collaborative of Central Florida, an initiative of independent local news outlets working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. It was originally published by the Orlando Sentinel.
Longtime City Commissioner Tony Ortiz filed paperwork Monday to run for mayor of Orlando, the first city official to declare and the most prominent opponent so far for the presumptive frontrunner, state Rep. Anna Eskamani.
Ortiz, long rumored to be eyeing the race to succeed longtime mayor Buddy Dyer, said his platform would develop in the coming weeks and months as he launched the campaign. But said he intended to focus on ways the city government can impact quality of life.
“What led me to make this decision was listening, listening to residents concerned about affordability, the rising costs of living and working to help strengthen economic corridors,” he said.
The mayoral position is non-partisan, though voters are generally aware of candidates’ affiliations. Dyer, mayor since 2003, is a Democrat and received nearly 73% of the vote in 2023 against his leading opponent, former Republican state Senate candidate Steve Dixon.
But Ortiz, a retired Orlando police officer and U.S. Marine veteran, may be able to carve out a position as the centrist choice in contrast to the progressive Eskamani.
He caused a stir last year when he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, citing his disagreement with GOP positions on immigration, diversity, equity and inclusion policies and the banning of certain books in schools.
Ortiz has served on the city council for 18 years, representing an east Orlando district along the Semoran Ave. corridor. He said he would have some similarities to Dyer, who has been Mayor for the length of Ortiz’ tenure on the council.
“This mayor has been an excellent mayor, and there’s a lot to emulate,” he said. “But I also have my ways of handling things …. there are certain things I probably would do a little differently.”
He marks the fourth candidate to file for the race. Eskamani, also a Democrat, filed in December 2024 and announced Tuesday her campaign had raised more than $1.1 million so far from 25,000 individual donors.
While not mentioning Ortiz in her Tuesday morning news release, Eskamani said in a statement her campaign was “building a movement that puts Orlando families first.”
“From rent and housing affordability to public safety, transit and protecting our environment. This is what it looks like when a city decides its future belongs to its people,” she said. “I’m not running against anyone – I’m running for the people of Orlando.”
Also in the race are Elliot Kahana and Abdelnasser Lutfi.
Ortiz said of Eskamani that he has “the utmost respect for her,” and was looking forward to competing.
“But I’m not running against her, I’m running to be mayor,” he said.
