Tallahassee, FLVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Tallahassee Mayor & City Commission Election 2026

3 of 5

council seats up

3 contests

6 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Mayor · 1 seat

Commissioner Seat 3 · 1 seat

Commissioner Seat 5 · 1 seat

Three citywide contests are on this ballot: mayor and City Commission Seats 3 and 5. Every Tallahassee voter picks one candidate in each.

4 notes on these statements

Seat 3 is open because Jeremy Matlow is running for mayor. A manual recount put Tom Derzypolski 15 votes ahead of Talethia Edwards for the second runoff spot. Tallahassee Reports · Aug 25, 2026

Daryl Parks, who finished third in the mayoral primary, endorsed Loranne Ausley. Tallahassee Reports · Aug 26, 2026

Former Seat 3 candidate Talethia Edwards endorsed Loranne Ausley for mayor and Tom Derzypolski for Seat 3. WFSU · Sep 28, 2026

At a Seat 3 candidate forum, PJ Perez said he would vote for Jeremy Matlow for mayor; Tom Derzypolski said he had not decided. Tallahassee Reports · Oct 2, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Jack PorterSeat 1 city commissioner with FSU master's degrees in urban and regional planning and public administration. She previously worked at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow.8sourcedCurtis RichardsonCity Commissioner, Seat 2; re-elected in November 20247sourced

Start here

Match quiz7 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesProperty taxes and the city budget, Growth, housing and data centers, License-plate cameras and immigration enforcementKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

Get your Tallahassee ballot cheat-sheet

Candidates, positions and dates in one email, sent now.

One email now. We only email again if you ask. No ads, never sold.

Next date

Voter registration deadline

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Property taxes and the city budget

Where it standsIn September 2026 a 3-2 majority could not keep the 4.4072-mill tax rate because a new state law requires four votes to exceed the rollback rate; the commission then set 4.2573 mills 5-0.

What's on the tableThe commission sets the property tax rate and adopts the budget every year, and must plan for a possible revenue loss if state Amendment 3 passes.

  • Under the new Florida law, a rate above the rollback rate needs two-thirds of the commission, meaning four of five votes. Fox 49 · Sep 23, 2026
  • The lower rate was balanced by putting less money into the city's Deficiencies Fund reserve rather than cutting services. Fox 49 · Sep 23, 2026
  • The budget itself passed 3-2, with Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter voting no. Fox 49 · Sep 23, 2026
  • City officials discussed an estimated $11 million impact in fiscal year 2028 if voters approve Amendment 3. Fox 49 · Sep 23, 2026

Growth, housing and data centers

Where it standsIn June 2026 the commission rejected, 3-2, a one-year moratorium on large data centers after the city manager said local law already does not allow them.

What's on the tableThe commission writes the land-use rules that decide where housing and large facilities such as data centers can be built.

License-plate cameras and immigration enforcement

Where it standsOn Sept. 9, 2026 the commission voted 5-0 to suspend the police department's automated license-plate reader cameras; the city's 287(g) agreement with ICE remains in place.

What's on the tableThe new commission will decide whether the cameras come back, stay suspended or are removed, and could revisit the ICE agreement.

City-county relations: fire service and consolidation

Where it standsLeon County voters will answer a nonbinding straw poll on Nov. 3 on whether the county should pursue a plan to consolidate the city and county governments; the joint fire services agreement is set to end Sept. 30, 2028.

What's on the tableThe commission will negotiate any new fire services agreement with Leon County and respond to the consolidation vote.

  • The straw poll asks whether Leon County should develop a plan for a single government under the Leon County structure; it does not create a consolidated government. Leon County Supervisor of Elections
  • The Leon County Commission voted 6-1 to put the consolidation question on the ballot. WTXL
  • In September 2025, city commissioners voted to end the fire services agreement when it expires in 2028. WTXL
  • The Leon County Commission voted unanimously to begin terminating the fire agreement for cause while saying it still hopes to negotiate a new one. Fox 49

The city manager

Where it standsKaren Jumonville became city manager on Oct. 1, 2026 under a five-year contract that requires a 4-1 vote to fire her.

What's on the tableThe commission appoints and can remove the city manager, who runs the city's day-to-day operations.

  • The commission voted 3-2 in September 2026 to offer the job to Jumonville, then the assistant city manager; Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow opposed. WFSU · Sep 2, 2026
  • The previous city manager contract required only a 3-2 majority to fire the manager. WCTV · Sep 9, 2026
  • Mayor John Dailey said he added the supermajority requirement because he believes it depoliticizes the position. WCTV · Sep 9, 2026

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. When rising property values would bring in more tax money, what should the city do with its tax rate?

  2. 2. Should Tallahassee adopt a pause or ban on large data centers?

  3. 3. What is the best way for the city to make housing more affordable?

  4. 4. What should happen to the city's suspended license-plate reader cameras?

  5. 5. Should the city end its 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement with ICE?

  6. 6. Should Leon County pursue a plan to consolidate the city and county governments?

  7. 7. How many commission votes should it take to fire the city manager?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Jack Porter, Curtis Richardson3 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • The mayor and four city commissioners each serve four-year, staggered terms; the mayor presides at meetings, has no veto and casts one vote on the commission. City of Tallahassee
  • City Commission races are nonpartisan, elected by all City of Tallahassee voters, with no term limits; winners take office the 13th day after the general election. Leon County Supervisor of Elections
  • The city commission appoints four officers to administer the duties of the city. City of Tallahassee
  • Tallahassee uses a council-manager system, in which the elected commission appoints a city manager to run day-to-day operations. Ballotpedia

Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works →

Take your ballot with you

Who is on your ballot, where each candidate stands, and the dates that matter, in one email you can carry to the polls. Sent right now.

One email now. We only email again if you ask. No ads, never sold.

See something wrong? Report an error

Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.