The ownership of The Villages, its subsidiary companies, employees and their families have poured more than $61,000 into Florida House candidate Brett Hage’s campaign coffers this year.
That’s close to a third of the $194,550 Hage has raised since Feb. 1 in his quest to fill the District 33 seat that was vacated in December by the death of Villager Don Hahnfeldt.
Hage currently serves as president of T&D Distribution Inc. and is the president of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce. He was named Volunteer of the Year for the Florida Economic Development Council’s East
Central Region and is the former chairman of the Sumter County Industrial Development Authority and former vice chairman of the Sumter Zoning & Adjustment Board.
Businesses operating under the growing T&D name have done work for The Villages for more than 20 years, largely in concrete services, building material supplies, pools, spas and screen enclosures.
Hage received his first campaign contribution of 2018 on Feb. 1 when Villager Rich Cole donated $500. Cole, a retired trial attorney, oversees The Villages Amputee Support group and is a past president of The Villages Republican Club.
Eighteen contributors who list The Villages corporate office’s address at 1020 Landing Sumter Landing each donated $1,000. They include:
- Brownwood Group LLC,
- Central Sumter Utility Co. LLC,
- Clearlink Communications LLC,
- GTMJ Investment Group LLC,
- Holding Company of The Villages Inc.,
- Lazy B Cattle Venture Ltd.,
- Stacy Lester (wife of Gary Lester, vice president of The Villages for community relations, president of The Villages Charter Schools and a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission),
- Gary Mark (Villages Design Division),
- MMMP LLC,
- Mark Morse (CEO of The Villages),
- Shopping Center Development LLC,
- Sumter Water Conservation Authority LLC,
- Elliot Sussman (chair of The Villages Health),
- The Villages,
- The Villages Invesco LLC,
- The Villages of Lake Sumter Inc.,
- The Villages Equipment Co.,
- Villages / Acorn Investments Ltd.
Other members of Morse’s family also contributed $6,000. They include:
- Kelsey Manly (director of operations),
- Ryan McCabe (sales and marketing),
- M’Lissa Morse (Mark Morse’s wife),
- Jennifer Parr (vice president of The Villages Sales and Marketing),
- Bryn Blaise (construction manager),
- Lindsey Blaise (president of Citizens First Bank).
Those who oversee or are associated with divisions or businesses tied to The Villages corporate office also contributed heavily. They include:
- Dale Borrowman (The Villages Technology Solutions Group) $1,000,
- Lester Coggins (Villages Equipment Co., aviation) $1,000,
- Tim Creely (Golf Management Solutions) $100,
- Martin Dzuro (Dzuro & Associates) $1,000,
- Robert Eddy (chief financial officer) $1,000,
- Gary Fuchs (Villages attorney) $1,000,
- Coleen Hoopfer (sales manager) $1,000,
- Robert Hoopfer (The Villages Commercial Property Management) $1,000,
- Brian Hudson (Villages attorney) $1,000,
- Stephen Kurtz (director of Citizens First Bank) $1,000,
- Philip Markward (director of Villages Media Management) $1,000,
- Randy McDaniel (director of education for The Villages Charter Schools) $1,000,
- Scott Renick (Commercial Sales and Leasing) $1,000,
- Steven Roy (Villages attorney) $500,
- Jeffrey Skates (Villages attorney) $1,000,
- Dennis Stradinger (Home Warranty) $300,
- Michael West (construction) $1,000.
The Yoder family, owners of the T&D company that employees Hage, also contributed generously. The four T&D companies – T&D Distribution Inc., T&D Pool and Spa Construction Inc., T&D supplies Inc. and T&D Concrete Inc. – each donated $1,000, as did Yoder Bros. Inc. and Yoder Properties LLC. And Yoder family members Bridget, Glendora, Jennifer, Kelly, Matthew, Minetta, Nathan, Summer, Terry, Thomas and Troy donated $1,000 apiece.
By Florida law, campaigns, committees and electioneering communications organizations are required to disclose detailed financial records of contributions and expenditures. Except for political parties or affiliated party committees, no person or political committee may make contributions in excess of $1,000 to a candidate who is running for a legislative office like the one Hage is seeking to fill, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
