For the first time in more than a decade, Tallahassee voters will choose a new mayor without an incumbent on the ballot, setting the stage for a contest that could reshape both the city’s leadership and its political culture. Preview.

City Commission Seat 3

There are six candidates on the ballot competing for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3. The seat is currently occupied by City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow. However, his decision to run for mayor has resulted in an open seat which attracted a diverse set of candidates entering the race. Preview.

City Commission Seat 5

Incumbent City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox is seeking a third term representing Tallahassee City Commission Seat 5 after first winning election in 2018. Her challengers include Tiffany Hill and Dot Inman-Johnson. Preview.

Former state senator Loranne Ausley, businessman Michael Shawn Foust, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, and attorney Daryl Parks are vying to succeed Mayor John Dailey, who opted not to seek another term.

The race comes after years of increasingly sharp divisions on the Tallahassee City Commission, where public clashes among elected officials have led many residents and civic leaders to describe the atmosphere as toxic.

With four candidates offering different visions for the also a referendum on whether Tallahassee can reset the tone of local government and move beyond the political rancor that has defined recent years.

Provided below is a summary of positions taken by the candidates on several important issues during the various political forums.  

TMH Deal, Country Club Sale, & Tone at City Hall

The four candidates offered contrasting views on some of the city’s most consequential recent decisions while agreeing that restoring trust and a more productive tone at City Hall will be a central challenge for the next administration.

During a forum, the candidates discussed the transfer of TMH hospital assets to FSU atmosphere among city com missioners.

The candidates’ views on TMH reflected one of the sharpest divides in the race. Ausley and Parks voiced support for the partnership with health care, attract investment and create high-paying jobs. Ausley described the agreement as a rare opportunity to position Tallahassee as a regional medical hub.

Foust also supported the partnership, but criticized the way the agreement was handled, saying residents deserved a more transparent process and greater public discussion before such a significant decision was made.

Matlow remained the most critical of the deal, arguing the city moved too quickly in transferring a valuable public asset without ensuring taxpayers received the best possible outcome. He has continued to question the transparency and terms of the agreement.

The candidates also differed on the city’s acquisition of Capital City Country Club. Matlow opposed the purchase, saying the city should prioritize other needs, including infrastructure and essential services. Foust raised concerns about the financial implicat

ions and whether the investment represented the best use of public funds. Ausley and Parks were more supportive, pointing to the potential recreational, environmental and community benefits of preserving the property for public use.

Beyond individual policy debates, the candidates acknowledged that the tone of city government has become a major issue in the mayor’s race. The current commission has been marked by public disagreements and personal clashes, creating what some residents have described as a toxic political environment.

Parks made restoring civility a centerpiece of his campaign, saying Tallahassee needs leadership focused on bringing people together and finding common ground. Ausley emphasized collaboration and the need for commissioners to work as a team to address challenges facing the city.

Foust said the city needs a more professional and business like approach to decision making, while Matlow defended his willingness to challenge the status quo, arguing that disagreement and account ability are necessary parts of government.

With Mayor John Dailey choosing not to seek another term, the 2026 election gives voters an opportunity to choose a new direction for City Hall — not only on major policy questions, but also on how local leaders work together.

Blueprint Projects and Infrastructure

A sharp divide emerged over the Airport Gateway project. Jeremy Matlow advocated for shutting down the project, arguing it has ballooned to nearly $200 million and created “luxury roadways” while existing neighborhoods lack basic sidewalks and suffer from flooding.

Daryl Parks disagreed “greatly,” stating that jobs should be the top priority and that projects like the Airport Gateway and Welaunee represent essential opportunities for employment.

Michael Foust suggested prioritizing infrastructure repairs on the Southside.

The 287(g) Agreement with ICE

The agreement between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities was a “lightning rod” issue:

Jeremy Matlow advocated for repealing the agreement, stating it is not in the local budget to perform federal immigration enforcement.

Daryl Parks and Michael Foust were in favor of keeping the agreement;

Parks supported police enforcing the law, and Foust argued for educating the public to understand it better.

Lorrane Ausley expressed a “great deal of concern” regarding the agreement but emphasized that immigration is primarily a federal issue.

City Employee Pay Raises

 The candidates differed on the implementation of a proposed 4% across-the-board raise for city employees. Loranne Ausley and Michael Foust both supported the across-the-board raise for all public sector workers.

Jeremy Matlow opposed raises for employees making over $150,000 a year, citing an “extreme imbalance” in pay.

Daryl Parks opposed a blanket raise, suggesting the city should instead prioritize specific departments based on their needs and history.

City-County Consolidation

Regarding a straw poll on exploring government consolidation, Michael Foust was the only candidate to vote “yes,” arguing that it could be done correctly despite past failures.

Ausley, Matlow, and Parks all voted “no,” citing the history of failed attempts and the need for better cooperation rather than full consolidation.

Leadership and the “Three to-Two” Divide

The candidates also differed on the cause of the current City Commission’s fractured 3-2 voting bloc. Matlow characterized the divide as a necessary struggle against policies like raising taxes or selling public land to billionaires. Conversely, Parks and Ausley emphasized a lack of civility and bridge-building as the root cause, while Foust attributed the issue to “political infighting”.

During one forum, the candidates were asked to provide a letter grade for the current mayor’s tenure. Michael Foust gave the mayor a B plus, describing him as “solid” and “overall a good mayor,” though he noted the mayor could be more public facing.

Jeremy Matlow gave the mayor an F, arguing that the city is not moving in the right direction and citing “mismanagement” and poor treatment of other elected officials as reasons for the failing grade.

Daryl Parks and Loranne Ausley both refused to give a specific letter grade. Parks stated the mayor had done a “fairly good job” but needed to address crime. Ausley acknowledged that while “amazing things” occurred during his tenure, many citizens feel “left out” and “unheard”.

Property Taxes

All three candidates opposed a statewide amendment to phase out most non-school home stead property taxes, with Matlow warning it would raise costs for renters and business owners.

Current City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cxx won the straw poll of NEBA members with 87% of the vote. Inman-Johnson received 12% and Hill garnered 1%.

A central theme was the role of the Tallahassee International Airport in economic development. Inman-Johnson labeled the airport the “biggest obstacle” to business recruitment, arguing that “simply changing the name from regional to international did not make it an international airport”. Williams-Cox defended the city’s progress, highlighting the development of an international processing center to facilitate global shipping. Hill emphasized a “people-inclusive” approach, suggesting the city must sit down with small businesses to identify specific permitting and incentive needs.

The candidates also sparred over the FSU/TMH academic health center. Williams-Cox championed the partnership as a way to leverage technology and improve rural healthcare. However, Hill raised concerns regarding transparency, noting that “17 documents” were reportedly incomplete when the decision to transfer assets was made. Inman-Johnson stressed that the center is years from reality and must prioritize maintaining indigent healthcare for those without insurance.

Addressing the perceived “3-2 split” on the current commission, Williams-Cox dismissed the narrative as “clickbait,” stating that the commission votes together 93% of the time. Hill countered that the perception exists because residents feel decisions often favor “big business”. Inman-Johnson pointed to broader dysfunction, citing the fire services fee dispute between the city and Leon County as a failure of intergovernmental cooperation.

In their closing statements regarding their first 100 days in office, Hill pledged to “build trust” through community workshops. Inman-Johnson vowed to “mend and heal divisions” between the city and county. Williams-Cox promised to “continue to follow our strategic plan,” maintaining public safety and housing as her top priorities.

The press conference was marked by a striking contrast between his plea for political civility and a series of pointed personal attacks against his opponent.

Matlow began his remarks by decrying the “negative mail, negative TV ads,” and “negative text” currently flooding the race, calling them “tactics that scare good people away”. He issued an explicit “call for calm,” urging all sides to “stop the smears, stop the lies… and stick to the issues”.

However, the majority of Matlow’s subsequent comments focused on the character and professional conduct of his opponent, Daryl Parks. Despite his plea to end “smears,” Matlow accused Parks of “grandstanding,” “villainizing” him, and acting as part of an “old guard” that rules with an “iron fist”.

Parks responded to Matlow’s press conference attack stating, “Jeremy Matlow’s desperate, mid-press-conference attack reveals exactly what he is: a divider, a bully, and a practitioner of the worst kind of deceptive politics.”

While Matlow insisted that candidates should “stick to the issues,” a significant portion of his address was dedicated to a controversial video related Talethia Edwards, a candidate for city commission seat 3. Matlow detailed allegations involving the Orlando Police Department, including claims of an “illegally” towed car, a “planted bomb,” and a candidate who “failed to appear again and again” in court.

Edwards responded to Matlow’s desire to move forward by stating, “I think that first starts with a formal apology from his campaign, as well as my opponent, P.J. Perez, who they employed this campaign manager on both campaigns, not just one, and a formal apology to the citizens of Tallahassee and the conservative residents in our community that was also misrepresented.”

During the press conference, Matlow argued that it was Parks who was failing to mention issues important to the public, yet Matlow himself spent considerable time discussing these third-party legal matters before pivoting to his own policy platform late in the conference.

Matlow framed the election as a choice between “the chaos of the last eight years” and a move toward a “more transparent and open government”. Paradoxically, he used the platform to criticize Parks for holding a press conference—the first of his campaign—labeling the move as “grandstanding” and a “personal attack” rather than an exercise in the transparency Matlow claims to champion.

In another rhetorical shift, Matlow characterized the current City Hall leadership as a “tiny faction of power players” and a “stubborn 3-2 majority” that “frustrate[s] the will of the voters”. Yet, when discussing regional issues like AI data centers, he noted that the combined city and county perspective often results in a “9 to 3 vote,” placing himself and Commissioner Porter in the minority against a broad consensus he otherwise dismissed as a “tiny faction”.

As the race enters its final stretch, Matlow continues to position himself as the only candidate with “real policy proposals,” even as his own rhetoric fluctuates between a demand for a higher road and the very “negative” tactics he publicly condemns.

The budget passed on a 4-1 vote, with District 1 board member Alva Smith casting the lone dissenting vote. The approved budget is approximately $32 million smaller than last year’s.

Superintendent Rocky Hanna said district leaders continue to face many of the same financial pressures that shaped last year’s budget.

“None of us are happy about this budget situation,” Hanna said. “Our staffing plan, we only funded at 98% this year. Our emergency reserves are at the lowest that I’ve seen now in my 11th year as superintendent.”

The district previously announced $7.8 million in budget reductions for the coming school year, citing continued enrollment declines. The cuts affect staffing, administrative operations, arts and athletics programs, and funding for community organizations.

Hanna said district operations have already absorbed significant reductions in an effort to protect classrooms.

“We cut our district cost centers, all district operations, by over 6% this year by consolidating positions and reducing operating expenses,” Hanna said. “We’ll continue to look at ways to cut at the district and not affect the classroom, but at some point, the classroom is going to be affected.”

Smith argued the district has not gone far enough to reduce spending before asking employees to shoulder the burden.

“I’m going to be a no on the budget this year until we find a way to make the deep cuts to support our teachers and support staff,” Smith said.

Board Chair Marcus Nicolas disagreed, saying substantial work has already been done to reduce costs and that school consolidation has been discussed as a possible future option.

The budget also leaves little room for teacher pay increases. Hanna said the district may ultimately seek voter approval of a property tax increase to generate additional local funding for teacher and staff salaries.

The Leon Classroom Teachers Association posted a comment a social media account addressing the teacher pay issue.

The statement said ” We have consistently advocated for consolidating non-school operations before considering the consolidation or closure of schools. At the same time, the District cannot continue to make two conflicting arguments: that declining enrollment requires school consolidation while also claiming that vouchers have had little impact on student enrollment. Both cannot be true to the degree they are being presented…..Our analysis of the District’s financial data from the 2017–18 through the 2024–25 school years shows that instructional spending increased by approximately 9%, while administrative site spending increased by approximately 42%. We have repeatedly asked Leon County Schools to explain the reasons for this disparity, but to date no rationale has been provided. Before discussing the consolidation of schools, this is one area that deserves careful examination as a potential source of savings.”

The board is scheduled to formally adopt the final budget at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Leon County Schools announced that Julie Lawson was not reappointed as principal and that Nikki Bradley would lead the Midtown elementary school beginning with the 2026-27 school year. The district did not publicly detail the findings at the time of the personnel change, but confirmed the decision followed an internal investigation.

According to reporting by the Tallahassee Democrat, the investigation centered on the school’s handling of an incident involving a student and examined whether administrators followed district policies for reporting, documenting and communicating with parents. The investigation also reviewed allegations involving Lawson’s treatment of employees who raised concerns about school operations.

The investigation concluded Lawson failed to comply with several district policies, including timely parental notification and appropriate administrative procedures following the incident. The report also detailed allegations of retaliation against employees who reported concerns.

Leon County Schools has not publicly released the complete investigative report, citing personnel confidentiality requirements under Florida law. The district has also not announced whether Lawson resigned or whether additional disciplinary action was taken beyond her removal as principal.

Lawson became principal of Kate Sullivan Elementary in 2021 after serving as an assistant principal in Leon County Schools. During her tenure, she was recognized by the district and community organizations for her leadership and school improvement efforts.

Kate Sullivan Elementary, one of Tallahassee’s oldest neighborhood schools, serves approximately 725 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Nikki Bradley assumed leadership of the school following the district’s decision not to reappoint Lawson.

During a comprehensive presentation, David Solz, Director of School Improvement and Accountability, reported that Leon County saw proficiency increases across every core subject area. English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rose by 4% district-wide, while math scores saw a significant 5-point gain in grades 3-5. Science scores were particularly strong, increasing by 5 points across all levels and placing the district 7 points above the state average in Biology.

“I have never been more proud of our school district,” said Superintendent Rocky Hanna, noting the achievements of staff and students alike. “We’re point twenty-five. Point 25 away from an A”.

The individual school results were equally striking, with 85% of schools (33 out of 39) either maintaining or improving their letter grade. The district now boasts 28 schools rated “A” or “B,” the highest number since 2012. Notable highlights included:

• Bond Elementary earned the first “A” in the school’s history, with historic growth for its bottom 25% of students (88% in reading and 90% in math).
• Fairview Middle School jumped from a “C” to an “A”.
• Cobb Middle School and Sealy Elementary both secured “A” ratings.
• Griffin and Oak Ridge successfully exited “Differentiated Accountability” status.

Board members attributed the success to “intentional investments,” particularly in early learning and the introduction of the UFLI reading program. Board Member Jones remarked, “The proof has been in the pudding,” while highlighting the “full evolution” of the district’s budget investments in student preparation.

Comparing Leon County to similarly sized districts, Board Member Wood highlighted that Leon’s 72% performance metric significantly outpaced Alachua (59%), Bay (68%), and Escambia (63%). “That’s the kind of comparison we need to be making right there,” Wood said.

Board Member Smith added that the data serves as a powerful marketing tool for public education. “No matter what area of town you live in… you’re going to be successful in Leon County Schools,” Smith noted. Superintendent Hannah concluded that the district would “scream it from the mountain tops” to ensure the community recognizes these historic gains .

Relative to 2025, the Passenger Traffic Report shows year-over-year passenger counts in June were down 7.5% for American Airlines and up 1.4% for the Delta Group. Impacting the numbers was the fact that Silver Airways ended service in June 2025.

The graph below shows the annualized number of passengers for the last 37-months. The highlighted numbers on the graph indicate the annual traffic during the month of June over the last four years. The annual rate of passengers at TIA in June 2026 – 865,546 – is down 8.99% when compared to one year ago (951,015). The annualized number of passengers is calculated by summing the previous 12 months of traffic.

June 2026 is the 15th consecutive month that annual passenger traffic has declined.

At the center of the allegations is a Facebook page originally titled “Pause the TMH Deal Vote No on December 10th,” which was later renamed “Tallahassee Conservatives”. Consistent with media reports, Parks, noted the page was administered by Matlow’s campaign manager and that the Matlow campaign ran political advertisements through that same account.

TR first reported that mayoral candidate Jeremy Matlow and his campaign manager were tied to a fake Facebook page designed to impact local elections. After the story was published, Matlow’s campaign manager, Kristellys Estanga resigned. Estanga’s political consulting clients have included U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

Matlow has denied any involvement with the Facebook renaming controversy.

Parks characterized these digital tactics as “deceptive” and “divisive,” alleging that the name change was a calculated effort to make it appear as though conservatives were attacking city commission seat 3 candidate Talietha Edwards, a Black woman. Parks argued this was a “deliberate attempt to inflame division” and “manipulate public perception” within the local race.

The Capital Conservative Club of Tallahassee, a local politically active group founded in 2009, issued a press release about the controversy.

“The Capital Conservative Club of Tallahassee is expressing concern about a fake Facebook page that used the name ‘Tallahassee Conservatives’ and appeared to suggest that local conservatives were encouraging the Tallahassee Police Benevolent Association to withdraw its endorsement of a candidate for the Tallahassee City Commission. We want to reassure Tallahassee residents that the Capital Conservative Club has no connection and has never had any connection to this Facebook page, which has since been taken down, or to any group using the name ‘Tallahassee Conservatives….Introducing misleading information into our community is not helpful to voters or to the election process. We believe campaigns should be conducted with transparency and respect for the people of Tallahassee. This type of activity contributes to the frustration many residents feel toward politics. We encourage anyone involved in creating or promoting misleading content to take responsibility for their actions.”

Parks Questions Matlow’s Tactics

Parks took the opportunity to questions Matlow’s political tactics.

“Tallahassee needs leadership that unites us, not leadership that hides behind misleading pages and divisive tactics,” Parks said. He further asserted that this behavior is not an isolated incident, claiming that for the last eight years, Matlow has consistently used tactics that “divide, mislead and inflame”.

Matlow’s city commission aide, Ryan Ray, runs a political blog that has published unflattering stories about fellow Democrats that do not walk the progressive line.

Parks called on community leaders, organizations, and Democrats who have endorsed Matlow to denounce these actions. Emphasizing that the mayoral race is a non-partisan “people election,” Parks argued that the contest should be defined by character, integrity, and accountability rather than the weaponization of identities for political points.

“We can debate ideas, we can disagree on policy, but we should never manipulate voters and mislead the public,” Parks concluded, pledging that his own commitment to the city would be rooted in truth and transparency.

See full press conference here.

Matlow campaign manager Kristellys Estanga, who resigned on Friday amid the controversy, said she acted alone. However, the text messages tell a different story.

“We are Confused”

Thursday afternoon, hours after the “Tallahassee Conservatives” Facebook page had been activated, a social media post revealed the name of the Facebook page had been changed from “Pause the TMH Deal – Vote No on Dec 10” to “Tallahassee Conservatives”.

Following this revelation, Darryl Alfred, a candidate for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3 texted Matlow campaign manager Estanga with a screen shot documenting the sudden name change of the Facebook page asking about the change.

Alfred texted, “Before I comment, wtf?”

Estanga replied: I have no idea. Idk how she got that supposed screen shot or how Jeremy’s name got on it. We looked everywhere from all angles and couldn’t find what she posted. And how it is linked to me is even more perplexing. Thanks for checking in before u comment. We are as confused as anyone. (Emphasis added)

Interestingly, Estanga’s response used “I” when referring to herself and “we” when referring to the campaign.

Estanga used “we” twice in describing the campaign’s efforts to figure out what was going on as more people on social media were discovering the Facebook page was fake.

These text messages are inconsistent with the Matlow campaign statement that Estanga acted alone. In addition, sources have told TR that the Matlow campaign had been discussing the political operation for weeks leading up to the Facebook page name change.

TR is gathering documents that show the seeds for the political operation began over a year ago, before Estanga was a part of the Matlow team.

Stay tuned for the documents as this investigation continues.

Estanga Text Message

Estanga is also the campaign manager for PJ Perez, a candidate for city commisison seat 3.

TR published a story on Thursday implicating the Matlow campaign in a political operation that used a fake Facebook page to make it look like a Tallahassee conservative group was attacking Talietha Edwards, a black candidate running for city commission seat 3. Matlow is backing PJ Perez for the seat and viewed Edwards as competition.

In a statement by Estanga, provided below, she admitted she was behind the fake Facebook page and said she act alone.

However, sources tell TR the operation was a “team effort” and more people than Estanga were involved.

TR is working on confirming Matlow’s role in the controversy.

Estanga Statement

Multiple sources have told TR that Kristellys Estanga, the campaign manager for the Matlow campaign, is the administrator of a Facebook page that was created and named “Pause the TMH Deal – Vote No on Dec 10”. Facebook records show that on July 23, 2026 the name of the page was changed to “Tallahassee Conservatives”.

In addition, documents indicate that the Jeremy Matlow campaign for City Commission ran political advertisements on posts tied to the Facebook account.

It appears that the purpose of the name change was to fool viewers into believing that conservatives were promoting the publication of damning information against a city commission seat 3 candidate, Talietha Edwards. Edwards is in a race with five other candidates, included PJ Perez, the progressive choice for the seat.

Officials with Tallahassee Alert Deny Involvement

The political shenanigans began to unfold this morning when the name of the Facebook page was changed from “Pause the TMH Deal – Vote No on Dec 10” to “Tallahassee Conservatives” on July 23., 2026. See image below.

After the name change, several administrators on the account received a message that their access to the Facebook account had been removed. This included multiple Tallahassee ALERT officials.

Tallahassee ALERT – a Black-led civic network committed to educating, organizing, and mobilizing our community to hold local leaders accountable – had been part of a coalition challenging the TMH deal, hence the original Facebook page name “Pause the TMH Deal on Dec 10”.

However, when the ALERT officials saw the current name of the Facebook page, “Tallahassee Conservatives”, they were confused.

Tallahassee ALERT officials became concerned when they realized there was information left visible on the page that tied the “Tallahassee Conservatives” page to Tallahassee ALERT. Tallahassee ALERT officials told TR they have nothing to do with what is being posted on the Facebook page today.

The Matlow Connection

At least three sources have told TR that Estanga is an administrator on the current “Tallahassee Conservatives” Facebook account. A review of documents show that Estanga is connected to Corsair Campaigns which has been paid $9,500 by the Matlow campaign. Financial reports also list Estanga as Matlow’s campaign manager.

A further Matlow connection to the Facebook account was discovered when it was revealed that the Matlow campaign ran Facebook ads under this account – when it was named “Pause the TMH Deal on Dec 10”. The Facebook process related to running political advertisements is detailed and transparent. The process requires authorization as an advertiser or admin in Facebook Business Manager for that page, indicating Matlow was close to the Facebook account administrators.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.