Commissioner Patty Sheehan Biography
Commissioner Patty Sheehan was first elected to the Orlando City Council in 2000. She is the longest serving elected official in Orlando history. She served as President of the Colonial town Neighborhood Association, and comes from a servant leadership background. Commissioner Sheehan attended Seminole State College and the University of Central Florida and earned her B.A. in Art. A former Administrator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, she serves her constituents full time. Commissioner Sheehan is well known for her advocacy of pedestrian safety, safe neighborhoods, historic preservation, and support of the arts.
She serves on the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and established some of the first neighborhood horizon processes, which led to successful developments like SoDo, Mills Park, and Baldwin Park.
Commissioner Sheehan has been recognized multiple times by the Orlando Weekly, Orlando Magazine, and also Watermark newspaper as Best Elected Official. She was listed in the top 25 Influential Women in Orlando Magazine. She was awarded the Diversity Champion Award by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce in 2013. She has twice been a finalist for Downtowner of the Year, and accepted it on behalf of the Orlando Community with Mayor Dyer for leadership following the Pulse massacre. In 2015 Commissioner Sheehan was the first recipient of the Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016 she was awarded the Pet Alliance’s Humane Hero Award as well as the Chuck Hummer Visionary Award from the Hope and Help Center of Central Florida. She was nationally recognized as an Outstanding Alumni by Seminole State College in 2017. She was one of Orange Appeal’s 2021 Women of the Year. In 2021 the American Institute of Graphic Arts recognized her with the High Five Award. She was a Star Advocate for the Mental Health Association. She was awarded the 2023 LGBTQ Caucus Municipal Leadership Award. A proud member of Elks Lodge 1079, she was recognized as the 2025 Citizen of the Year. She has been listed numerous times in Orlando Magazines 50 Most Powerful People.
She is proudest of her compassionate leadership of Orlando after one of the worst mass shootings in American history. She worked tirelessly during the Covid 19 pandemic to provide testing and vaccination sites for residents. She is the first openly gay elected official in Central Florida. She counts restoring the Lake Eola Fountain, the Orlando Urban Trail, saving Constitution Green, the swan vaccination and care program at Lake Eola, the bicycle beltway, and legalizing mural art as her proudest accomplishments. She is an urban agriculture advocate, and championed community gardens and urban chickens. She worked with the Trust for Public Land twice to add acreage to Lake Eola Park. She is a huge supporter of small businesses and Orlando’s MainStreets. She also lobbied and passed a Florida State Law allowing Doggie Dining on patios in downtown Orlando.
Commissioner Sheehan enjoys walking, gardening, and paddleboarding. She is a proponent of the arts, and exhibits her “Bad Kitty” paintings as well as ceramics and stained glass at area art shows. She lives in her 1928 bungalow with her rescue dog Ciara, a diva kitty named Nina Simone, and a parakeet.
Government/Civic Service
- City Commissioner (since 2000)
- Past Mayor Pro Tem 1 & 2
- Past President, Colonialtown Neighborhood Association
- District 4 Neighborhood Volunteer of the Year
- Neighborhood Watch Block Captain
- Volunteer, Green Up Orlando
- Volunteer, Keep Orlando Beautiful
- Volunteer, Neighborhood Matching Grants
- Member of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council
- National League of Cities Nominating Committee and Public Safety Advisory Committee
- Former Member, Orange County Library Governing Board
- Past President/Current Member, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Local Officials (a constituency group in the National League of Cities)
- Former Treasurer, International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials
- Elected in 2000
- Re-elected in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024