Meet Orange County mayoral candidate Chris Messina

BIO

Age: 68

Residence: Winter Park

Family: Married 25 years to my wife, Julie; three children, all in Florida schools

Education: MBA (Dean’s Award)- Harvard; Masters, City Planning (Rotary Fellow)- Rutgers

Qualifications: Founded and helped lead multiple tech-based businesses, trade associations and foundations, generating great jobs; runner-up for Orange County mayor in 2022; community service as vice chair for Orange County Watch; volunteer as Orange County High School football coach; and served on numerous nonprofit boards

What makes you the best candidate for Orange County mayor? 

1. My unique job-creating experience: 30-plus years of visionary, executive leadership using technology to solve problems, build businesses and grow high-tech trade associations.  

2. My relevant education: Master’s degree in city and regional planning and my MBA from Harvard Business School. 

3. My vision for a thriving Orange County, including as the leading center in the U.S. for space tech.

What are the key differences between you and your opponents?

They are career politicians; I’m a businessman.

What are some changes you’d like to see made during your time as Orange County mayor?

1. Orange County houses the first Military Academy in the South — the Space Force Academy.

2. Orange County becomes the national leader in space tech, generating thousands of high-paying new jobs.

3. Everyone who wants a trade school education and is qualified gets one via our Orange County Works program.

4. Our blighted strip malls are converted into vibrant, mixed use, multi-purpose centers combining experience-rich retail, commercial and multi-income housing.

5. Downtown Orlando, led by Church Street, becomes a desired, safe destination combining retail and residential with live sports and esports.

What are the three most pressing issues facing Orange County?

1. Ending economic insecurity. Median wages here are at the very bottom of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). We’ll diversify the economy with additional, high-tech jobs, especially in space tech, starting with the Space Force Academy.

2. Keeping our kids safe. Our children are under siege. We will fight against both external and internal threats. One way we’ll do this is by giving hope for a great job after school, through a subsidized trades education for everyone who wants one. 

3. Eliminating local government waste and bureaucracy. We’ll tackle this through zero-based budgeting, forensic audits and fiscal discipline. 

Evaluate outgoing Mayor Jerry Demings’ performance in this role. What did he do well? What would you do differently?

Mayor Demings gets a C-. On the positive side, he is generally friendly and unflappable. On the negative side, during the COVID era, he implemented unconstitutional mandates. He also sees every problem, such as transportation issues, as requiring more taxes to solve. Most of the challenges that Orange County currently faces can be addressed by creative application of technology and fiscal discipline. That will be my approach.  

Discuss your knowledge and familiarity with District 1 (Horizon West and other parts of unincorporated West Orange County) and its issues.   

The overarching issue in Horizon West is one of housing growth vs. infrastructure. Housing has grown faster than infrastructure. Roads especially are frequently clogged. Try getting on (State Road) 429 from (Florida’s Turnpike) or traveling up Avalon Road during rush hour! A related issue is the tension between rural/environmental preservation vs. development. This is a particularly acute issue in the Avalon Rural Settlement. Community participation, balancing of interests and good long-term planning are essential to effectively manage this tension.

Recently, the National Association of Home Builders announced it is pulling its convention out of Orlando. How should Orange County respond to this news? What is key in preventing more conventions from leaving the area?

Orange County’s Convention Center leadership team needs to pursue other conventions to backfill the loss of the NAHB Convention. It should also look strategically at its addressable market. The solution is not necessarily expanding the convention center or adding more hotel rooms. Two medium-sized conventions may more than compensate for one large convention. Customer turnover happens in all business endeavors; the key is planning for and managing it to provide growth.

Discuss your position on SunRail and the extent to which Orange County should be involved in the project?  

Unless substantial private and/or federal financing is available, I oppose Orange County putting more money into SunRail. Otherwise it will be a sinkhole for taxpayer monies. We need transformative innovation in train systems so they can run without massive taxpayer subsidies.

What are your political aspirations, if any, beyond serving Orange County?

My sole political goal is to lead Orange County into a thriving 21st Century future. I want to see all of our citizens thrive! I’ll serve one or two terms as Orange County mayor.  Then I will return to the private sector and volunteer in youth sports as a coach. Career politics (across all parties) is damaging to America.