Text poll appears to test possible attacks in District 5 County Commission race

Steve Leary and Kelly Semrad will face off on the Nov. 5 ballot for the district that includes Winter Park

Sept. 23, 2024

By Beth Kassab

Somebody is testing potential attack ads against Kelly Semrad, the candidate who finished first in last month’s primary election for Orange County Commission District 5.

 A poll received earlier this month by voters in the district asked multiple questions evaluating possible lines of attack against Semrad – while also testing positive messages for Steve Leary, the former Winter Park mayor who finished second in last month’s primary and now faces a one-on-one runoff with Semrad on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The poll could be a preview of last-minute attacks ads that could surface in the closing weeks or days of the campaign, whether from Leary’s campaign itself or surrogates such as Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer or the Florida Realtors lobbying group, both of which paid for ads helping Leary during last month’s primary.

Semrad, a UCF professor, and Leary are vying for one of three seats up for election this year that will shape the makeup of the Orange County Commission at a time when developers are seeking permission to transform vast rural areas into subdivisions.

The poll stated clear falsehoods about Semrad such as “Kelly Semrad has no plans to protect Orange County’s environment and natural areas from urban sprawl.”

In reality, Semrad is an outspoken advocate for two referendums that will also appear on the November ballot. The first asks voters to designate a rural boundary in the county and the second would give the County Commission the power to stop potential developers from voluntarily annexing their land into other jurisdictions such as the city of Orlando.

The rural boundary and annexations have emerged as key issues in the District 5 race as well as the contests in districts 1 and 3. Leary has said he supports establishing the rural boundary, but has not answered a question that would give the rural boundary measure its teeth: Whether he supports the move to allow the county commission to block annexations by the cities.

The same poll question stated that Semrad’s “husband works for the largest developers in Central Florida helping to prep land by clearing trees, destroying natural habitats and erasing rural and agricultural lands, all to make way for more sprawl neighborhoods. How convincing is that statement as a reason to vote against Kelly Semrad?”

Semrad said her life partner (they aren’t married) is an engineer who works in construction, but considered the statement to be a mischaracterization of his work that she said focuses on roads and urban redevelopment.

His firm’s website lists Universal Orlando, Tavistock and major homebuilders among its clients — the same companies that have contributed heavily to Leary’s campaign fund and political action committee. So, using the same logic, the poll question also appears to suggest those companies participate in “destroying natural habitats and erasing rural and agricultural lands, all to make way for more sprawl neighborhoods.”

Leary and his campaign did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment for this story.

It’s unclear who paid for the survey, which was sent by company called Research Polls that lists its address as a canal-front condominium in downtown Fort Lauderdale. When this reporter went to website linked in the text message for the poll, the page said, “Share your opinions on Orange County” followed by, “Thank you for your interest in this survey. The survey is now closed.”

The survey also attempted to question Semrad’s credibility on one of her central platforms — pushing the county to diversify how it spends the Tourism Development Tax, a levy collected on hotel beds, beyond projects backed by the industry.

“Kelly Semrad claims to be a tourism expert, but she’s never worked in the industry. If she misrepresents her own background, she can’t be trusted to represent Orange County. How convincing is that statement as a reason to vote against Kelly Semrad?”

“Boy, do I wish that were true,” Semrad said in response to the question, noting that she started bussing tables at age 12 and working early morning shifts at a restaurant in Wisconsin to help her mom make ends meet.

It was the first of multiple service and hospitality industry jobs, she said, including server, bartender and housekeeper.

After college, she said she tried working in management.

“When I found out that the work conditions weren’t better, I went back to school and got my PhD and have dedicated my career to making conditions better for people who work in the tourism and hospitality industry,” Semrad said.

She started working at UCF in 2013 after working for several years at the University of Florida. She is considered an expert in market analyses, revenue and risk management and social and environmental justice in the tourism industry. She’s authored papers published in the Journal of Hotel & Business Management and the Research Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management among others.

The poll also asked voters if they have favorable or unfavorable views of “the tourism and hospitality industry,” “housing developers,” “environmental organizations” and “local labor unions” among others.

Neither candidate has shown much financial activity since the Aug. 20 primary, though the financial reports filed with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office lag by a couple weeks.

Leary has raised the most, but spent the bulk ahead of the Aug. 20 primary. He has collected nearly $200,000 in his campaign fund and has about $30,000 left to spend, according to reports filed with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Leary’s political action committee called Neighbors for a Sensible Orange County has raised about $43,000 in cash and has about $37,000 left to spend.

Semrad has raised about $60,000, according to campaign filings, and has about $7,000 left to spend.

With six weeks until the election, there is still time for both candidates to raise funds and for Leary to spend his remaining cash.

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