Dem Blue Crew

Live Music

Wednesday, February 11, 5:00pm

Sumter

Contact: Bill Knudson

bill.knudson@yahoo.com

Dem Blue Crew

Live Music

Wednesday, February 18, 5:00pm

Brownwood

Contact: Bill Knudson

bill.knudson@yahoo.com

Let's Do Lunch

Thursday, February 19, noon

Tequila Mexican

3551 Wedgewood Lane

Contact: Susan Houston 352.217.2626

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

No Kings Road Side Sign Rally

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 

No Kings 1/20/26 Slideshow

No Kings 1/20/26 Video

All Members Meeting

Saturday, Jan 10, 2026

Colony Cottage Rec Ctr 510 Colony Blvd 

The Villages Democratic Club had their January meeting at the Colony Rec Center in The Villages, FL. The featured speaker was retired Foreign Service Officer Marilyn Holleran. She spoke of how Trump is decimating the State Department.

Marilyn Holleran

Audience at the Jan. 10 meeting

Below is bio on the two keynote speakers.  

Slideshow of meeting

Video of meeting

Contact : Bill.knudson@yahoo.com

The Lake County Democratic Party condemns the January 24, 2026 extrajudicial murder of Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis. This marks the second murder of a U.S. citizen in that city while exercising their rights to observe and document the excesses of a federal administration that seems intent on declaring war on the American people. Renee Good and Alex Pretti did not deserve to die for exercising their constitutional rights.        Unfortunately, the messaging and posturing from this administration suggest that they will not be the last.
       Renee Good and Alex Pretti are the latest in a series of murders committed by this administration. To date, thirty non-U.S. citizens have died in the custody of ICE since President Trump’s reelection, and their names may never be known.
       Make no mistake, this is not now and has never been about immigration enforcement. This is an occupation of the parts of America that have been called "Blue States" and an organized campaign of terror coming directly from top officials in the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
       All Americans can agree on two truths. The first is that our laws must be enforced equally, and the second is that no American citizen nor peaceful demonstrator deserves to be beaten and gunned down in broad daylight like an animal.
        The Lake County Democratic Party has condemned the assassination of public figures on both sides of the aisle, and the Lake County Democratic Party also condemns the murders of dozens of human beings by federal agents.
        Democrats currently control no institution of power in Washington, D.C, and so we call upon all Republicans in positions of power to fulfill their Oath of Office and bring this administration to account.
       We call on all citizens of Lake County to join us to oppose these draconian and authoritarian attempts to control this great country. The Lake County Democratic Party stands ready to work with all people who are repulsed, angered, saddened, or afraid.
       We would like to remind Republicans and this administration that the whole world is watching, and history will not absolve their complicity for political advantage. This is no longer a political matter, but a moral crisis created by one man and enabled by an absent Congress and a weak party.
       There will be an election in just over 10 months, and we call on concerned citizens to join us. We should be prepared for justice to be delayed, but with the people working together, justice will not be denied.

The Lake County Democratic Party

Todd Bogue is back and more entertaining than ever!

Tickets are selling fast and his show was a sellout the first time. 

Don't wait! Click the link below to order your tickets TODAY!

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Rohan Recreation Ctr

Tickets are $26

Doors open at 6:00 pm

Show begins at 6:30 pm

BYOB and Snacks

NO VILLAGE ID REQUIRED
OPEN TO EVERYONE

Click here for tickets

(please ignore this email if you have already purchased tickets!)

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?

TVDC Membership Annual Renewals

$25 per person

• The renewal period runs through 1/1/26.  
• Memberships renewed will be valid through 1/1/27
• New members who sign up during the renewal  will be valid through 1/1/27
• Watch for email being mailed this week.

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.

The Liberal/Independent Voices

    Friday, February 6 at 1:00

                                      Laurel Manor Recreation Center

                                        Washington/Jefferson Rooms 

Topic: The long term and permanent damage

that is doing to America

  Speaker: Bill Sayer--a retired lawyer

who has worked as a

  public defender and a criminal defense lawyer

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.

Email

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 BEYOND

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