John H. "Buddy" Dyer is mayor of Orlando, Florida, first elected in 2003. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party. This is a list of mayors of Orlando. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ...

Dyer was born in 1958 in Orlando. He grew up in Kissimmee, Florida, and graduated from Osceola High School there. He began his political career after serving as an attorney and lawyer following his graduations from Brown University and the law school of the University of Florida. Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... A lawyer, according to Blacks Law Dictionary, is a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law. ... Brown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island. ... The University of Florida (commonly referred to as Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, space-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ...

Dyer as state senator

Dyer's first run for political office was in 1992 for Florida's State Senate district 14, which consisted of Orlando and Sanford, Florida. Dyer had two Democratic primary opponents, Candice "Candy" Crawford (sister of former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Bob Crawford and political pundit Craig Crawford) and Tim Adams, a local business owner. Dyer won the primary, but failed to get the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Dyer received 44% of the vote, while Crawford received 39%. Adams received 17% and was eliminated. The runoff between Dyer and Crawford was highly concentrated in Orlando's African-American communities. Dyer received the support of many of the local churches as well as the endorsement of Tim Adams and Dotti Wynn (loser of the district's Republican primary). Crawford relied on local politicians like State Representative Alzo Reddick. Dyer won the runoff 54% to 44% for Crawford. He continued to the general election where he faced Republican Steve DeMino. Dyer won the general election with 56% of the vote to 46% for DeMino. The Florida Senate is part of the legislative branch of government for the state of Florida. ... Nickname: Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... Sanford is a city in and the county seatGR6 of Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. ... A primary election is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election (nominating primary). ... Craig Crawford is a writer and television political commentator based in Washington D.C., a columnist for Congressional Quarterly, and the author of Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media (2005) ISBN 0-7425-3816-8. ... An example of runoff voting. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

He was subsequently re-elected in 1996 and 2000, serving a total of ten years in the State Senate, where he was State Senate Democratic leader for three years.

Dyer as Mayor

Dyer was first elected mayor on February 25, 2003 in a special election after Glenda Hood was tapped to be Florida's Secretary of State. is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Glenda Hood is a U.S. politician, currently serving as secretary of state in Florida. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ...

He was re-elected in 2004 in a regular election, narrowly avoiding a runoff with challenger Ken Mulvaney. Mulvaney subsequently alleged election fraud by Dyer. An investigation into the matter by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement led a grand jury to bring charges against the mayor, his campaign manager, and an election consultant for paying someone to gather absentee ballots in Orlando's African American community. Such payments are illegal under Florida law. In March 2005 Dyer was suspended by Governor Jeb Bush in accordance with the Florida Constitution. In April 2005 the charges were dismissed and he was reinstated as mayor. Electoral fraud is the deliberate interference with the process of an election. ... In 1967, the Florida Legislature merged the responsibilities of several state criminal justice organizations to create the Bureau of Law Enforcement. ... A grand jury is a type of jury, in the common law legal system, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... John Ellis Jeb Bush (born February 11, 1953), a Republican, is the forty-third and current Governor of Florida. ...

Dyer is known for advocating a new performing arts center for Orlando and a new arena for the Orlando Magic. He worked with Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty to get approval for using $1.1 billion of the county's Tourist Development Tax monies, collected as a surcharge on hotel rooms, to fund construction of a new arena for the basketball team owned by billionaire Rich DeVos, a new performing arts center and large-scale renovations of the Citrus Bowl. The measure received final approvals on both the city and county levels in August 2007. Later that month, local hotelier Harris Rosen launched a drive to get initiatives on the ballot to allow citizens to vote on whether they want public monies spent on these projects. Nickname: Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... On September 29, 2006, after years of on-and-off negotiations, Orlando, Florida Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Orlando Magic, National Basketball Association franchise, announced an agreement on a new arena in downtown Orlando. ... The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. ... Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Rich Crotty is the current mayor of Orange County, Florida. ... For other uses, see Hotel (disambiguation). ... The Florida Citrus Bowl (official name is Orlando-Orange County Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium) is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for American football and currently seats over 65,000. ...

Another controversial issue that Dyer has faced during his tenure as mayor has been his support for an Orlando ordinance (passed in July 2006) that, essentially, bans the sharing of food with groups of 25 or more people inside more than three dozen downtown parks.

Proponents of the "large group feedings" ordinance, including elected officials such as Dyer and District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, contend that the measure is necessary to reduce the crime they say is caused by the presence of large numbers of homeless individuals in the downtown area and to protect the quality of life, including the ability to enjoy public parks, of residents in downtown neighborhoods. Opponents of the ordinance contend that it criminalizes compassion by stopping groups from sharing food with the homeless inside city parks, discriminates against the homeless based upon their socio-economic status, and does not do anything to address the root causes of homelessness--such as the lack of affordable housing and the lack of enough shelter beds and mental-health and substance-abuse treatment.

One of the groups that has been most active and outspoken in its opposition to the ordinance and Dyer is Orlando Food Not Bombs (OFNB), which has shared food inside Lake Eola Park for more than two years. An OFNB member, Eric Montanez, became, on April 4, 2007, the first person arrested under the ordinance, which is a misdemeanor carrying penalties of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. His trial will start on Sept. 10, 2007. The group is one of the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit (filed in October 2006) that challenges the constitutionality of the ordinance. On May 16, 2007, more than 50 OFNB members and allies staged a protest against Dyer while he held a campaign fundraiser at the Urban Think! Bookstore, which is only a few hundred yards from the Lake Eola Park picnic area. On June 27, 2007, six members of OFNB--Jonathan Giralt, Ryan Hutchinson, Bryan Jones, Brett Mason, Eric Montanez, and Will Vertlieb--were arrested for allegedly violating a noise ordinance during a protest held outside of a downtown restaurant hosting a Dyer campiagn fund-raiser. The charge against Giralt, a juvenile, was dropped by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney at his initial court appearance on July 27. The other five arrestees, all adults, will be tried by the City Prosecutor, although a trial date has not been set.

OFNB is also a coalition member of S.T.O.P.--Stop the Ordinance Partnership, a group formed to engage in political advocacy on issues of homelessness in Central Florida. On Dec. 5, 2006 S.T.O.P. members protested inside a Christmas event sponsored by Dyer at Orlando City Hall. A S.T.O.P. member dressed as Santa Claus [Ben Markeson] handed out fliers criticizing the mayor and several city commissioners for their support of the anti-homeless feeding ordinance.

Evidence recently has come to light that strongly suggests that the Dyer administration has been using paid City employees to edit this entry regularly to eliminate the information about the "large group feedings" ordinance and Orlando Food Not Bombs. Apparently the Mayor considers this information to be politically embarassing.

External links

• Official Biography of Mayor Dyer
• Mayor Dyer's 2008 Campaign site