- July 12, 2025
The first candidate for the 2026 elections for Ormond Beach City Commission has now filed.
Jennifer Bright, a retired financial data analyst, filed to run to represent Zone 2 on the commission on June 2. Bright, who has lived in Ormond Beach for four years, has been a regular commission meeting attendee for the past year. She decided to run for office because she believes the commission should pay more attention to the existing residents and taking care of current infrastructure.
"I kept talking and trying to reach out, and I realized that maybe the best way to make change is try to make it from within," Bright said.
A native of northern California, Bright previously lived in Dallas, Texas, before moving to Ormond Beach. She decided to become involved in local government after the city began holding public meetings for its 2045 Comprehensive Plan update. Bright read the plan and said she had a lot of questions, and worried about home rule.
Her campaign is based on a platform for "responsible" development, controlling flooding, reducing spending and providing residents with more transparency.
"If you control the development and you're careful where you put it, I think you will control the flooding," Bright said.
On spending, she believes that with her professional background in finance and analytics, she can help the city evaluate its budget.
She'd also like to see the City Commission agenda packet be posted online for the public to review much sooner. Currently, the agenda is posted on the Friday afternoon prior to a Tuesday commission meeting.
Respective to Zone 2, Bright said she'd like the city to take a look at what is happening in the downtown with the ongoing roadwork from the Florida Department of Transportation. She worries the cement curbs will hinder emergency response vehicles in the future.
The 2026 election is still over a year away, but Bright said she filed now hoping to get an early start, as this will be her first time running for office.
"I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of great people and seeing how people stand on issues, and seeing what other people might think," Bright said.
The Zone 2 seat is currently held by City Commissioner Travis Sargent.
