Jerry L. Demings (born June 12, 1959) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as

Mayor of Orange County, Florida Mayor of Orange County, Florida is the chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. The mayor is elected countywide. Duties and powers The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county governmen ...

, in office since 2018. A Democrat, he previously served as Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, from 2009 to December 2018, and served as Chief of the

Orlando Police Department The Orlando Police Department (OPD) is responsible for law enforcement within the city limits of Orlando, Florida. The OPD employs over 800 sworn officers and over 150 civilian employees serving the citizens of Orlando through crime prevention ...

and Director of Public Safety for

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central county ...

. He was elected Mayor of Orange County in August 2018, becoming the first Democrat and first African American to be elected to that office.

Early life and education

Demings was born and raised in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, the youngest of five children. His father was a taxi driver and his mother a homemaker. One of his brothers died of heroin addiction. He graduated from Jones High School in Orlando and later attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

and

Everest College Everest College was a system of colleges in the United States, and with Wyotech, made up Zenith Education. It was until 2015 a system of for-profit colleges in the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario, owned and operated by Corint ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in finance and master's degree in business administration. He also has a certificate of completion from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Kennedy School The Kennedy School, originally the John D. Kennedy Elementary School, is a former elementary school that has been converted to a hotel, movie theater and dining establishment in northeast Portland, Oregon. The facility is operated by the McMenam ...

, FBI National Academy and FBI National Executive Institute.

Career

Demings worked as an accountant before beginning a career in law enforcement. Demings joined the

in 1981 after certification from the J. C. Stone Memorial Police Academy. He worked in the department as a detective before he became its first African-American chief in 1998, serving until his retirement after 21 years with the department in 2002. In 2002, he was named Director of Public Safety for Orange County, a position in which he served until 2008. In 2008, Demings ran as the Democratic candidate for Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, the chief law enforcement officer of the county. He defeated his Republican challenger John B. Tegg III, and became the first African-American to serve in the post. Demings was re-elected in 2012, and again in 2016. In July 2016, Demings was elected as president of the Florida Sheriffs' Association. When Demings was elected county Sheriff in 2008, his wife,

Val Demings Valdez Venita Demings (née Butler; born March 12, 1957) is an American politician and former police officer serving as the U.S. representative from since 2017. The district covers most of the western half of Orlando and includes much of the ar ...

, held his former job as Chief of the Orlando Police Department. Demings' Republican opponent in the Sheriff's race, John Tegg, alleged that his election would create a conflict of interest. In April 2022, Demings spoke out against the repeal of the

Reedy Creek Improvement Act The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, otherwise known as House Bill No. 486, was a law introduced and passed in the U.S. state of Florida in 1967, which established the area surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort, the Reedy Creek Improvement Distri ...

, saying that the Florida legislature had not "adequately contemplated the ramifications" and said it would put an "undue burden" on taxpayers.

Personal life

Demings is married to U.S. Representative

, whom he met during his early years with the Orlando Police Department. He was a detective and she was a first-year police officer when they both worked a juvenile go-kart-accident case. They married in 1988 and have three children along with five grandchildren. His wife served as a captain in the police department while he was chief and later went on to become the first female police chief of the Orlando Police Department, serving from 2007 to 2011. She was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 2016.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Demings, Jerry Living people 1959 births African-American mayors in Florida African-American sheriffs Florida sheriffs Florida Democrats Jones High School (Orlando, Florida) alumni People from Orange County, Florida Chiefs of the Orlando Police Department 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people