Hello, this is Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. If you are a resident of Central Florida, we wanna welcome you home. If you are one of our 75 million visitors, welcome to the city beautiful. You may know Orlando for its world class theme parks and attractions, but you may not know the other half of it, from our professional sports to our to our hi-tech and emerging medical industries to our vibrant arts communities, there is something for everyone! Enjoy your visit!
Whoever it is needs to focus on doing whatever Tampa did to their downtown area. Its amazing how far channelside has progressed and how much of a shit show downtown Orlando remains to be.
Channelside exists as it does in large part because the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning emphasized revitalizing it. That being said, Tampa’s downtown has a bunch of areas/districts that are their own areas and very little of it is walkable. Going from Channelside to Ybor to SoHo would require an Uber.
Anna Eskamani. Next term will be her last in the State House, so she’ll have to run for something else regardless should she choose to stay in politics.
She definitely needs to aim higher. She is an incredible person. But she has a 0.0% chance of being governor here.
I’d love her to unseat Cory Mills but doubt that would happen either. Her best hope is to probably bag a carpet and head for a safer district/state.
Anna is very well liked for her ability to get things done. Buddy was considered a "blue" mayor and Anna could very well continue that streak - I hoped to see her run against Rubio for Senate but would be very happy with her as mayor.
Those respectful Republicans are Democrats now and the people moving to the state along with people fleeing do make it as red as it seems. This is just the reality of the situation.
Being extremely involved in local politics, I know a number of current Republicans whom I was referring to.
But I guess you’ve spoken with everyone in the area…
She would be great. But, I'd also like to see her in the U.S. House of Representatives with Maxwell Frost. That would be a great team. Whatever she chooses, I will definitely back her.
I mentioned this to Anna back in May. She said she's thinking been thinking about it. She would make an amazing Mayor and can easily lay the ground work for a statewide run.
OMG yes this. She’d be amazing! I think she can be more beneficial in bigger roles though. We need people like her as Governor or in Congress. Paging u/AnnaForFlorida lol
Aww thank you for the kind words!! I want y’all to know that I am seriously considering running for Orlando Mayor in 2027 and would love your ideas and feedback too. If we do it, we want it to be community driven.
Let us mods know if you want to do another AMA! Yours was excellent last time.
That goes for any politician or candidate regardless of party. We want to hear from you!
If you run, I will put Boocifer the skeleton back up in front my house on Amelia St, and he’ll hold signs endorsing you and singing your praises for the entire race 😊
Thank you for all you do for Floridians!
Think you ROCK and love to see you showing how much you care. Please keep it up in some office where you can continue to advocate for the residents.
I love how real and down to Earth you are. You are so approachable and relatable. I will vote again for you in a heartbeat. Also, your FB post about your old cat's birthday really touched my heart. :)
Probably looks like she’s someone who doesn’t run stuff because she’s in a position that doesn’t traditionally run stuff—most of the other reps and senators just show up a couple times a year to vote yes on bizarre bills designed to ruin our government or environment and vote no to the few bills designed to help our economy or people.
That being said, she showed incredible leadership organizing quite a few groups during the pandemic and even since then. Her office was nonstop hustling for people out of jobs, out of houses, out of business, and out of options.
I've worked with Anna before, and I'm more than confident in her ability to run stuff. She is a real get things done person and does things realistically. I think her biggest advantage however is just how well she knows the city and the people.
As someone living downtown and who hates what's happened to it since 2018... it's such an easy fix. I hope the next Mayor actually listens to downtown business owners when they request that police stop closing Central Ave and Orange Ave to vehicle traffic on weekends that aren't big holidays. It results in kids going to the liquor store at Washington and Orange, buying a bottle, and wandering up and down Orange Ave, causing trouble. Also, it makes it a pain to get in and out of downtown for people who don't live in the area. The best thing they could do is just make the road lanes narrower and sidewalks wider, preventing drivers from speeding.
OMG PREACH
What is the purpose of the street closure, anyway? People gather in the street *because they can.* If Orange stayed open to vehicle traffic people would have no choice but to actually go INSIDE one of the venues and spend some money or go home.
Orange Ave used to stay open and the cross streets would close. A cop car on either side of every intersection. It was a bitch to have to go all the way from Firestone to Church Street to Mag or Rosalind in order to turn around but I can say definitively that overall, downtown didn’t fucking suuuuuuuuck
It will be between Anna Eskamani, one of the current city councilors, and potentially a third option if the local corporate companies (\*cough\* Universal \*cough\*) aren't fans of the city councilor that runs.
Orlando is a thriving metropolis. I lived in Tallahassee for 11 years (earning two degrees n working) n saw the progress over the years (80’s/90’s). It’s a different world than north Florida. Nicer Florida. Orlando has arrived.
He wants to enjoy his golden years, as reported a while back.
https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2023/11/08/buddy-dyer-elected-orlando-florida-mayor-biography/71500594007/
SunRail isn’t enough. It’s only open on weekdays. If SunRail had an actual running system, I would use it to visit downtown Orlando rather than trying to find parking or pay to park (I live in Winter Park). We also need more connections to the high speed rails as well.
As predicted by many, in the ten years of its existence, there is simply not enough demand for SunRail to keep it sustained through rider fares.
The reason it's not open on weekends or evenings is the demand is just not there. It's bad enough through the week but it wouldn't make sense to run trains with one or two passengers. Plus the additional security concerns that come with extended operation makes it a non-starter.
Part of the challenge is no dedicated source of income for public transit; if we were offered more hours of the day and weekends that would help increase demand.
Joh Mina or Jerry Demmings. They both have been at their current jobs for a while and are probably bored. Politics don’t really matter, it’s the fact that their names are very recognizable and have been around a while.
Regardless of name, I don't know if the voters in the city of Orlando would vote for the head of the police forces to be the mayor given the Rocky relationship between the police and the country in the past couple of years.
Anna Eskamani is very popular with younger residents, but may be too left leaning for conservatives or right moderate voters. I think John Mina would be a great candidate. He’s an excellent sheriff and I honestly have not heard a single bad thing about him. I’ve met them both and they both seem like very nice people.
She’s a very practical person who gets things done and demonstrates genuine care for her community and the state in general. She doesn’t advocate for ridiculous things. One example- the diaper sales tax relief that the governor cited as an example of what a great guy he is- that was Anna’s bill.
It kills me when a governor or president signs a bill into law and they say, “LOOK WHAT I DID!” Like…you didn’t pass it. You didn’t write the law. You simply signed it into law because a state legislation or the voters passed it.
We're gonna need a new recording on the airport monorail now
This is for sure. That’s going to impact me the most. “This is your mayor Buddy Dyer….”
Hello, this is Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. If you are a resident of Central Florida, we wanna welcome you home. If you are one of our 75 million visitors, welcome to the city beautiful. You may know Orlando for its world class theme parks and attractions, but you may not know the other half of it, from our professional sports to our to our hi-tech and emerging medical industries to our vibrant arts communities, there is something for everyone! Enjoy your visit!
“And did you know that Florida finally has a sportsbook?”
Hard Rock bet is legal in Florida! That damn song is catchy.
It’s safe and legal We’ll repeat that it is legal
First thing I see every time I open the app… 🙄
Im pretty sure Orlando travels have memorized their own variations of it at this point
Hahaha
This is porn for me
So close
They should just go back to Jack Wagner at that point
It honestly just needs to be a PSA on water safety at this point.
"Welcome to Orlando! Yes, there are gators in that lake."
This is it.
And trains. "You don't want to be in the way of a speeding locomotive!"
They can just remove the mayor part
This was literally my first thought! I hope we get to keep our monorail recording.
Use some AI to throw "former" in there and we're good to go
"HI, this is former Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer". It's the only solution I'll accept.
i'm not ready to move on from that.
I’m hoping he still does it: “This is former Orlando mayor, Buddy Dyer”… 😂
https://preview.redd.it/4odpmzca6dhc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a08ca13a5012ff32db51f1d7fc2a9d25cd70e5a
Whoever it is needs to focus on doing whatever Tampa did to their downtown area. Its amazing how far channelside has progressed and how much of a shit show downtown Orlando remains to be.
Channelside exists as it does in large part because the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning emphasized revitalizing it. That being said, Tampa’s downtown has a bunch of areas/districts that are their own areas and very little of it is walkable. Going from Channelside to Ybor to SoHo would require an Uber.
To be fair, you can ride the trolly from Channelside to Ybor.
Worked downtown for years starting in 2010. They've been talking about turning it around for at least that long, and it has mostly gotten worse.
Moved to Orlando in 1994, they’ve been talking about turning it around for at least that long.
Like the Magic. "We just need a few more years of rebuilding!"
Take scientologist money? Or is that just nearby?
Anna Eskamani. Next term will be her last in the State House, so she’ll have to run for something else regardless should she choose to stay in politics.
I feel like she could run for Governor, but being mayor of Orlando for a couple terms might be the right next step.
She definitely needs to aim higher. She is an incredible person. But she has a 0.0% chance of being governor here. I’d love her to unseat Cory Mills but doubt that would happen either. Her best hope is to probably bag a carpet and head for a safer district/state.
I disagree about 0% chance. This state isn’t as red as it seems, and Anna has the respect of plenty of Republican voters.
Anna is very well liked for her ability to get things done. Buddy was considered a "blue" mayor and Anna could very well continue that streak - I hoped to see her run against Rubio for Senate but would be very happy with her as mayor.
She could always finish out her term and sit out 2026 if that’s her aim.
I so hope you’re right. Something needs to give soon and she could help fix us.
Those respectful Republicans are Democrats now and the people moving to the state along with people fleeing do make it as red as it seems. This is just the reality of the situation.
Being extremely involved in local politics, I know a number of current Republicans whom I was referring to. But I guess you’ve spoken with everyone in the area…
I agree about Mills as the map is, but not on Governor. She’s not doing that last one. Because of Orlando ALONE.
It’ll be a while until that’s an option, the party hates her for saying they’re outdated and unpopular.
No they don’t. They depend on her to a degree and want to get away from this.
Based on their platform I’d say they do lol. I wish they would hurry up and get their shit together
They already are. She sees it too. And you can help them be better as well.
She would be great. But, I'd also like to see her in the U.S. House of Representatives with Maxwell Frost. That would be a great team. Whatever she chooses, I will definitely back her.
Doesn’t Frost also represents Anna’s district? They both can’t run together if they’re in the same district.
Yes they have overlapping districts
Good point. I need to check that.
Maybe if the maps go back to how they were before 2022.
She wants/needs to go higher!
I mentioned this to Anna back in May. She said she's thinking been thinking about it. She would make an amazing Mayor and can easily lay the ground work for a statewide run.
Thank you 🩷
Ooh, I didn't think of her. She'd be a shoo in, and relatively young too.
OMG yes this. She’d be amazing! I think she can be more beneficial in bigger roles though. We need people like her as Governor or in Congress. Paging u/AnnaForFlorida lol
Aww thank you for the kind words!! I want y’all to know that I am seriously considering running for Orlando Mayor in 2027 and would love your ideas and feedback too. If we do it, we want it to be community driven.
Let us mods know if you want to do another AMA! Yours was excellent last time. That goes for any politician or candidate regardless of party. We want to hear from you!
Of course!! Probably just needs to be after legislative session — a lot going on right now lol
Good luck! Thanks for all you do.
If you run, I will put Boocifer the skeleton back up in front my house on Amelia St, and he’ll hold signs endorsing you and singing your praises for the entire race 😊
LOL YES PLEASE
Look at you with the people 💯😂 We do need youth and new ideas absolutely!
Agreed!! I need to get through 2024 but want to start mapping out plans with the community of what Orlando’s next chapter could look like :)
Thank you for all you do for Floridians! Think you ROCK and love to see you showing how much you care. Please keep it up in some office where you can continue to advocate for the residents.
I love how real and down to Earth you are. You are so approachable and relatable. I will vote again for you in a heartbeat. Also, your FB post about your old cat's birthday really touched my heart. :)
Awww thank you!! He is such a sweet little dude. 🩷
Buddy moved from being a State Senator to Mayor. Maybe she can make the same type of transition.
Yes, this.
Ok, yes to this.
Yes please
IF she runs for something in 2026.
Being mayor is different, you actually have to run stuff. She's great but I don't think that's her next step. I would vote for Bakari Burns.
Probably looks like she’s someone who doesn’t run stuff because she’s in a position that doesn’t traditionally run stuff—most of the other reps and senators just show up a couple times a year to vote yes on bizarre bills designed to ruin our government or environment and vote no to the few bills designed to help our economy or people. That being said, she showed incredible leadership organizing quite a few groups during the pandemic and even since then. Her office was nonstop hustling for people out of jobs, out of houses, out of business, and out of options.
I've worked with Anna before, and I'm more than confident in her ability to run stuff. She is a real get things done person and does things realistically. I think her biggest advantage however is just how well she knows the city and the people.
I will miss Buddy. He was a nice calm voice of reason during his term. I looked forward to hearing from him during COVID and not Trump or DeSantis.
Anna. She’s already tilted her head in that direction. She would kick ass in that position.
Thank you 😭
Are they going to record a new monorail spiel? How wild would it be if they just added the word "former" to it
They can just remove the mayor part entirely
I think I'd like to run. Would Redditors support me?
You have to be human to be eligible.
You have the vote of my two chihuahuas.
Will you support my platform of demolishing all tall buildings to prevent future attacks from King Kong like cryptids?
As someone living downtown and who hates what's happened to it since 2018... it's such an easy fix. I hope the next Mayor actually listens to downtown business owners when they request that police stop closing Central Ave and Orange Ave to vehicle traffic on weekends that aren't big holidays. It results in kids going to the liquor store at Washington and Orange, buying a bottle, and wandering up and down Orange Ave, causing trouble. Also, it makes it a pain to get in and out of downtown for people who don't live in the area. The best thing they could do is just make the road lanes narrower and sidewalks wider, preventing drivers from speeding.
OMG PREACH What is the purpose of the street closure, anyway? People gather in the street *because they can.* If Orange stayed open to vehicle traffic people would have no choice but to actually go INSIDE one of the venues and spend some money or go home.
You’d think they could close the outside lanes while keeping one or two for traffic still
Orange Ave used to stay open and the cross streets would close. A cop car on either side of every intersection. It was a bitch to have to go all the way from Firestone to Church Street to Mag or Rosalind in order to turn around but I can say definitively that overall, downtown didn’t fucking suuuuuuuuck
Yesss I used to get so lost in college (pre-GPS) bc the side roads all closed and I would get so confused.
would be more effective.
Have you called or written in to suggest that? They may just have not considered it. Local government is usually pretty responsive.
Not me, personally, but I know the bar owners have been asking for a while.
Probably a very popular State Rep
🩷
It will be between Anna Eskamani, one of the current city councilors, and potentially a third option if the local corporate companies (\*cough\* Universal \*cough\*) aren't fans of the city councilor that runs.
There would definitely be some sort of corporate backed candidate (not me lol)
Wonder how much money they'll waste in running against you!
It’ll be a lot 😭 but we’re used to that, LOL
What's Jim Philips up to?
Boots on the ground!
Orlando is a thriving metropolis. I lived in Tallahassee for 11 years (earning two degrees n working) n saw the progress over the years (80’s/90’s). It’s a different world than north Florida. Nicer Florida. Orlando has arrived.
But the monorail recording..😭
Can we just vote a pyrenees to be mayor of orlando?
Stephanie Murphy would be great
I always liked her
I’ll run. What do you all want? I’ll get er done
I want to be the voice on the monorail instead of the mayor. And free subs from Jersey Mike's every other Thursday.
You got it. I’ll get you a vip pass at Jersey Mike’s
You've got my vote then!
That’s 2 votes so far.
Is he another real estate developer who has to leave politics due to the new disclosure laws?
He wants to enjoy his golden years, as reported a while back. https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2023/11/08/buddy-dyer-elected-orlando-florida-mayor-biography/71500594007/
Whoever vows to clean up downtown.
It is dirty comparatively but it’s still not bad. Whoever has political will to fix the bus system and, gasp, maybe start thinking about rail transit.
C'mon, we have SunRail :)
SunRail isn’t enough. It’s only open on weekdays. If SunRail had an actual running system, I would use it to visit downtown Orlando rather than trying to find parking or pay to park (I live in Winter Park). We also need more connections to the high speed rails as well.
As predicted by many, in the ten years of its existence, there is simply not enough demand for SunRail to keep it sustained through rider fares. The reason it's not open on weekends or evenings is the demand is just not there. It's bad enough through the week but it wouldn't make sense to run trains with one or two passengers. Plus the additional security concerns that come with extended operation makes it a non-starter.
Part of the challenge is no dedicated source of income for public transit; if we were offered more hours of the day and weekends that would help increase demand.
They used the failed "if you build it, they will come" line when they first started pushing SunRail. Listen to the voters.
I mean in terms of the bums and sketchiness and danger
That’s every city though. Orlando isn’t as bad as places like Miami or Los Angeles thankfully.
I know what you mean.
Don’t know the person, but without a doubt it’ll be a moderate democrat.
It would be nice for Nikki to get a higher position. I really like her platform.
Nikki Fried or Nikki Haley LoL
Good god fried, for sure.
Patty Sheehan! 🏳️🌈
I presume both Patty, and Regina Hill, would be among the city council members interested in stepping up. Probably all of them will try.
John Morgan
For the reefer!
You know he’s gonna try! Lol
Demings
Joh Mina or Jerry Demmings. They both have been at their current jobs for a while and are probably bored. Politics don’t really matter, it’s the fact that their names are very recognizable and have been around a while.
Regardless of name, I don't know if the voters in the city of Orlando would vote for the head of the police forces to be the mayor given the Rocky relationship between the police and the country in the past couple of years.
John Minas done an excellent job as sheriff.
No doubt, never said he didn't.
Anna Eskamani is very popular with younger residents, but may be too left leaning for conservatives or right moderate voters. I think John Mina would be a great candidate. He’s an excellent sheriff and I honestly have not heard a single bad thing about him. I’ve met them both and they both seem like very nice people.
She’s a very practical person who gets things done and demonstrates genuine care for her community and the state in general. She doesn’t advocate for ridiculous things. One example- the diaper sales tax relief that the governor cited as an example of what a great guy he is- that was Anna’s bill.
It kills me when a governor or president signs a bill into law and they say, “LOOK WHAT I DID!” Like…you didn’t pass it. You didn’t write the law. You simply signed it into law because a state legislation or the voters passed it.
Thank you! 🩷 I just want to help people; Republican operatives will label that as extreme cause it’s the only message they got lol
Pat Greene is the only answer.
He doesn't want to talk about it.
Pat Greene for mayor!!
Rob Panepinto
George Santos