Jerry Demings

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Jerry L. Demings (born June 12, 1959) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as the fifth mayor of Orange County, Florida since 2018. He is the first African American to hold the position. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as sheriff of Orange County from 2009 to 2018 and as chief of the Orlando Police Department from 1998 to 2002. Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Demings graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree in finance in 1980. After a brief career in accounting, he joined the Orlando Police Department in 1981 and was promoted through the ranks until his appointment as chief of police in 1998, becoming the first African American to hold the post. In 2008, Demings was elected sheriff of Orange County and was the first African American elected countywide. His tenure coincided with the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre; then the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since the September 11 attacks and the second deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. Due to Florida's resign-to-run laws, Demings resigned as sheriff to run for county mayor in 2018, and won the August primary with 62 percent of the vote; avoiding the need for a runoff election. Demings became the first Democrat to be elected as Orange County mayor since Linda Chapin's re-election in 1994. He was re-elected in 2022 with 61 percent of the vote. He filed paperwork to run for governor of Florida in the 2026 election on November 3, 2025. Demings is married to Val Demings, a former U.S. representative and the 2022 Democratic nominee for U.S. senator from Florida.