Tallahassee voters will choose a new mayor in the Nov. 3 general election, a nonpartisan race for City Commission Seat 4 that pays $99,167 annually. The winner is sworn in Nov. 16.
Two candidates are competing: Loranne Ausley, 62, an attorney and small business owner who spent more than 20 years as a Florida state senator and representative and founded Whole Child Leon and the South City Foundation; and Jeremy Matlow, 41, the lone sitting City Commissioner in the race, a co-owner of Gaines Street Pies with eight years of local government experience.
Both candidates say restoring public trust in City Hall is a top priority, though they frame the city's challenges differently. Ausley emphasizes unifying a divided commission and addressing housing costs and growth while protecting neighborhoods. Matlow casts himself as a break from entrenched political and developer interests, pledging affordable housing units, permitting reform and neighborhood reinvestment. The race will test voter appetite for continuity versus change in city leadership.
