Mike Crabb
From Staff Reports
In Summary:
Mike Crabb has been appointed to represent District 2 on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, restoring the seven-member body to full strength. The Ocoee resident and longtime Orange County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant becomes an incumbent shortly before early voting begins in the five-candidate District 2 election.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Orange County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Crabb on Friday to represent District 2 on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, filling a seat that had been vacant since April.
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The appointment makes Crabb the incumbent just weeks before he faces four other candidates for a full four-year term representing northwestern Orange County, including Apopka and Ocoee.
Crabb will serve the remainder of former Commissioner Christine Moore’s second term, which expires in December. Moore resigned April 27 to run unsuccessfully for mayor of Apopka.
In a statement posted on his campaign’s Facebook page, Crabb said he would represent residents throughout the district and county regardless of their political affiliations or backgrounds.
“I am honored to be appointed by the Governor to fill the District 2 County Commission vacancy,” Crabb said. “As a 30-year deputy sheriff, I took my job of protecting all residents and visitors in Orange County very seriously. As County Commissioner, I will do the same and will represent the interests of District 2, all residents of Orange County and voters, regardless of political party or background.”
Crabb, 59, has worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for more than 30 years and owns The Shirt Shop USA in downtown Ocoee. He plans to retire from the Sheriff’s Office and begin working full time as a county commissioner while continuing his election campaign in the evenings and on weekends.
His appointment restores the Orange County Commission to its full seven-member voting body at a consequential time. Commissioners are expected to consider proposals involving tens of millions of dollars in Tourist Development Tax revenue in the coming months. The county is also scheduled to vote in September on a proposed budget approaching $9 billion.
DeSantis informed Crabb of the appointment Friday afternoon. Crabb had applied to fill the vacancy several months earlier but had stopped expecting the governor to make an appointment and was concentrating on his campaign.
Under Florida law, the governor has the authority to appoint someone to fill a vacancy in a county office. Crabb will serve through the conclusion of Moore’s existing term while voters decide who will represent District 2 for the next four years.
Crabb is one of five candidates in the August 18 nonpartisan election. Also running are former state Rep. Kamia Brown of Ocoee; Wes Hodge, who has served as chief of staff to Orange County Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad; Ocoee City Commissioner George Oliver III; and Apopka attorney Marsha Summersill.
Early voting begins Monday. If no candidate receives a majority, the two leading candidates will advance to a runoff in the November 3 general election.
The timing of the appointment gives Crabb the ability to campaign as a sitting commissioner shortly before voting begins.
DeSantis made a similar appointment shortly before a primary election in 2024, when he selected William “Scott” Ramsey to fill a vacancy on the Osceola County School Board. Ramsey was one of four candidates seeking the seat, which had been vacant for approximately six months. He advanced from the August primary but lost in November.
Key Points:
- DeSantis appointed Crabb to the District 2 seat Friday.
- The seat had been vacant since Christine Moore resigned April 27.
- District 2 includes northwestern Orange County, including Apopka and Ocoee.
- Crabb is a longtime Orange County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant and Ocoee business owner.
- Early voting begins Monday for the August 18 nonpartisan election.
