Commissioners in Orange County approve 25% pay raise for themselves

Orange County commissioners' pay will jump from $91,158 to $113,608, an increase of 24.58% or $22,450, starting next week.

By Annabelle Sikes
| 9:16 a.m. September 15, 2023

West Orange Times & Observer
News

Commissioners in Orange County have approved a 25% pay raise for themselves following a Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Commissioners' pay will jump from $91,158 to $113,608, an increase of 24.58% or $22,450, starting next week.

Although Mayor Jerry Demings previously voted against the switch, his pay will now rise about $45,000 to $227,812.

The pay for commissioners would have risen $6,381, or 7%, under the previous guideline from 1996.

Commissioners in counties such as Seminole, Broward and Volusia make more than commissioners in Orange County, although Orange County boasts more than double the residents at more than 1.4 million.

With Demings absent, the BCC voted 4-2 to set their pay using the new population-based state method.

In the future, the percentage increases in pay awarded to non-bargaining employees would limit the salary hikes.

author

Annabelle Sikes

News Editor Annabelle Sikes was born in Boca Raton and moved to Orlando in 2018 to attend the University of Central Florida. She graduated from UCF in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in sociology. Her past journalism experiences include serving as a web producer at the Orlando Sentinel, a reporter at The Community Paper, managing editor for NSM Today, digital manager at Centric Magazine and as an intern for the Orlando Weekly.