By Rhetta Peoples
On Tuesday night, Mayor Buddy Dyer celebrated a landslide victory for what he is calling his final election for Orlando Mayor.
Dyer crushed his competitors with a whopping 72.8 percent of the total vote. Dyer’s most watched opponent was retired Orlando Police Department Captain and former Orlando City Commissioner Sam Ings. Ings came in third out of four candidates garnering 8.5 percent of the votes. A basically unknown candidate, Steve Dixon, received about 15 percent of the votes and candidate Tony Vargas captured last place with approximately 4 percent of the votes.
Mayor Dyer holds the record for the most mayoral victories in Orlando’s history. This election makes way for his 6th consecutive full term in office. However, Dyer has won 7 Orlando mayoral elections. Dyer was victorious in his bid for Mayor when a special election was held after Mayor Glenda Hood resigned her position as a three-term Mayor to become Florida’s Secretary of State. Hood was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Orlando.
In his victory speech Mayor Dyer said, “It really is hard to imagine that we have held a victory party like this one seven times!”
Mayor Dyer recognized his accomplishments were not achieved alone. “The result of this election is profound validation for what we have accomplished TOGETHER,” Mayor Dyer said. The Mayor added, “While we have accomplished so much together… There’s plenty more to do to keep moving Orlando forward.”
“What I love most about Orlando is that every year, our team of supporters and partners has grown in its size and diversity. And it’s a testament to how much people love our Orlando community and want to be part of shaping its future,” Dyer said.
“We’ll close tonight in the same fashion that we have done seven times. That is to say that while we are going to celebrate tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll get back to work,” Dyer said.
Mayor Dyer was endorsed by a host of elected and appointed officials including Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Orange County Sheriff John Mina, Congressman Darren Soto, Congressman Maxwell Frost and a host of notable Central Florida African American pastors. Archbishop Allen T.D. Wiggins of The Hope Church, Bishop Derrick McRae, Senior Pastor of The Experience Christian Center and Pastor Sharon Riley of the Agape Perfecting Praise and Worship Center.
