Mayor Teresa Jacobs wraps up 16-year run
A small stack of tissues close by, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs dabbed tears from her eyes occasionally during Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, her last after an eight-year run holding the mayoral gavel.
The meeting, also the last for three other exiting board members, was filled mostly with routine county business, including two proclamations, some advisory board appointments, a briefing about other Florida governments pursuing lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for the opioid crisis and land-use and rezoning matters.
Jacobs, who created a task force several year ago to address the deadly opioid crisis in Central Florida, suggested the board wait and let the next commission decide if the county should pick a legal fight with drug-makers.
“As late as we are in the hour of my term, I feel like it would be inappropriate to make a decision about moving forward,” said Jacobs, who in August was elected Orange County School Board chair, a term that begins Nov. 19.
Tuesday also was the last meeting for commissioners Jennifer Thompson, Pete Clarke and Rod Love, who will give up their seats Dec. 4 when Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings will be sworn in as mayor and a new board takes over.
“I didn’t want to start my last day in tears,” said Thompson, ending eight years as commissioner for District 4, which includes the fast-growing communities of Avalon Park and Lake Nona.
“I told everybody yesterday I wasn’t going to cry,” she said. “There’d be no boo-hooing from me.”
there was. During public comment, Debbie Helsel, executive director of the Back To Nature Wildlife Refuge and Education Center in Thompson’s district, took the microphone to thank the board — the mayor and Thompson especially, both of whom reached for tissues.
They had directed $3.5 million in taxpayer money to help the nonprofit animal rescue improve its 20-acre site.
“It was all of the commission that stood up for us and behind us,” Helsel said, also stifling tears.
Jacobs and the three departing commission members were feted by county staff during an extended lunch break.
Jacobs, 60, mayor since 2010, has been a fixture in county government for 16 years, including two fouryear terms as mayor and two earlier terms as commissioner in District 1, which includes the Disney area, Windermere and Winter Garden.
Her mayoral term officially ends Nov. 19, the day she is sworn in as school board chair.
When the new commission convenes next month, all six commissioners will be women for the first time ever.
The panel, including Mayor Demings, will be one of the county’s most diverse ever — with three Hispanic women, two white women and two African-Americans.
Though the panel is offiBut
cially nonpartisan, Democrats will now hold an edge, 5-2.
The current board had a 5-2 Republican majority.
Clarke, who had two years remaining on his second fouryear term, is stepping down because he was required by state law to submit an irrevocable resignation of his commission seat to run for county mayor, a race he lost to Demings.
His position will be filled next month by Mayra Uribe, a former commissioner’s aide who defeated Pete Crotty, who ran with Clarke’s endorsement. Crotty is the brother of former county Mayor Rich Crotty.
A Democrat, Uribe had
Demings’ backing in the nonpartisan election.
Clarke spent almost two decades as the deputy director of the Orange County Health and Family Services Department, where he oversaw more than 1,000 employees.
Apopka community activist Rod Love, appointed to the commission in April by Gov. Rick Scott, filled the vacancy left when then-commissioner Bryan Nelson was sworn in as Apopka mayor. Nelson’s term was to end in December.
Love, 52, a registered Republican, is president and chief executive officer of Community Synergy Group Inc., and a former probation officer who rose to second-in-command of the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
He will be succeeded by Christine Moore, a Republican who served 10 years on the Orange County School Board. She was elected Nov. 6, winning 55 percent of the vote to defeat Patricia Rumph, a retired parole officer.
The district covers northwest Orange County, including Apopka, Ocoee, Zellwood and a part of Pine Hills.
Thompson’s seat will be filled by political newcomer Maribel Gómez Cordero. She narrowly Susan Makowski, Thompson’s aide for seven years.
The victory margin was 181 votes, sparking a recount which was halted Monday when Makowski conceded the race.
Election results show 75,255 votes were cast in the race while 9,228 ballots did not choose a candidate in the District 4 race.
“I didn’t want to start my last day in tears.” Jennifer Thompson, Orange County commissioner