With less than eight weeks to go until the August Primary, Tallahassee’s four mayoral candidates shared differing visions for Florida’s capital city at a forum hosted by WFSU.
The field features former Sen. Lorrane Ausley, IT entrepreneur Michael Foust, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow and civil rights lawyer Darryl Parks. Moderators asked candidates about a wide-ranging set of issues, including artificial intelligence data centers, cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), property tax cuts, violent crime, pay raises for city employees and recent friction on the City Commission.
Unsurprisingly, Matlow drew the strongest contrast with incumbent Mayor John Dailey, with whom he has publicly feuded and even gotten into prolonged shouting matches on the dais over police accountability, City Manager Reese Goad’s job performance, and other disagreements.
Matlow gave Dailey an “F” when candidates were asked to assign Dailey a letter grade for his job performance. Foust awarded Dailey a “B,” while Ausley and Parks refused to answer.
Matlow also was the only candidate to say he was willing to repeal Tallahassee’s controversial 287(g) agreement that directs the Tallahassee Police Department to cooperate with ICE. The Commission voted 3-2 to maintain the agreement last year, with Matlow opposed.
Foust and Parks expressed disapproval of ICE’s tactics, but opposed repealing the agreement. Ausley was noncommittal, saying the 287(g) issue gave her “a great deal of concern,” but added that “we need to keep illegal immigrants out of the country and off our streets.”
Another issue that split candidates was whether to adopt a data center moratorium. Several counties in the Big Bend have advanced moratoriums or bans in recent weeks, but Tallahassee City Commissioners voted down a ban 3-2 on June 11.
Ausley and Matlow said data centers should not be built in Tallahassee, while Foust and Parks opposed blanket bans.
“Our Mayor needs to find every possible way to help our economy,” Parks said.
Asked if all city employees should receive a 4% raise regardless of whether property taxes are eliminated in November, Ausley and Foust were supportive, while Matlow said employees already making $150,000 should not get raises. Parks also came out against an across-the-board raise.
Matlow was also the only candidate to oppose the city’s controversial 3-2 vote last December to sell the 178-acre Capital City Country Club to private owners for $1.255 million. He blasted the deal, claiming the property was “insanely” undervalued and was now being turned into an exclusive golf club by billionaires.
“That’s not how we protect the public trust,” Matlow said.
Ausley and Parks said they ultimately would have voted in favor, though Parks criticized the handling of the unmarked graves of enslaved people on the property. Foust supported the golf course sale, arguing it was underused and the city needed the funds.
A self-described “liberal Republican” who recently changed his party registration, Foust was the only candidate to support consolidating Tallahassee and Leon County governments. He pitched his tech background as an asset that could help the city run more efficiently and benefit Tallahassee’s gig workers.
Foust also broke from his three Democratic opponents by arguing Tallahassee is “overly environmentally sound,” accusing NIMBY attitudes of “stifling economic growth.”
Ausley presented herself as a “bridgebuilder,” leaning on her 14 years as a Democrat in the GOP-dominated legislature. She blamed both Dailey and Matlow for the frequent 3-2 divide on the Commission.
Foust placed the blame squarely on Matlow.
“Absolutely that’s on Matlow,” Foust said.
Matlow downplayed his personal beef with Dailey and the friction at City Hall, arguing voters were more concerned with affordability issues than political squabbles, and that the Commission voted unanimously 93% of the time.
According to Matlow, the other 7% was a result of the majority “raising taxes, selling public land to billionaires or doing something destructive to our environment.” He added that he did not regret any votes he had cast in the minority.
The race to replace Dailey, who won a contentious and narrow re-election in 2022 and announced last year he would not seek a third term, has already become an expensive fight. Parks has raised $284,000 through June 12, with Ausley close behind at $270,000 and Matlow at $169,000.
Foust has only raised $5,300, but teased Tuesday that “you might be surprised” by the next campaign finance reports.
Primary Election Day is Aug. 18. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, the top two will head to a runoff in November.