Contact Us
Joe Durso
Mayor, District 2
E-mail: jdurso@longwoodfl.org
Telephone: 407/ 722-1155 (C)
Fax: 407/ 260-3419
Information
Mayor Durso has served as the District No. 2 City Commissioner since November 2008, and also served as the Deputy Mayor from 2009-2010. Mayor Durso graduated Cum Laude from Florida State University with his B.S. in Political Science, a B.S. in I.S.S. / Economics and a Certificate in Political Economics. While in Tallahassee, he was able to work for some of Florida’s greatest leaders including United States Senator Connie Mack, Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings and Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite. He also served two (2) years as the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Student Body at Florida State. Mayor Durso earned his Master’s Degree in Political Management and Communications from George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Recently, he was nominated for the Orlando Business Journal’s 2011 Forty under 40 Award. Mayor Durso serves on various boards and committees in his capacity as a City Commissioner. Those responsibilities include serving as Chairman of the Florida League of Cities Growth Management and Transportation Committee; Member of the Florida League of Cities Advocacy Committee; Member of the Tri-County League of Cities Board of Directors; and as the Second Vice Chairman of the MetroPlan Municipal Advisory Committee.
As a Longwood Commissioner, Mayor Durso has been instrumental in leading the City toward the creation of the Longwood Economic Enhancement Program (LEEP) and a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) that will help create jobs and keep Longwood tax dollars in Longwood. He is also a long-time proponent of the recently approved SunRail Project that is expected to bring thousands of new jobs to Longwood in the coming years.
In addition to serving as Mayor of Longwood, Mayor Durso currently serves as Vice President of Community Based Care (CBC) of Central Florida, Inc., a non-profit in Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties that is responsible for coordinating services to victims of child abuse and neglect. Prior to his experience at CBC of Central Florida, Mayor Durso served as Chief of Staff to State Senator Lee Constantine where he did detailed work on issues like the Wekiva River Basin, Florida Building Codes, business and education programs as well as economic policy. In addition, Mayor Durso has worked on staff in the Florida House of Representatives and as a Government Analyst for a governmental relations firm.
Mayor Durso has been deeply involved in community and civic affairs, serving extensively in numerous charities and organizations including the Knights of Columbus at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, the SCREC, Leadership Seminole, Seminole United, the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools and the Rotary Clubs of Lake Mary and Longwood. Mayor Durso also served as a Member of the Longwood Codes Enforcement Board, the Seminole County Port Authority Board of Directors, and as Chair of the Longwood Charter Advisory Committee.