Orange County’s redistricting is luring a former state Senator and two others so far to run for the County Commission in the new District 8. Victor “Vic” Torres, who has served in both the House and Senate, filed last week to run for the November 2026 election. Also filing are Jeannette Quinones-Hernandez, a former coordinator at then Sen. Marco Rubio’s office, and business owner Tatiana Fernañdez, who unsuccessfully ran for U. S. Congress before. A County Commissioner’s current annual salary is $130,262. Torres, an Orange County Democrat, was elected to the House in 2012 before getting promoted to the Senate in 2016 and then term-limited out in 2024. Torres is a retired police detective and a retired bus driver. One of the issues motivating Torres’ desire to run for office again is the state preemption that is stripping away local control. “You got to stay in the fight,” Torres said. “You got to make sure that you stand up for what you believe in.” Affordable housing and improving mass transit are other priorities, said Torres, who lives in Meadow Woods in South Orange County, which District 4 Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero has represented before the redistricting. Also joining the race is Fernañdez, the CEO of Pantera Technical Services, which installs and provides training for medical vacuum pump systems and air compressors. As a mother of children with special needs, Fernández calls herself an advocate which is why she wants to run for public office after helping other families navigate the system. “I’ve been working with my community, and when I say my community, everybody around me needs some help on how to talk and how to communicate with the government,” Fernañdez said. “I’ve been studying government for 30 years.” Her platform includes improving infrastructure, transportation and public safety as well as supporting local businesses. In 2022, Fernañdez ran for Congressional District 7 a race ultimately won by embattled U. S. Rep. Cory Mills. Back then, Fernañdez ran as a Lake Mary resident from Seminole County. On Wednesday, she said her primary residence is in Lake Nona, although she still owns property in Lake Mary. “I need to change my address,” she said. “I’m between houses.” Meanwhile, the third candidate, Quinones-Hernandez, previously worked in Rubio’s office for 8. 5 years, serving as Hispanic outreach coordinator and helping Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria. When Rubio moved on to Washington, D. C., to work for President Donald Trump’s administration, and Quinones-Hernandez’s work was over, she began looking for new jobs, only to realize the county was in the middle of redistricting. “I thought it was God saying, ‘Hey, hold your horses,’” she said, arguing she is the right candidate for the job since she has lived in her Meadow Brooks neighborhood for about 35 years. Two district issues she wants to fix are road congestion and flooding problems, as well as lower taxes. “I would like to just project myself as the common sense candidate. Your neighbor with common sense,’ she said. Orange County voters approved expanding the Board of Commissioners from six to eight Districts. The County Mayor serves as the at-large vote.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/766513-victor-torres-others-file-for-new-orange-county-commission-district/
Victor Torres, others file for new Orange County Commission district
