Local Politics · Sumter County
Sumter County voters cast 95,678 ballots among 130,072 registered voters on Nov. 3, a 73.56% turnout, with all 33 precincts reporting by 7:30 p.m. Local races included Bushnell Mayor Seat 1, won by Dale Barnes (61.67%), and Center Hill City Council Seat 3, won by Don M. Buckner Sr. (64.49%). Two county referendums passed in unofficial results: Referendum 1 received 63.75% YES support, and the Tourist Development Tax referendum received 59.57% FOR votes. Republican candidates led Sumter County in all major federal and state races, including U.S. Senate, governor, attorney general, and chief financial officer contests. All results remain unofficial pending certification, with some vote-by-mail ballots still being counted.
Local Politics · Sumter County
Sumter County voters approved a referendum to revive a 2% tourism development tax with 59% support on Tuesday. The tax, suspended by commissioners in 2020 after controversy over its use for music events at Lake Sumter Landing and Brownwood town squares in The Villages, applies to tourists staying in hotels, campgrounds, bed-and-breakfast homes and other temporary lodging. Officials project $1.4 million in annual revenue earmarked for county fairgrounds upgrades, tourist attraction capital improvements, tourism marketing and advertising. Voters also approved retaining an 8-cent motor fuel tax at 63% to fund county road projects.
Local Politics · Marion County
Voters in Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties in Florida overwhelmingly supported Amendment 3, a statewide ballot measure aimed at reducing property taxes. Sumter County voters backed the measure at 70 percent, Lake County at 65 percent, and early returns in Marion County also showed strong support, all exceeding the 60 percent state threshold needed for passage. Several city and county officials had warned that the amendment could trigger significant cuts to government services, including Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, who urged voters to reject it. Voters in the tri-county area also supported Republican Byron Donalds over David Jolly in the gubernatorial race.
Local Politics · The Villages, FL
Incumbent Community Development District 2 Supervisor Jim Cipollone won reelection in The Villages with 64 percent of the vote, defeating challenger David Stem by more than 800 votes on Tuesday. Two other CDD 2 incumbents also secured victories: Jim Conti won Seat 3 with 59 percent over Harold "Coach Hal" Whiting, and Tom Swiers edged out Frank Shallis for Seat 1 by 225 votes. Cipollone, a resident of the Village of Palo Alto, attributed his margin to direct engagement with residents.
Nearby · Crime · Wildwood, FL
Alexander Warren Hernandez, 19, pleaded no contest in Sumter County Court to premeditated first-degree murder and related charges stemming from a June 1, 2024, sickle attack at 6611 County Road 148 in Wildwood. The assault killed 15-year-old Connor Michael Gilland and severely injured a 48-year-old man. Hernandez bypassed trial by entering an open plea, leaving sentencing to Judge Charles L.W. Helm, with a hearing set for Feb. 8, 2027. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office reported that the then-16-year-old ordered two sickles online and walked nearly six miles to the victims' home before the attack.
