Buddy Dyer confirms he will not seek re-election in 2027

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer confirmed he will not seek re-election in a letter to his staff.

The city’s longest-serving Mayor had suggested in 2023 his re-election campaign would be his last. He made that explicitly clear to employees at Orlando City Hall on Tuesday.

““I wanted you to hear from me that I was asked during a media interview today if I plan to run for another term as Mayor,” the letter reads, according to The Orlando Sentinel. “While this is the most rewarding job, my answer was — as I said when I was campaigning for this current term — that I do not plan to run again.”

Dyer won election to a seventh term with nearly 73% of the vote over Samuel Ings, a former Orlando City Commissioner, and other opponents. In the build-up to the race, Dyer raised upward of $480,000 for the campaign, more than 10 times the amount raised by his next closest opponent.

The race for a successor for Dyer has already started. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, announced in December she will run for the post when it comes up for a vote in 2027. She praised Dyer after his confirmation he will not run again.

“I want to thank Mayor Dyer for nearly 25 years of service to The City Beautiful,” she posted on X. “He has guided our city through significant growth, challenges, and achievements. Orlando’s future is bright, and I’m grateful for his contributions to getting us here.”

Dyer previously served as a state Senator. He won election as Mayor first in 2003.

“As Mayor, Buddy Dyer has been focused on making the promise of Orlando – ensuring a great quality of life for residents and expanding opportunity for all – a reality,” reads his official biography. “By choosing collaboration and unity over partisanship and division, Mayor Dyer has worked to increase partnerships between Central Florida’s government organizations, businesses, community groups and residents to help shape Orlando into a vibrant, inclusive city that is focused on the future.”