- April 21, 2026
A fourth candidate has entered the 2026 race for Ormond Beach mayor.
George Doran, a deputy chief at the Cross Creek Fire Department in Alachua County, filed to run for the mayoral seat on April 10. A former member of the U.S. Army National Guard, he moved to Ormond Beach about three years ago, following four years on the Julington Creek Plantation Community Development District Board of Supervisors, an elected position in St. John's County.
Doran said he decided to run for mayor after he was encouraged to do so by local friends.
"I'm not running against any one candidate," he said. "I'm running for office of mayor of Ormond Beach. I'm running for the people — to listen to what the people have to say."
In addition to being a firefighter, Doran also works part-time at Island Doctors and at the Daytona International Speedway as a firefighter. His connection to Ormond continues with his fiance, who is a teacher at Ormond Beach Elementary. As a National Guardsman, he completed two tours in Afghanistan.
Doran has two previous arrests out of Jacksonville: One in 2012 for battery and another in 2014 for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was not convicted in either case. Doran had been employed by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office at the time.
Doran told the Observer these arrests took place after he got home from Afghanistan, where he sustained significant injuries during both tours.
"Those are one of those things I wish I could take back, but I can't," Doran said of his arrests. "You have to learn how to move on from these things. War was the hardest thing to move on from."
As a candidate, Doran said he brings compassion, understanding and an open mind to discuss issues. Each of his campaign events, he said, will benefit a local charity.
"No matter what happens in August, or if it runs up that I get to November, I'm going to help the community regardless of the election, and that's what I'm most excited about," Doran said.
Flooding, growth, and environmental issues are on Doran's mind as he begins his campaign. He doesn't want Ormond Beach, he said, to lose its small-community feel to overdevelopment.
"Everything's going to grow — it's just a fact of life," Doran said. "But we have to do it responsibly. I think right now, we have a foundation that isn't as strong as we like it to be. You can't really grow on a weak foundation."
If elected, Doran says he wants to focus on the basics: public safety, utilities and retaining city workers, including fire and police.
There are three other candidates running for mayor to date: incumbent Jason Leslie, Zone 1 City Commissioner Lori Tolland and local landscaping business owner Damien Curry.
