Mayor Jerry Demings announces campaign for Florida governor

“Demings, Demings, Demings, Demings,” the crowd chanted as they waited for Jerry Demings to take the stage. 

Demings, who is the mayor of Orange County and was the first African American to become an Orange County sheriff, gathered supporters, friends and family Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Rosen Centre for his official announcement as he enters the race to become the 47th governor of Florida. 

“I want to make Florida a place where families thrive, not just survive,” he said. 

Demings said he will use his 37-plus years of law enforcement experience to help make Florida the safest state in America by utilizing intervention, enforcement and prosecution strategies. 

He also said he will increase wages for many of the low-wage workers and state workers by working with labor unions and businesses. 

“If you’re tired of the performance of politicians, who care more about themselves than the people, let’s vote them out,” Demings said. “My campaign would focus on giving Floridians a chance to vote for a governor that would focus on making our great state a great place for all of us to thrive and dream. … That means a state where you are proud to say that you are from Florida.” 

Demings said he will fight to improve the state’s system of care for the treatment of the mentally ill and those who suffer from behavioral disorders by embracing public-private partnerships. 

He also will prioritize making Florida the most military-friendly state in America. 

Demings’ website states he will guarantee universal occupational licensing for service members and their spouses, support affordable housing near bases, ensure instant school enrollment for children of relocating military families and offer state tax credits to businesses that hire veterans, Guard and Reserve members and military spouses. 

He said he is committed to improving housing and affordability in the state. 

“My commitment is that I will insist on using the state’s Sadowski Housing Trust Fund for its intended purpose,” he said as the crowd cheered. “This is not a right or left moment, but a right or wrong moment in our history. When I win, we win.”

Demings talked about the federal government shutdown and said it is hurting 2.9 million Floridians who receive SNAP benefits.

“Our federal government has been shut down for normal businesses for the last 37 days and the leadership in Washington doesn't seem to be in any hurry to reopen the government,” he said. “Who’s to blame? We can debate whether it’s Democrats or Republicans, but one thing is for sure — it’s hurting the American people, including Floridians.” 

He said many families are feeling the effects and are forced to make difficult decisions to keep their household budgets afloat. 

“Rising expenses are putting pressure on every-day Floridians, making it harder to save for the future or invest in their children’s education,” he said. “There’s no emergency plan for you. I promise you, if I was the leader of this state, I’d look for a solution to stop that from happening.” 

He said Floridians are tired of the “toxic and divisive” politics. 

“We’re tired of being treated like we have a dictator leading Florida,” Demings said. “We’re tired of being treated like our voices don’t matter in defining the type of governance that we want and deserve.”

He said he’d like to share his hope in restoring optimism in communities. 

“If you vote for me, it’s a vote for a new style of leadership,” Demings said. “It’s a vote for change, it’s a vote for normalcy, it’s a vote for democracy. It’s a vote for the right person at the right time. It’s a vote for a new sheriff in town. … When we improve our counties, cities and towns, we improve our state. When we improve our state, we improve our nation.”