| The Villages Democratic Club |
Pop Up Protest Saturday March 14, 2026
TVDC is looking for a ParliamentarianThe position includes the following:
Any member interested in this position, please contact: tvdc-nomcomm@googlegroups.com
Join Us For LunchThursday, March 19 at Noon Pho Sai Gon (Vietnamese) 11717 N 301, Oxford Contact: Susan Houston 352.217.2626
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.
Dem Blue Crew Live Music Band Mpire Thursday, March 24 at 5:00 pm Sumter Landing Contact: Bill Knudson:bill.knudson@yahoo.com
Golf Cart Rally March 21, 2026 Various Times Three Locations in The Villages RallyStrong2@gmail.com LaRae Donnellan 925-263-9518 
Greetings, Courageous People! Both of The Villages No Kings 3.0 protest sites are LIVE on Mobilize.us Here's a link to the overall map so that you can see where the events are taking place across the country: Sign up for whichever site is more convenient for you. Tell your friends and bring them with you on March 28. Be part of history! Click on the protest location to sign up Saturday, March 28 10:00 - 11:30 am Intersection of Warm Springs Ave & Marsh Bend Trail (Near Everglades Rec Center)
Hosted by Villagers 4 Democracy Saturday March 28 10:00 am - Noon Lake Sumter Landing & Morse Blvd Both sites are accessible by golf cart or by car. Carts may line up directly next to the street along sections of each site; carpooling is highly recommended because space is limited in The Villages parking lots. Park in public spaces, not in private lots such as Aldi's in the north or CVS in the south. Together in solidarity, Rally Committee, Democratic Club of The Villages Central Florida Tri-County Indivisible Sumter County Democrats
The Florida Native Plant Society is asking for help. Here is their message: Please take a minute to contact Senate President Albritton and ask him to allow SB 1066, entitled Tributaries of the St Johns River, to be heard on the Senate Floor. Please phone Senator Albritton’s office at either (850) 487-5027 or (850) 487-5229 by next Monday, March 9. Leave a voicemail message if you don’t reach a person. Also consider sending a quick email to Albritton.Ben@flsenate.gov A few sentences is enough to let him know you support passage of SB 1066. Don’t let the name of the bill confuse you. This legislation is about restoring the Ocklawaha River – finally, a full 57 years after it was impounded by a dam that drowned 7,500 acres of floodplain forest and at least 20 springs and spring-run streams, robbed the downstream St Johns River of more than 150 million gallons of freshwater inflow every day since it was constructed in 1968, and became obsolete just one year later when President Nixon deauthorized the Cross Florida Barge Canal boondoggle in 1969. We have never been so close to success. We just need Senate President Albritton to let SB 1066 come to a vote on the floor of the Florida Senate. It has already cleared every other hurdle, including resounding votes of support by three different Senate committees. Restoration of the Ocklawaha would:
The fisheries value of the Rodman Reservoir has often been praised and touted as sufficient reason to retain the Reservoir; however, the recreational and economic values of Rodman’s fishery would be dwarfed by that of a restored Ocklawaha/St Johns system. Restoring 150 million gallons of flow daily to the downstream St Johns River would set the stage for the grass beds and other aquatic vegetation to recover and impede the saltwater intrusion now degrading the river. Remind Senator Albritton that an assessment conducted by Florida Tax Watch concluded restoration of the Ocklawaha is the environmentally and fiscally responsible choice. And let him know that presiding over passage of SB 1066 would be an exemplary way to seal his legacy as President of the Florida Senate.
Don't Like Where Our Country is Headed?Join us Thursday, March 5 at 1:30 pm for a phone bank to call Sumter Democrats to encourage them to re-enroll in voting by mail. To register or for more information, click this link: Group Training and onsite assistance will be provided on zoom before you use a new Dialer phone banking system using a computer-generated phone number which is our Sumter County Democratic Headquarters. Learn to use your computer or Tablet as a phone .The Dialer System sends out our message to voicemail so you will only be speaking to Democrats who answer. We have over 4,000 Sumter Democrats who voted by mail in either ’24 or ’22 but have not re-enrolled in voting by mail yet. They may not realize that as part of the Republican voter suppression, that this voting option expires after every November General Election
The Liberal/Independent VoicesFriday, March 6 at 1:00 Laurel Manor Recreation Center Washington/Jefferson Rooms Topic: How to build a grassroots organization that legally slows/stops actions of the current administration; and replaces it with people who are aligned with our ideals, values and hopes for America. Speaker: Gail Vanderwall earned her MBA and then moved into IT program and project management. She was eventually promoted to a leadership position, Gail has worked with many well-known companies, very expensive computers and many, many people.
GOING TO A RALLY? HELP NEEDED! We need to protest to show our opposition to what's happening politically, but then we need Democratic candidates on the ballot to vote for! Help us to help get candidates on the ballot. We need people to gather signatures on candidate petitions. It's easy and a great way to meet like-minded people. Please call the Sumter County Democratic Headquarters at 352-794-1351 and leave a message for Anne Berg with your name, phone and email. We will contact you with details on where to meet at the rally to get the materials you will need. The next rally is Saturday, March 28th - Location to be announced. Can we count on you to help?
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 ActionWe need your help to keep up the pressure and grow this fight.5 ways you can take action right now:
Please e-mail us for questions, materials, or so we can promote your event at mi...@nopartisanmaps.org or ad...@nopartisanmaps.org
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 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. 
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.
Food pantry donations are always welcomeThe 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 https://www.lakevotes.gov/164/Find-My-Precinct BY FLORIDA LAW, ALL VOTE-BY-MAIL REGISTRATIONS EXPIRED AFTER THE NOVEMBER 2024 ELECTION. THE TRI-COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE WEBSITES HAVE NOT YET BEEN UPDATED TO ANNOUNCE APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE. WE'LL POST THE NEW LINKS WHEN THEY DO SO. THANK YOU.
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DO YOU HAVE NEWS? EVENTS?
We are happy to share details of your upcoming events of interest to Villages Democrats,
Please include the date, time, location, links, and organizer's contact information. A flier or other images can be provided; a .jpeg or .png file is preferred.
Please send your event information to
tvdc-communications@googlegroups.com
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