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.[4]
Demings worked as an accountant before beginning a career in law enforcement.[11] Demings joined the Orlando Police Department in 1981 after certification from the J. C. Stone Memorial Police Academy.[12] He worked in the department as deputy chief of the Investigative Services Bureau before he became its first African-American police chief in 1998,[13] serving until his retirement after 21 years with the department in 2002.[14][15][16] In 2002, he was named director of Public Safety for Orange County, a position in which he served until 2008. In 2008, Demings ran as the Democratic candidate for sheriff of Orange County, Florida, the chief law enforcement officer of the county. He defeated his Republican challenger John B. Tegg III,[17] and became the first African-American to serve in the post.[14][18] Demings was re-elected in 2012,[5] and again in 2016.[19] In July 2016, Demings was elected as president of the Florida Sheriffs' Association.[20]
When Demings was elected county sheriff in 2008, his wife, Val Demings, held his former job as chief of the Orlando Police Department.[8][21] Demings' Republican opponent in the sheriff's race, John Tegg, alleged that his election would create a conflict of interest.[20][8]
Demings' official mayoral portrait during his first term, 2018
In April 2022, Demings spoke out against the repeal of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, saying that the Florida legislature had not "adequately contemplated the ramifications" and said it would put an "undue burden" on taxpayers.[22][23]
COVID-19 Public Health Policies, including Lawsuits
In 2021, Demings implemented a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for Orange County employees, initially threatening termination for noncompliance but later capping discipline for firefighters at written reprimands following negotiations with the firefighters' union.[28] The policy drew opposition, including from Orange County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Davis, who was terminated in October 2021 for refusing to issue reprimands to subordinates over vaccination status, citing concerns about inaccuracies in compliance lists and potential violations of exemptions.[29][30] Davis's firing received attention from Governor Ron DeSantis, who criticized it and supported related legal challenges to local mandates.[31] Davis later sued the county alleging wrongful termination, with appeals reaching the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.[32]
In 2024, Orange County Government under the leadership of Mayor Demings faced a federal lawsuit filed by a former employee, who worked as a security representative at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) identified herein as Joshua Crockett over alleged civil rights violations. In particular, Crockett alleged discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, and disability, as well as retaliation and hostile work environment under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 1983.[33] Of note, Crockett asserted Security Manager Isiah White Jr., a childhood friend of Demings, selectively enforced the EG2 Grooming Policy and retaliated against his religious practices as a follower of Yeshua HaMashiach, including a 2022 confrontation where Demings allegedly dismissed Title VII concerns with laughter.[34] In summary, the case was decided on the merits in Florida’s Division of Administrative Hearings against the Petitioner in the case, identified herein as Joshua Crockett which was adopted in Toto by the Florida Commission on Human Relations. As of now, the case is on appeal before Florida’s First District Court of Appeals.[35] This case, which intersects with Demings’ tenure as mayor, involves allegations of indifference to constitutional rights and remains pending as of November 12, 2025.[36] In conclusion, Mayor Demings’ actions during the COVID-19 pandemic have been upheld by ALJ Bruce Culpepper with Florida’s Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH). In other words, Crockett failed to substantiate his allegations in the court of law. [37]
Personal life
Demings is married to former U.S. representative Val Demings, whom he met during his early years with the Orlando Police Department. He was a detective and she was a first-year police officer when they both worked a juvenile go-kart-accident case.[6][38] They married in 1988 and have three children along with five grandchildren.[6][39] His wife served as a captain in the police department while he was chief and later went on to become the first female police chief of the Orlando Police Department, serving from 2007 to 2011. She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2016.[6] Demings wrote and published a book, Believe: Faith, Truth and the Courage to Lead which details his response to the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre and his leadership as county mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, in August 2025.[40]
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