ORLANDO, Fla. -- For those in local government with political ambitions, the county mayoral seat is coveted, wielding great power and influence over county operations.

In Orange County, that means taking over the seat soon-to-be vacated by current mayor Teresa Jacobs, who is launching her own run for Orange County School Board chair.

Three candidates -- Rob Panepinto, Pete Clarke and Jerry Demings -- offer three distinct visions for the booming county, home to more than 1.2 million residents and a top travel destination, with more than 72 million visitors annually.

DIVERSIFYING THE ECONOMY, SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS

He’s been pounding the pavement, working up his name identification.

And when voters haven't been home, Rob Panepinto's left a hand-written note, scribbling on a colorful sticky pad and tacking it to a door frame before moving on.

“We’ve knocked on close to 70,000 doors in this community and greeting people face-to-face is still the best way," he said. “I have a real passion for how positive business can be for moving community forward.”

Panepinto's spent the majority of his career in the business community, joining in the 1990s a manufacturing company in Winter Garden. The company, called Connections, later transformed into a healthcare technology company, employing 5,000 people across the county and 1,500 in Orlando alone.

“We absolutely need to diversify this economy, to create opportunities for the people that are here, but also make sure we can continue to recruit top talent to this community," he said. “To me, all of our challenges start with the fact that people don’t have enough money in their pockets.”

Panepinto went on to serve as the chair of Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and Central Florida Foundation; the executive committee of Economic Partnership; and helped to build the social enterprise accelerator, Rally, in Winter Park, which he described as a “positive perfect storm of businesses doing good.”

"We need people who have got experience, not just in politics, not just in government, who I think are well-intentioned. But their lens in solving a problem is narrower," he said. 

The father of two, who resides in Winter Park, said that as mayor, he plans to work on transportation, target safety concerns and increase green spaces throughout the county. He also feels the mayoral position would be best served by someone with a broad background who is willing to challenge the status quo.

“When the status quo means we’re 160th in wage, and a third of our renters are paying half our income in rent, and first-time home ownership is past most people and 23 percent of our kids live in poverty, that’s a status quo that needs to be changed. That’s not acceptable."

Panepinto said that he has developed a plan to tackle the affordable housing crisis, from fighting for dollars in Tallahassee to streamlining zoning and permitting processes locally.

He also hopes to build a local fund -- similar to the one in which was created to target homelessness -- raising $20 million dollars per year over the course of four years.

With the plan, Panepinto thinks at least 10,000 units can be constructed over four years, without raising taxes.

“Teachers, firefighters, kids coming out of school should not have to struggle to find an affordable place to live. It’s an issue that doesn’t just impact homeless and low income, it’s all across the board here," he said. “We have done some things to help that part of the community here, but not sufficient. Not enough, given the gap of where we stand in wages in the country.”

ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT POLITICS

For Commissioner Pete Clarke, the decision to run for mayor was not necessarily an easy one.

Clarke liked his job -- six years spent as Orange County Commissioner of District 3 -- and only decided to make a run after lengthy conversations with his family, friends and pastor.

“To help people and do things, it’s just phenomenal," he said. "So, I think at the mayor’s level, you can get more done.”

Prior to serving as commissioner, Clarke worked for Orange County, then governmental relations for community health centers.

That work tapped into his passion of connecting with people in need, helping to secure a community health center in the under-served area of Bithlo in east Orange County.

“There was no access to care. They had to go to Titusville or probably east Orange were the closest docs," he explained. “We have a permanent clinic for the folks, it’s busy, busy, busy.”

The father of two said that his passions run the gamut: from ending human trafficking to supporting mental health.

And he, too, understands the importance of supporting affordable housing options in Orange County.

“We need to find property, willing partners to build," he said.

Clarke said that one of his strong suits is his experience, having worked through years of commission meetings and budget sessions. But, the greatest strength he would bring to the mayoral office is his focus on his community---beholden to no one but voters.

“In my case, it’s about people, not politics. I think that’s a differentiation, absolutely about people," he said. "I’m not a politician, I don’t consider myself one. I don’t need a building or road named after me. I want people to remember when they call Pete, he was there for you.”

SAFER, MORE PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY

After 37 years in law enforcement, Sheriff Jerry Demings is hoping voters will soon call him by a different name: mayor.

“I’m totally invested," he said. "I love my community and I thought it would be a tremendous opportunity to continue to give back."

Born in Washington Shores and raised in Orlando, Demings went to Florida State University, later studying at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and earning an MBA. He worked as an accountant before launching a lengthy career in public service: chief of police in Orlando, deputy county administrator, jail director and 10 years as sheriff of Orange County.

“I made a commitment that I would work hard to reduce crime and take care of this community," he said, explaining that since taking the helm of the sheriff's office, overall crime dropped by 30 percent in nine years.

“My vision for Orange County is that it will be a safer, more prosperous and stronger community," he said. “What we want to create is an entrepreneur ecosystem so we can assist businesses in starting here, growing here and then hopefully staying here.”

Demings, now a grandfather of five, also pinpointed housing as a problem for the county. He said as mayor he would lead the charge in re-engineering processes, to move projects along at a quicker rate and increase the number of affordable houses available.

“The only way we can adequately address the affordable housing crisis is to improve the wages of people so they can afford more housing, or we reduce the cost of housing in this community," he said.

Now, as he embarks on yet another campaign -- the third time he and his wife will be on the ballot at the same time -- he is asking voters of Orange County to trust him to lead.

“Sometimes we’ve had to do that during some terrible tragedies," he said. "Sometimes I’ve had to make life or death decisions … I’m asking those same voters now to trust me to be the Orange County mayor.”