{"id":6532,"date":"2026-07-05T11:37:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T11:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6532"},"modified":"2026-07-05T11:37:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T11:37:04","slug":"disney-bloomberg-open-wallets-as-orange-county-mayoral-hopefuls-rake-in-cash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6532","title":{"rendered":"Disney, Bloomberg open wallets as Orange County mayoral hopefuls rake in cash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The contest for Orange County mayor is already breaking records as millions of dollars are poured into the race, including eye-popping sums from some big names around the country \u2013 and one notable Mouse.<\/p>\n

Read more Orlando Sentinel 150: After ups and downs, can Downtown Orlando rise again?<\/a><\/p>\n

The four candidates in the nonpartisan race for the county\u2019s most powerful office have collectively raised nearly $3 million in their campaign accounts and political committees with six weeks before the primary election \u2013 more than was raised in the 2018 election, the last time an incumbent wasn\u2019t in the race.\u00a0Demings clinched his first term in the August primary with 62% of the vote.<\/p>\n

Former congresswoman Stephanie Murphy leads the field with nearly $1.5 million raised so far, surpassing outgoing Mayor Jerry Demings\u2019 treasury in that earlier campaign when he won his first term.<\/p>\n

The high totals reflect the intense interest in the race to oversee Orange County\u2019s massive $8-plus billion budget\u2014 larger than several states \u2014 with massive regional influence on growth, transportation, housing and a slew of other issues.<\/p>\n

Murphy\u2019s fundraising haul is bolstered by a $250,000 contribution from Center Aisle PAC, a political committee she founded to support centrist candidates, as well as a $150,000 contribution from billionaire J. Hyatt Brown,\u00a0$125,000 from Beat K\u00e4hli, who developed Avalon Park, and $100,000 contributions from billionaire Michael Bloomberg.<\/p>\n

When Bloomberg, a former Republican New York City mayor-turned-Democratic mega-donor, ran for president in 2020, Murphy was one of his most prominent backers.<\/p>\n

Her PAC also received $100,000 from Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, which appears to be the theme park giant\u2019s largest-ever contribution to a local candidate. The company didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Murphy said the big-money support of more than $1.1 million to her committee Forging Florida\u2019s Future, in addition to about $338,000 in traditional contributions capped at $1,000 apiece, is a sign of her campaign\u2019s strength.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody who has supported me has bought into this notion that we need to have affordability, livability and opportunity for people across this county,\u201d said Murphy, of Winter Park, a Democrat who represented parts of Orange and Seminole counties in Congress from 2017 to 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who support me know exactly what I\u2019m about,\u201d she said, \u201cand they\u2019re supporting me because they understand that is something this community needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayra Uribe, a sitting county commissioner from south of Orlando, had a substantial fundraising haul of her own with $808,000. She said she\u2019s nearing her goal of about $850,000, which she thinks will be enough to run a winning campaign.<\/p>\n

Read more Lukas Nursery Butterfly Encounter: Oviedo attraction\u2019s natural wonders span 20+ years<\/a><\/p>\n

Uribe, a Democrat, said her positions on curbing tourism\u2019s influence \u2013 from her past efforts to cut Visit Orlando\u2019s budget and opposing another expansion of the Orange County Convention Center \u2013 were likely a factor in Disney backing Murphy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt lets you know that the industry wants someone they can control and that\u2019s why they gave my opponent $100,000,\u201d Uribe said. She added that Murphy\u2019s high-dollar checks made her question if \u201cshe\u2019s making promises about our town that I don\u2019t think will be good for our town.\u201d<\/p>\n

The largest contribution to Uribe\u2019s committee, Action For Florida, was $95,000 from Universal Nissan, a car dealership owned by Bill Nero.<\/p>\n

Tiffany Moore Russell, the current Clerk of the Courts from Winter Garden, has raised about $325,000 between her campaign account and political committee. She said she has received money from 1,500 people.<\/p>\n

While cash is helpful, she said Orange County\u2019s history shows the highest fundraiser doesn\u2019t always win. In the 2010 mayoral race, Teresa Jacobs defeated millionaire Bill Segal, who far outraised her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoney does help, but the most raised\u00a0does not always mean victory in Orange County,\u201d said Moore Russell, a Democrat. \u201cMoney does help you reach more people.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she had been in communication with Disney prior to learning about the company\u2019s contribution to Murphy \u2013 a figure she called \u201cshocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fourth candidate, Chris Messina, a Winter Park Republican who described himself as a Christian conservative, has raised about $134,000 and said he\u2019s been knocking on doors and meeting voters face to face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting that the conservative candidate is the one who has raised the least money, but is the most focused on building a ground game,\u201d he said. \u201cMoney is always important in terms of getting your message out, but the most important thing is talking to real-life voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The primary election is Aug. 18, and if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two will advance to a runoff Nov. 3. The winner will be sworn into office in December.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: July 5, Hormel introduces the world to Spam<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The contest for Orange County mayor is breaking records as millions of dollars are poured into the race, including eye-popping sums from some big names around the country \u2013 and one notable Mouse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,13,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-election","category-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nDisney, Bloomberg open wallets as Orange County mayoral hopefuls rake in cash - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6532\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Disney, Bloomberg open wallets as Orange County mayoral hopefuls rake in cash - 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