Messina

Aiken City Council voted Oct. 26 against naming Aiken Regional Airport or its terminal after the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. The proposal, initiated by council member Kay Brohl, originally sought to rename the airport itself but was amended to apply only to the terminal building after the General Aviation Commission unanimously recommended keeping the airport's name unchanged. Several speakers argued the terminal should instead honor Michael L. Laughlin, a former state senator and aviation businessman who funded its original construction. In a roll-call vote, Brohl, Messina and Mayor Teddy Milner supported naming the terminal for Graham, while Morgan, Price, Waldo and Diggs opposed it, defeating the measure.

Orange County, Florida voters on Nov. 3 will pick a new mayor from Democrat Tiffany Moore Russell and Republican Chris Messina, while also voting on Amendment 3, a statewide measure to phase out property taxes on primary homes. Moore Russell opposes the amendment and says she'd cut vacant positions, review contracts and freeze hiring to offset losses; Messina supports it and favors zero-based budgeting and selling unused county assets. Analysts estimate the county could lose hundreds of millions in general fund and public safety tax revenue if the measure passes. Moore Russell led the August primary, and the race has become the costliest in county history.

Orange County, Florida voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to elect a new mayor for the first time in eight years, choosing between Tiffany Moore Russell and Chris Messina to succeed Jerry Demings. Both candidates laid out economic plans focused on high-paying jobs. Messina proposed positioning the county as a space-tech hub and launching "Orange County Works," a $10 million skilled-trades education initiative modeled on Osceola County's Prosper program, citing a shortage of over 2,000 trades workers. Moore Russell emphasized strengthening existing industries—tourism, manufacturing, modeling and simulation, and Lake Nona's Medical City—while streamlining permitting and expanding workforce training through CareerSource to attract new businesses.

No candidate secured a majority in the Orange County, Florida mayoral race, sending the contest to a November runoff between County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell and businessman Chris Messina. The race will decide who succeeds term-limited Mayor Jerry Demings.

Unofficial results showed Moore Russell leading with about 32 percent of the vote, followed by Messina with about 28 percent. Moore Russell pointed to her experience as a former county commissioner and current clerk as evidence she understands the community and its budget challenges. Messina, running as a conservative in the officially nonpartisan race, campaigned on economic revitalization, space-industry growth and higher-paying jobs, arguing the county's political establishment has failed to address stagnant incomes.

Former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy finished a close third with about 26 percent and conceded to both opponents, setting up a two-way race for November.