From Apopka Involved Voters
Apopka Involved Voters is a community organization that informs residents about current and emerging issues that may directly affect their quality of life. Since 2020, the organization has conducted issue-based forums to help voters learn more about candidates and make informed decisions.
As part of the 2026 election cycle, Apopka Involved Voters will host two Orange County runoff issues forums before vote-by-mail ballots begin arriving September 25.
The forums will be held at Victory Church, 509 S. Park Avenue, Apopka. Each forum will begin at 7 pm and is expected to conclude by approximately 9 pm.
Tiffany Moore-Russell and Chris Messina emerged from the four-candidate Orange County mayoral field and will advance to a November runoff.
Moore-Russell led with 32% of the vote, ahead of Messina at 28%. Stephanie Murphy and Maria Uribe finished outside of the top two.
In District 2, Mike Crabb and Kamia Brown will meet again in November after leading the five-candidate race for Orange County Commission District 2.
Brown received 7,490 (32.15%) of the vote, while Crabb finished with 5,986 (25.69%).
Forum Schedule
- Orange County Mayor Runoff Issues Forum
Monday, September 21, 2026
- Orange County District 2 Commissioner Runoff Issues Forum
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
The forums will be open to a live audience and livestreamed through The Apopka Chief’s Facebook and YouTube channels. The events will also be promoted throughout Central Florida.
The forums will help voters distinguish among candidates based on their responses to important community issues. Candidates will have an opportunity to explain their vision for Orange County, discuss their priorities, and describe how they would serve residents in a representative form of government.
The questions will focus on issues that affect the county’s quality of life and long-term sustainability. The forums are issue-based and designed to help voters make better decisions based on how each candidate answers the questions and who, in the voter’s mind, is best suited to be elected.
The issue-based forum does not provide for whipsawing between candidates or gotcha questions. Rather than emphasizing campaign slogans or personal attacks, the forum gives voters an opportunity to compare candidates’ positions and determine which candidate’s vision best aligns with their views of the community.
An issues forum can provide voters with information that may be difficult to obtain through campaign mailers alone. Each candidate will have an opportunity to respond directly to the questions, allowing voters to evaluate the candidates’ knowledge, priorities, and proposed solutions.
Apopka Involved Voters recently hosted a runoff issues forum for the Apopka mayoral election. That forum is available on YouTube. The upcoming Orange County forums will be livestreamed through The Apopka Chief’s YouTube channel.
Residents are encouraged to attend in person or watch the livestream to become better informed before voting.
Watch the Oange County Mayor Forum and Orange County Commission Forum here:
Any questions concerning the forums should be directed to John Drago at 407-889-9495.
