From Staff Reports
In Summary:
Kamia Brown and Mike Crabb outlined contrasting approaches to governing during a debate for the Orange County Commission District 2 seat. Brown emphasized community involvement, workforce development, housing and partnerships alongside infrastructure and public safety, while Crabb repeatedly focused on core government services, fiscal restraint and managing continued growth. Their differences were particularly evident in discussions of development, homelessness, senior services and economic development.
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Orange County Commission District 2 candidates Kamia Brown and Mike Crabb found considerable common ground during a candidate forum Tuesday, but their answers revealed different approaches to how county government should respond to the challenges facing northwest Orange County.
Apopka Involved Voters, a community organization that has held issue-based candidate forums since 2020, hosted the forum featuring Brown and Crabb at Victory Church in Apopka. The group organized the event to give voters a chance to compare the candidates’ responses to issues affecting Orange County.
Both identified infrastructure, traffic, water quality, and responsible growth as major concerns. Both discussed improving the county permitting process, protecting existing neighborhoods, and attracting better-paying jobs. But Crabb, the recently appointed District 2 commissioner, repeatedly returned to a narrower set of county priorities — public safety, infrastructure and fiscal restraint — while Brown, a former state representative, described a broader role that included housing, youth and senior services, workforce development and community partnerships.
Infrastructure provided perhaps their strongest area of agreement.
Brown said the county should complete existing projects before moving aggressively into new commitments, while considering how many residents a project affects, its cost, and its return on investment. She identified water quality as a particular priority.
"When we look at water quality, and protecting many of our resources over here, those would remain a priority because we all need those — affect us all, right?" Brown said.
Crabb said safety should drive infrastructure decisions, particularly dangerous intersections and pedestrian areas, followed closely by sewer, water and wastewater projects.
The candidates separated more clearly over how county government should respond to growth. Brown emphasized protecting existing communities, following county planning policies and giving residents a meaningful voice when large developments are proposed nearby.
"We have to protect the rights of those that currently live there and make sure we have input from those residents before bringing in this new development," Brown said.
Crabb said he would protect rural boundaries and encourage infill development, but described continued growth as a reality Orange County must accommodate and manage.
"This is a great place to live, work and play," Crabb said. "I can't put a gate on I-4 and stop traffic or stop folks from moving here. They want to live here. We have to put them in houses. So we can't stop building."
Crabb proposed keeping impact fees closer to the developments generating them so transportation improvements can accompany growth. Brown focused more heavily on ensuring infrastructure is available before development and protecting water resources and established communities.
Their different governing philosophies also surfaced during the discussion of homelessness. Brown advocated a community approach involving the county, law enforcement, businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations, connecting homelessness with behavioral health, employment, and attainable housing.
"Most folks, they are not looking for a handout, but they are looking to be connected to someone or one who understands where they are, someone who won't judge," Brown said.
Crabb supported county funding for homelessness programs but drew a clearer distinction between funding services and having county employees provide them.
"I don't think that the county should have boots on the ground," Crabb said. "I'm supportive of funding these nonprofits doing great work in our county and working really hard on getting these folks off the street."
Economic development provided another contrast. Crabb, a small-business owner, said Orange County needs to become easier to do business with and consider incentives that could attract companies offering higher-paying jobs. Asked which industries District 2 should target, however, he declined to select one.
"I wouldn't target a specific industry," Crabb said, instead advocating a broadly pro-business approach.
Brown identified hospitality, manufacturing and technology and tied economic development to vocational education, apprenticeships and workforce training. Her argument was that District 2 should create a pipeline that lets residents get training and find better-paying jobs closer to home.
The candidates also differed on Orange County's aging population. Brown proposed helping seniors remain in their homes through programs including home retrofits and easier use of accessory dwelling units for families caring for aging relatives.
"I believe that our seniors should not be removed out of a community that they built," Brown said.
Crabb supported existing senior programs but raised the possibility that Amendment 3, which would expand Florida's homestead exemption if voters approve it, could force spending decisions.
"Seniors are a priority," Crabb said. "Are we going to cut it? Absolutely not. But maybe we have to cut it back, I don't know."
By the end of the forum, the candidates had outlined two different approaches to District 2's next four years. Brown repeatedly connected infrastructure with economic opportunity, attainable housing, youth programs, senior services and greater community involvement. Crabb consistently returned to public safety, roads, water and sewer, economic development, and limiting the financial burden on taxpayers.
The debate produced fewer disagreements over the problems facing District 2 than over the appropriate role of county government in solving them. Both see a district struggling with growth, traffic, and infrastructure that has not always kept pace with development. Their differences emerged primarily in how broadly county government should respond — and where its limited resources should be concentrated.
Voters will choose between Brown and Crabb on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.
Key Points:
- Infrastructure: Both candidates made roads, water, sewer, and other infrastructure major priorities, although Crabb placed particular emphasis on public safety and accelerating delayed projects.
- Growth: Brown stressed protecting existing communities and giving residents a meaningful voice in development decisions, while Crabb advocated rural-boundary protections, infill, and infrastructure improvements while acknowledging that continued growth cannot be stopped.
- Government spending: Crabb emphasized finding money within the existing county budget and opposing additional taxes or fees, while Brown discussed budget efficiencies, zero-based budgeting, and pursuing state and federal funding.
- Economic development: Brown identified hospitality, manufacturing, and technology as potential targets and emphasized workforce training and apprenticeships. Crabb favored a broader pro-business strategy focused on making Orange County easier for businesses to navigate and attracting higher-paying jobs.
- Role of county government: Brown described a wider county role involving housing, youth, seniors, workforce development, and community partnerships, while Crabb concentrated more heavily on public safety, infrastructure, and using nonprofits or the private sector to provide some services.
