Dyer seeks re-election, not UCF presidency
Orlando mayor loves ‘best job in America’
Buddy Dyer won’t seek to become the University of Central Florida’s next president, opting instead to run for another term as Orlando’s mayor in 2019.
Dyer, who has previously expressed an interest in the UCF presidency, said Monday he was caught “a little bit off-guard” when UCF President John Hitt a week ago revealed his plans to retire June 30. Dyer said he has since received a flood of calls and messages about his future.
“I love this job, and I tell everybody every day that I have the best job in America and I’m the happiest mayor in America,” said Dyer in an exclusive interview with the Orlando Sentinel.
Dyer, 59, cited major projects not yet complete as factors in his decision to stay put, including the Creative Village, the final phase of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and a SunRail extension to Orlando International Airport.
“I truly enjoy this position,” he said. “It’s rewarding, and I like the positive-leadership aspect and the things that
we’ve been able to accomplish, but yet I have far more things that I haven’t finished.”
During his 2015 re-election campaign, Dyer had called the UCF president’s job “the one position” that would prompt him to consider leaving the mayor’s office.
Dyer’s decision to remove himself from consideration leaves the search for Hitt’s replacement wide open. Marcos Marchena, UCF Board of Trustees chairman, is leading the process, which will involve a 15-member search committee.
Hitt told reporters at a news conference last week that he could think of no better candidate to run the school than Dyer among politicians, but he did not “believe this is the time for a political candidate.”
Dyer said Monday he hoped the committee would consider “both traditional and nontraditional candidates.”
“The attributes that I would look for is somebody that is going to keep the university outwardly facing,” Dyer said. “A lot of universities and colleges face inward and don’t interact with the community. Dr. Hitt was very good about being a partnership university.”
Hitt last week cited the prospect of losing Provost Dale Whittaker as a factor in the timing of his retirement. Whittaker confirmed he had withdrawn from Iowa State University’s search for a new president but would not discuss if he had interest in Hitt’s post.
Hitt departs after 25 years at UCF’s helm, having overseen the university’s transition from a commuter school with about 22,000 students to one of the nation’s largest universities.
Dyer has been Orlando’s mayor since a 2003 special election. He will now seek his fifth full term in office. Dyer is already Orlando’s longest-serving mayor, a distinction he has held since December 2016. Orlando’s next mayoral election will be held Nov. 5, 2019.
Looking forward, Dyer said he hoped to find a permanent funding source for the region’s public transportation services, including Lynx and SunRail, and to “enhance our spot as the nation’s premier sports and entertainment destination.”
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to shepherd the Amazon eastern headquarters location,” Dyer said, referring to Orlando’s pitch to land the online retail giant’s recently announced second headquarters.
Dyer waited less than a week to make his decision. He said he didn’t want his potential interest to scare off other qualified candidates from applying to become Hitt’s replacement and he didn’t want his staff or Orlando’s residents twisting in the wind.
“I think it’s only fair to everybody that works here and everybody that voted for me that I bring some certainty and finality to that decision,” he said.