Villages Democrats Club: ALL MEMBER MEETING

2/14/2026

The Democratic Club of The Villages held its February meeting at the Colony Rec Center in The Villages, FL. The featured speaker was Royal Webster.

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TVDC is looking for a Parliamentarian

The position includes the following:

• Advises members on the requirements of the Bylaws and the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
• Ensures that meetings are held in compliance with the Bylaws and the Rules.
• Addresses proposed revisions and keeps Club Bylaws in line with Sumter County Democratic Party and Florida Democratic Party Bylaws, as we are chartered under their authority.

Any member interested in this position, please contact: tvdc-nomcomm@googlegroups.com

Dem Blue Crew

Live Music

Wednesday, February 24, 5:00pm

Lake Sumter Landing

Contact: Bill Knudson : Bill.knudson@yahoo.com

Villages Democratic Wine Society

• Members meet once a month
• Socializing
• Share your favorite wine

• Contact Laura and Paul Scannevin at Lscannevin@gmail.com 

Meet, Greet & Eat with like-minded Singles

• Welcomes new members
• Sign up at All Members Meeting
• Contacts Linda Ballou and Mary Ferguson
• Email: mgesingles@yahoo.com

Join the Wine Society

The Villages Democrats are forming a wine society. Members will meet once a month to socialize and share their favorite wines.

For more information contact Laura and Paul Scannevin at lscannevin@gmail.com

Please note The Villages Democratic Club does not supply any alcohol.

Meet, Greet & Eat with like minded Singles

The Club's "Meet, Greet & Eat Singles" group welcomes new members. Visit with coordinators Linda Ballou and Mary Ferguson at the monthly membership meetings, or email them.

Dear the best golfers of the Villages who tee it high and let it fly (sometimes in directions unheard of on the PGA tour) – 

Sign up for the best ever Scramble Event which will take place on April 2 at noon at the Arlington Ridge Golf Course (a little south of the intersection of Route 27 and County Road 470).

The event will begin with a pre-round lunch at noon and tee off at 1pm. Sponsored by the Villages Democratic Club, the event is open to Villagers and non-Villages, to female and male golfers, and to all skill levels. Four-person teams will compete. All teammates will hit a shot, the best shot will be chosen, all teammates will hit from that spot and the procedure will be continued until the team holes out. 

Remember, you can sign up as an individual golfer and you will be paired up with other players to create a team. Unfortunately, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and other tour pros had previous commitments, so they won’t be on your team. 

The $80 individual fee or $320 team fee include lunch, cart, and golf. Please join us for a day of fun and camaraderie. We need at least 72 players for the event. Current greens fees for Villages Championship Courses run over $80 a round and more. By signing up, you get golf and lunch for $80. A bargain! Please spread the word!

If you can’t play or know of someone who would like to sponsor a hole. The cost is $120 which includes signage.

Take a trip outside the bubble and you won’t regret it. Funds generated by the event will be donated to local groups that Support Democracy. 

Sign up here!

If you have questions or need further information, contact me at 765-490-7582 or purduebook@aol.com.

Thomas Bacher
Educate Yourself!

Date: Wednesday, February 25th, 1:30pm - 3:30pm

"Separated"

This Documentary examines the systemic separation of children from parents at the border. Over 1000 children still remain separated from their parents. This shocking film traces the history of the separation of refugee and migrant families at the US border and the Trump Administration’s unjust programs with little regard for human rights, morality, or constitutional law.  Will it happen again?

Date: Wednesday, March 25th, 1:30 - 3:30 PM

"A Secret Love"

Amid shifting times two women kept their seven decades long love a secret. But coming out later in life comes with its own set of challenges. This true documentary weaves the couple’s remarkable life story into a sensitive and intimate depiction of the two navigating the realities of growing older together in troubling times.

No Partisan Maps Coalition Action

We need your help to keep up the pressure and grow this fight. 

5 ways you can take action right now:

1. Stay plugged in: Bookmark nopartisanmaps.org and use our Linktree to keep up with upcoming actions and to find materials you can share online to your community.

2. Call your legislator: Use this quick tool to make your call today: https://act.commoncause.org/call_campaigns/tell-lawmakers-dont-rig-floridas-maps

3. Get the messaging basics: Review the 1-pager to learn how to talk about redistricting in your community: nopartisanmaps.org https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EUX4XLdNnK4S3ebbS3O8Vd3r_mzBhFZ0LMbVjHjFDOY/edit?tab=t.0

4. Organize a local event: Host something near you—a community info session, writing postcards, a phone bank, or a group visit to your elected official to bring more people in.

Please e-mail us for questions, materials, or so we can promote your event at mi...@nopartisanmaps.org or ad...@nopartisanmaps.org

1. Medicaid expansion: If you’re interested in Medicaid expansion, sign up to have a petition mailed to you: https://fl.tallyed.com/scp/4e75430f-6c10-4f14-abe3-3709b2c0bb00

Floridians have made it clear time and time again: we don’t want partisan redistricting. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to make it clear again.

Ron DeSantis is at it again - Property Tax Reform

by Ash Marwah

For more, please visit my website: AshForSD11.com or my Facebook page: Facebook.com/AshForSD11

Support Ash

The idea is to lower Property Taxes for homeowners by increasing the Homestead Exemption.  

In Sumter County, the Homestead Exemption is $50,000 for the County, $25,000 for School Board and $50,000 for SWFWMD (Water Management District).

The plan is to increase the Homestead Exemption to $250,000 , thus lowering the property taxes for all homeowners. This sounds good on the surface but it will deprive all three entities of their major source of revenue. There is no way for the County, School District or the Water Management District to make up the shortfall in revenue. They can raise the millage to maximum 10 mils by state law and the County can raise sales tax by 1% more to 8% but these measures would not be adequate to make up for the lost revenue.

The only option they will have is to layoff employees. Since the County has the largest pool of employees in Firefighters and Police Officers, they will bear the brunt of these layoffs.

ARE WE READY FOR LOWER PROPERTY TAXES AND LAYOFF OF POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS IN SUMTER COUNTY?

It’s official: David Jolly is a

Democratic candidate for governor in ’26

Following the exploratory phase of his campaign this spring, David Jolly says he’s ready to go and has officially entered the Democratic primary for governor of Florida. He acknowledges the challenges about running in an electoral landscape that hasn’t elected any Democrat to a statewide office since 2018, but says the environment is ripe for that to change in 2026.

“We will be in every community, building trust and building relationships and building a coalition that will ultimately and successfully win an election where a Democrat hasn’t won in 30 years and where the voter registration rolls are against us,” he said in a phone interview with the Phoenix on Wednesday.

Watch the Announcement

By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix

“In Florida we are in the midst of a generational affordability crisis,” he added. “Everybody feels it. I mean this has been affirmed everywhere I’ve gone, every group I’ve sat with.

Read more

CHANCES TO DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK AND BEYON

We're rounding up petitions for Barbie

and a Medicaid ballot measure

Barbie for Congress website

All of Sumter County is in Congressional District 11 and we are collecting 

Barbie Harden Hall petitions to get her on the ballot again for 2026.

We also are actively collecting petitions for a Florida Constitutional Amendment to expand Medicaid. 

You can find information and request a petition form at

https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/

Turn completed forms in the Sumter Democratic HQ on Wednesday afternoons or Saturday mornings.

You also can pick up the forms at the headquarters.

Oops, you've got to do it again!

Thanks to Florida Republicans trying everything they can to suppress our votes,

we all must reapply for Vote By Mail ballots.

Scores of legal actions have been filed to block and challenge President Trump, Elon Musk, and others in the administration. Here's a one-stop nonprofit site, Just Security, where you can keep track.

Trump litigation tracker

Food pantry donations are always welcome

The Club and its generous members support multiple local food pantries. The preferred donations include food in cans, boxes, and jars, toiletries, and laundry and cleaning supplies.

Knudson's analysis of economic data and policies

Economics in Perspective