50 Most Powerful People of 2024 In Orlando: Politics & Government
Meet the most powerful people in Central Florida in the Politics and Government category.
1. Maxwell Frost | U.S. Representative, 10th District
The first member of Gen Z to be elected to Congress, Maxwell Frost represents Central Florida’s 10th District, home to 785,000 constituents.
The freshman congressman crafts legislation through the lens of his district’s most vulnerable people.
He didn’t waste any time getting to work after winning his race in 2022—by a whopping 19 percentage points. The first bill he introduced created a federal office of gun violence prevention.
“We wanted to have an office that would focus on mass shootings,” says Frost, “but also on the daily gun violence that disproportionally impacts black and brown communities and poor rural white communities across the country.”
In July 2023, Frost received a call from the White House—the President was using his bill as a framework for an executive order, putting that bill into law.
“Now, for the first time in our history, we have a White House Office of Gun Prevention,” says Frost.
As result, more than $2 million has come into Orlando for community violence intervention thus far.
Frost’s next bill was spurred by how hurricane preparedness disproportionately affects seniors, the disabled and those who don’t speak English. He went a step further, reaching across the aisle to Daniel Webster, the Republican Congressman in Florida’s 11th District, to co-write a bigger package, The Weather Act, which he hopes to get passed soon.
In the next 12 months, Frost looks forward to
Orlando’s new passport office coming online—a project he and his team spearheaded—and is dedicated to getting a handle on the housing crisis.
“I believe housing is a human right,” says Frost. “If we want to see people flourish in their work, start their own businesses and have financial freedom, having a roof over your head is not ‘nice to have.’ It’s essential.”
2. Jerry Demings | Orange County Mayor
Though Orange County has a fraught history when it comes to transportation taxes, Jerry Demings intends to try again to get a one-cent levy on the sales tax to pay for everything from the SunRail commuter train and LYNX bus system to more sidewalks.
“We are not burying our heads in the sand,” he says. “We are leaning into it.”
He anticipates getting the issue to the November 2026 ballot, near the end of his term.
Building more roads and expanding Interstate 4, he says, is not the answer to the region’s increasing traffic woes. “That is not progressive,” he says.
Many transportation experts say that widening roads typically eases congestion for no more than five years as motorists who had sought alternate routes return to the newer, additional pavement.
Demings had previously championed a transportation tax in 2024 but backed off for lack of support. Two previous initiatives were soundly rejected by voters.
The mayor has allocated $100 million for the next five years to expand LYNX service, improve street lighting and add sidewalks and bike paths.
3. Buddy Dyer | Orlando Mayor
Before Buddy Dyer became mayor of Orlando, the consensus around City Hall was that three terms were about all any person could handle before losing interest and wanting out of the job.
Dyer blew past the old three-term barrier and only now, after 21 years in the post, is he readying himself to let go—but not until his sixth full term ends in 2028.
“I love being the mayor of Orlando,” Dyer says. “I would stop if it was not fun.”
He compared the city to a teenager, still growing into something bigger and better. “It (Orlando) has not become what it is going to be,” he says.
His goal for his remaining years in office is “to create a community with high quality of life and the ability to thrive,” in part for his year-old grandson, John Dyer IV, whose nickname is Forrest.
Getting SunRail to Orlando International Airport and building a memorial to honor the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting rank high as well.
4. Dr. Anna V. Eskamani | Florida State Representative, District 42
State Representative Anna V. Eskamani believes in leading with grit and grace. The Orlando native is the daughter of working-class immigrants who moved to the United States to create a better life for their children. She puts that same determination into fighting for Florida families daily.
Through grassroots outreach, she brought Amendment 4 to the 2024 ballot.
“Amendment 4 gives Florida voters the opportunity to end Florida’s near total abortion ban and take politicians out of this very personal and private health care decision,” says Eskamani. “Many people said we couldn’t do it, but thanks to nearly 1 million Florida voters who signed a petition, voters will have a say this November.”
Eskamani also ended a long battle over Florida’s tax on children’s diapers and adult incontinence products.
“This required us to work across the aisle and took us five years to get done, but every day, it helps Florida families save money on essential goods,” says Eskamani, “and has opened up the door for more bipartisan policy conversations around other vital issues like the cost of childcare, which I hope to address during the next legislative session.”
5. Darren M. Soto |U. S. Representative, 9th District
Darren Soto became the first person of Puerto Rican descent to serve in Congress when he was elected in 2016 to represent Osceola County and parts of Orange and Polk counties.
A member of the Agriculture and Energy and Commerce committees, Soto embraces working with the Republican majority in the House to bring back money to Central Florida.
He has helped get federal funds for expanding Interstate 4 as well as for the SunRail commuter train, Orlando International Airport, Poinciana Parkway and NeoCity, the high-tech project in Osceola.
One of his top priorities moving forward is trying to secure federal dollars for low- and moderate-income dwelling units in Central Florida, where rising costs are driving home prices out of the reach of many residents, especially those working in the low-paying tourist industry.
“We need a generational bill,” Soto says.
6. John Mina | Orange County Sheriff
After 33 years in law enforcement, including the past five and a half as the sheriff of Orange County, John Mina still loves the job.
“I get excited every time I put on the uniform,” he says.
The post of Orange County Sheriff has no term limits and Mina says he has no intention of taking his pension and going home. “Several more terms,” he says, might be in his future.
“All I ever wanted to do was catch bad guys,” says Mina. Since Mina first won the job in 2018, overall crime is down 25 percent.
He is most proud of leading a charge to change state laws related to street racing and the illegal sale of alcohol. The penalties were upgraded to felonies in many instances.
Mina intends to expand his department as well as update its technology and equipment. He supervises nearly 2,600 people in six organizational commands and 23 divisions.
7. Eric D. Smith | Orlando Police Chief
30 years ago Eric D. Smith hired on with the Orlando Police Department after graduating from the University of Central Florida, where he played tight end for the football team until a bum right shoulder ended his career.
He is in his second year as chief and says he will probably step down with Dyer. “He’s a great mayor,” Smith says. “He’s fair. He supports what we do.”
Smith, at least at this point, has no future political aspirations. “I love being a police officer,” he says. “That’s what I do.”
Overseeing 900 officers and an annual budget of $205,562,228, Smith says his goal is to ensure that, “No matter where you live in the community, you should feel safe.”
Since taking over as chief, Smith doubled the number of two-officer squads who patrol high-crime areas in unmarked cars. Shootings in those communities, he says, are down 40 percent.
He hopes his legacy “ensures the community feels safe knowing the men and women of OPD continue our long-standing tradition of serving with courage, pride and commitment.”
*Photo Courtesy ©Orlando Police Department
8. Patty Sheehan | Orlando City Commissioner, District 4
Orlando was a much different place when Patty Sheehan became the first openly gay candidate to win a city council seat. The city had 195,000 residents, versus 325,000 now.
Sheehan, who once harbored thoughts of running for mayor, said she is ready to step down in part because the political atmosphere has turned toxic over time.
“People will accuse you of crazy stuff without any proof,” she says. “I really hope it will change.”
Sheehan was one of the first council members to turn a part-time job into a full-time position.
Her biggest political goal is winning a face-off with the city-owned Orlando Utilities Commission. OUC has suggested greatly reducing its practice of net metering, which gives OUC electric customers who have solar panels credit for generating more power than they use.
Sheehan spent some $21,000 installing solar panels on her small bungalow, saving her $100 or more a month on her utility bill. She and other solar panel owners should be able to keep the current net metering arrangement, she argues.
“All we are asking for is to be treated fairly,” she says.
9. Geraldine Thompson | State Senator, District 15
After serving a total of 10 years tin the Florida House of Representatives, Geraldine Thompson has been a member of the state Senate since 2022, her district covering much of west Orange County.
A former teacher and Valencia College administrator, Thompson was the first person of color to win election in her House district.
Her top priorities are to ensure that women have access to abortion services and to see that African American history is accurately reflected in Florida public schools.3
She clashed with Gov. Ron DeSantis over his insistence that slaves learned valuable skills before they were freed after the Civil War.
“It’s ludicrous,” she says. “It’s outrageous.”
Thompson intends to watch for any other rewriting of history in school books.
She is proud of her efforts to help turn Orlando’s Wells’ Built Hotel into a museum. During segregation, people of color, including the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, stayed at the hotel when visiting Orlando.
Serving as a Democrat in a state that leans heavily Republican can be frustrating, but Thompson says, “You can’t win unless you stay in the fight, and I’m committed to staying in the fight.”
10. Mayanne Downs | Orlando City Attorney
Mayanne Downs has been practicing law for 37 years, including the past 17 years as Orlando’s city attorney, the first woman to hold the position. She also is the general counsel for the GrayRobinson law firm and the first woman to serve as GrayRobinson’s president and managing director from 2016-19.
A close friend and advisor to Dyer, Downs has been involved in numerous negotiations at City Hall, as well as with her private clients.
“I feel like I am a pretty good listener and problem solver,” she says. “I get to help and that gets me up every single day without an alarm.”
One of her top priorities, she says, is helping young attorneys develop and advance in their careers. She heads a team of roughly 20 at GrayRobinson.
“They will have the capability, willingness and skills to continue the work that we do,” she says.
11. Kelly Cohen | Managing Partner, The Southern Group Orlando
Kelly Cohen is passionate about partnerships, and the culture of community.
“We strengthen it [the community] by building relationships and creating collaborative networks among diverse stakeholders, including businesses, nonprofits, government agencies and community groups,” says Cohen. “By fostering open communication and shared goals, we can focus on identifying mutual interests, leveraging each entity’s strengths to create impactful initiatives.”
The lobbyist, strategist and fundraiser, a perennial name on Florida’s “most powerful” and “most influential” lists, opened The Southern Group’s first regional office in Orlando in 2005, which is on the eve of celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“Over the last year, The Southern Group has experienced explosive growth,” says Cohen. “While we have the biggest local government team in the state, over the next year, we are anticipating significant growth of this vertical. The other hot topic will be the elections and how the results impact our local, state and federal government.”
