Tag Archives: The Villages

Click Orlando reports: A resident from The Villages was found guilty of charges related to voter fraud in the 2020 election on Monday. Robert Rivernider Jr., 58, is accused of signing his father’s name to a vote-by-mail ballot. According to Sumter County Elections Supervisor Bill Keen, Rivernider’s father died on Oct. 19, 2020. He had a ballot dated and signed …

Click Orlando reports: All four residents of The Villages charged with voting twice in the 2020 election have now admitted to the crime, court records show. John Rider, 62, recently entered into a pre-trial intervention program that will allow him to avoid potential prison time if he successfully completes court-ordered requirements and refrains from violating the law. Three other residents …

The Villages News reports: The Villages MAGA Club held a golf cart rally Sunday afternoon. The club, which has split from Villagers for Trump, offered some familiar themes as members showed their support for Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. More than 100 golf carts gathered for the event which traveled from Lake Sumter Landing to Brownwood. Many …

The Villages News reports: Villager Ed McGinty remains banned from the Hadley Pool after a political dispute with a fellow Villager. He was arrested twice, but cleared both times in court. The Village of Hadley resident appeared before the Community Development District 9 Board of Supervisors at SeaBreeze Recreation Center seeking an early return to his pool. During his appearance …

The Villages News reports: A judge appointed and later promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis will preside in an upcoming hearing in a bid to save a little white cross in The Villages. Judge Jason Nimeth will preside in a hearing set for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 1 on Zoom in the case of Wayne and Bonnie Anderson. The little white cross …

Click Orlando reports: A third resident of The Villages has admitted to voting twice during the 2020 election, court records show. Joan Halstead, 73, entered a pretrial intervention program Wednesday that will allow her to avoid potential prison time if she successfully completes court-ordered requirements such as performing community service and attending a civics class. Halstead acknowledged her guilt as …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Two residents from The Villages confessed to voter fraud charges after filing two ballots in the 2020 Presidential election, court records show. Charles F. Barnes and Jay Ketcik pleaded guilty to casting more than one ballot in an election, a third-degree felony that could have resulted in a maximum five-year prison sentence. According to the pre-trial …

Florida Politics reports: Democratic candidate for Gov. Charlie Crist brought his campaign to The Villages this weekend to unveil his “Seniors for Crist” policy initiative. Crist met with more than 250 members of The Villages Democratic Club and joined them on a golf cart tour through The Villages, a well-known Republican stronghold. But Crist said his “Florida for All” campaign …

NBC News reports: In a criminal complaint filed on Jan. 4, U.S. postal inspector David Keith detailed how he found Miranda Farleigh, a 25-year-old former employee of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), had committed theft when she rifled through approximately 4,000 pieces of mail, all of which appeared to hold a holiday and/or greeting card. Farleigh’s parents also played a …

The Associated Press reports: Two county commissioners in central Florida were suspended from office Thursday, several weeks after being arrested and charged with lying during an investigation of possible Sunshine Law violations. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued two executive orders to remove Sumter County commissioners Oren Miller and Gary Search from their elected offices until their criminal cases are resolved, in …

Click Orlando reports: A fourth resident of The Villages has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into voter fraud. Charles Franklin Barnes, 64, was booked into the Sumter County jail Tuesday night on a charge of casting more than one ballot in an election, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Three other residents …

The Villages News reports: A Villager who is a registered Republican has been arrested on a warrant charging her with casting more than one election ballot. Joan Halstead, 72, of the Village of Palo Alto was arrested at 6:20 p.m. Monday on the Sumter County warrant charging her with fraud, “casting more than one ballot at any election.” She was …

The Villages News reports: The Villages saw a significant jump in COVID-19 patients on Friday as Florida surpassed 800,000 cases of the potentially deadly virus. Thirty-nine new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday in and around Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. The Villages continues to lead Sumter County with 778 cases – an increase of 20 in a 24-hour period. All told, Florida …

The New York Post reports: Joe Biden supporters on Friday paraded through The Villages retirement community in Florida — the morning after Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. Fox News reporter Robert Sherman reported that more than 300 golf carts took part in a parade that snaked through the 132,000-person senior citizen community northwest of Orlando. It’s a significant show …

This morning the president of the United States retweeted a video showing protesters clashing with his supporters in The Villages, Florida, a senior citizen enclave that has become infamous in recent years for its almost entirely white and right wing population. As a parade of golf carts laded with Trump signs passes shouting protesters, the man in the lead cart …