WRITE-IN CANDIDATE FOR LAKE COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 2Meet Jose Elias-Torres
Husband. Son. Caregiver. Homeowner. Operations professional. Your neighbor, running to protect what makes Lake County home.
“I am Jose Elias-Torres, a husband, son, caregiver, homeowner in Minneola, and business and operations professional. I am running for Lake County Commissioner District 2 because I believe the people, communities, natural beauty, and quality of life that make Lake County special are worth protecting.
I will bring a prepared, accountable, people-first voice to the Lake County Board of County Commissioners.”
Homeowner in Minneola
Lake County is where Jose and his family put down roots.
12+ Years of Experience
Operations, healthcare, pharmacy, telecommunications, consulting, systems, teams, and budgets.
Caregiver and Family Man
Family, caregiving, and showing up for people are at the center of who he is.
Prepared to Serve
A practical, accountable voice for Lake County residents.
The values that shaped me
My family taught me to show up
Everything I am starts with my family.
I was born with serious liver complications and spent the first weeks of my life in the NICU. My mother had just given birth, but she refused to leave my side. My father worked extra jobs so she could stay with me. They did not know how the story would end. They showed up anyway.
That is the example that shaped me. My parents worked hard, sacrificed, and put family first. My mother worked at my schools so she could be close to me every day. My father took on extra work so our family could have stability and opportunity.
I am proud of where I come from, and I am proud to be a momma’s boy. Their love, grit, and willingness to show up for others are values I carry into everything I do.
Caregiving is personal
When my family needed me,
I stepped closer
When my mother was diagnosed with end-stage pulmonary disease, I did not step back. I stepped closer.
After years of appointments, evaluations, and waiting, my mother received a lung transplant at UF Health Shands in 2020. I was by her side through a difficult recovery while continuing to work in healthcare during the pandemic.
My husband Timothy is also a kidney transplant recipient. Our family understands what it means to search, wait, travel, advocate, and keep going when someone you love needs care.
Those experiences are why healthcare access, senior support, caregiver realities, emergency readiness, and county services that work for people are not abstract issues to me. They are personal.
“No family should feel invisible while trying to care for someone they love.”
Why Lake County became home
Lake County found me before I
lived here
Years before Timothy and I bought our home in Minneola, I passed through Lake County during one of the hardest seasons of my family’s life. I was traveling to Gainesville for my mother’s medical care, carrying more worry than I knew how to put into words.
What I found here was peace. I saw the lakes, the hills, the small towns, the sense of community, and the natural beauty that make this county unlike anywhere else.
From Tavares to Mount Dora, Leesburg to Groveland, and communities across Lake County, I saw a place with character. A place worth protecting.
In February 2025, Timothy and I bought our first home together in Minneola. With my parents under our roof and our Frenchies running the house, I did not just move here. I came home
“Lake County did not just become my address. It became home.”
I am part of the growth
When my family needed me,
I stepped closer
I bought a new build in Minneola, and I will never pretend that I am outside the conversation about growth. I am part of Lake County’s growth.
I understand why new families are drawn here. I also understand why longtime residents are frustrated when development moves faster than roads, water, drainage, public safety, healthcare access, and county services.
I am not running to stop progress. I am running to make sure progress does not come at the expense of the people already here.
Lake County can welcome new families while still protecting its community roots, rural character, lakes, trees, small businesses, neighborhoods, and quality of life.
Before major growth moves forward, residents deserve clear answers:
Are the roads ready? Is water and drainage capacity ready? Can Fire/EMS and county services keep up? What will it cost over time, and who will pay for it?
I am not a career politician
I am a business professional who has spent more than 12 years working in operations, healthcare, pharmacy, telecommunications, and consulting.
My work has centered on one thing: walking into situations where systems were broken, unclear, or not yet built, and helping create practical solutions that work for the people depending on them.
My experience includes:
Building systems from scratch where none existed.
Improving broken processes that affected real people.
Managing teams and budgets responsibly.
Creating accountability tools that made performance visible.
Helping organizations provide more consistent service.
Holding teams and processes to clear standards.
Making complex systems easier for people to understand and use.
These are not theoretical skills. They are the skills I will bring to the Lake County Board of County Commissioners.
County government should be easier to work with. Residents should not have to chase answers, guess where projects stand, or wonder whether public commitments are being met.
I will advocate for better systems, clearer communication, measurable performance, thoughtful budgets, and county services that respect residents’ time and trust.
“Residents should not have to guess where things stand.”
What I’ll bring to the Board
Prepared. Accountable.
People-first.
A county commissioner is one voice on a five-member board. I will not promise what one commissioner cannot deliver alone.
But I can promise this: I will come prepared. I will listen. I will study the issues. I will ask hard questions. I will insist on clear answers. I will advocate for transparent, responsible decisions that keep Lake County residents at the center.
Protect Lake County’s roots.
Demand responsible planning.
Respect the people who pay the bills.
Voting for Jose is a write-in vote
Jose’s name will not be printed as a candidate option on the ballot. If the Lake County Commissioner District 2 race appears on your ballot, you can vote for Jose by following these three steps.
Steps
Find the Lake County Commissioner District 2 race.
Fill in the bubble or oval for the write-in option.
Write: Jose Elias-Torres
LAKE COUNTYWIDE RACE
Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
District 2 race. Fill the bubble. Write Jose Elias-Torres.
For official information about early voting, vote by mail, your polling location, deadlines, sample ballots, or your personal ballot, send voters to LakeVotes.gov. Lake County’s elections office lists Election Day as November 3, 2026, with early voting scheduled for October 19 through October 31 and the vote-by-mail request deadline listed as October 22. Recheck those details before printing hard-copy materials.