ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The two remaining candidates vying to be Orange County’s sixth Mayor fielded tough questions during the final debate before the November 3rd election.
Tech Businessman Chris Messina and Orange County Clerk of Court Tiffany Moore-Russell met at WFTV studios Wednesday night for their 10th debate after emerging as the final candidates after finishing first and second in the August election.
Both candidates began the debate by touting their respective experience in the public and private sectors. Messina opened by stating he’s not a career politician.
“My career has been in building businesses, foundations, and trade associations that have created thousands of good jobs,” he said. “We need a new vision in Orange County, not another recycled politician.”
Moore-Russell countered by playing up her decades of experience. “I’m ready on day one with legislative and executive experience to deliver results for residents of Orange County,” she said.
Both candidates said their first order of business would be to closely examine county government spending, although they disagreed on how best to do it. Messina said he would start with a forensic audit to root out waste.
“We’re going to look at programs that are redundant, programs that are unnecessary,” he said.
Moore-Russell stressed that she would meet with the different agencies inside the county government to determine what changes would be made, adding that she cut her budget three times as Clerk of Court without laying anyone off.
“For me, it’s not called cutting the fat,” she said. “It’s looking for ways to leverage technology to be more efficient. It’s looking for ways to deploy our services without sacrificing our employees.”
The debate then shifted to Amendment 3, the widely discussed property tax amendment that would raise the homestead exemption for 60 percent of Florida’s homeowners. Messina has been a strong supporter of the measure, while Russell remains opposed.
“Amendment 3 would lead to savings for people, many of whom I met on the campaign trail,” said Messina. “$1,000 in Year 1 and $ 2,000 in Year 2.”
Moore-Russell pushed back. “If Amendment 3 passes, we will have to make some tough choices, and my concern is that what’s most at risk are those discretionary projects.”
222,000 registered voters in Orange County have already cast their ballots during the early voting period, which ends November 1st. Election Day is November 3rd.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.