Orange County Commission, District 8 (runoff)
County commissioners set the county budget and property-tax (millage) rate, adopt land-use and zoning rules, and oversee county services such as roads, parks, libraries, fire/EMS and utilities. District 8 is a newly created seat in 2026. Term: 4 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Confirmed Oct. 18, 2026 from county sources (the state's candidate list is incomplete for county offices): Official Aug. 18 nonpartisan results: Torres 5,982 (33.57%), Quinones Hernandez 3,546 (19.90%), Haas 15.35%, Fernandez 13.27%, Anderson 11.57%, Rocha 6.34%. Nobody won a majority, so the top two go to a runoff. The SOE's Nov. 3 composite sample ballot lists County Commissioner District 8 with Jeannette Quinones Hernandez and Victor M. Torres Jr. only. The ballot name is 'Victor M. Torres Jr.', and the guide may want to match it.
Candidates
Report an error ↗
Victor M. Torres Jr.
Torres is a Marine Corps veteran, retired New York City detective and retired school bus and LYNX bus operator and union member. He was elected to the Florida House in 2012 and the state Senate in 2016, and was term-limited in 2024. He led the August 18, 2026 primary for the newly created Orange County Commission Dist…
Jeannette Quinones Hernandez
Quinones Hernandez is a mother and former small business owner who worked as an outreach specialist and coordinator in then-U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's office. She finished second in the August 18, 2026 primary for the newly created Orange County Commission District 8 with about 20% and advanced to the November 3 runoff a…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Victor M. Torres Jr. Nonpartisan | Jeannette Quinones Hernandez Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position She says property taxes are too high and that revenue lost to a tax cut should be replaced primarily through service efficiencies, cutting waste and prioritizing core government functions. |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | Strongly disagrees· stated position He opposes the proposed constitutional amendment to sharply cut property taxes, saying he cannot support one that dramatically reduces local revenue without a responsible plan to replace it, and instead points to responsible budgeting and identifying efficiencies. | Strongly agrees· stated position She supports the proposed constitutional amendment to sharply cut property taxes, saying they are too high and burden homeowners, seniors on fixed incomes and working families, and that lost revenue should be replaced mainly through service efficiencies and cutting waste. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Strongly agrees· stated position He says increasing the supply of workforce and affordable housing is a priority and that neighborhoods should be protected from displacement. | Mixed / neutral· stated position She says she would address housing costs by lowering impact fees and reducing regulations that drive up construction costs in order to promote more workforce housing, rather than through new government programs. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Strongly agrees· stated position His stated environmental priority is protecting water resources while managing growth responsibly, including investment in stormwater infrastructure and preserving environmentally sensitive lands. | Mixed / neutral· stated position She says she favors responsible protection of wetlands and natural flood buffers while allowing smart growth, and opposes what she calls extreme policies. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position He says he supports smart growth that protects water resources and would require new growth to pay its fair share for infrastructure, paired with smarter land-use decisions and transit investment. | Leans disagree· stated position She pledges to reduce impact fees and cut regulations she considers unnecessary, while saying she would promote smart, responsible development and protect neighborhood character. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
Victor M. Torres Jr.Jeannette Quinones HernandezHow the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Victor M. Torres Jr. | not enough data | not enough data |
| Jeannette Quinones Hernandez | 1.33 (3 statements) | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Victor M. Torres Jr.
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Jeannette Quinones Hernandez
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.