An attorney representing a suspended Sumter County commissioner is seeking the dismissal of a perjury charge faced by his client.
Gary Search, a resident of the Village of Amelia elected to the commission in 2020, is facing a charge of perjury, along with a fellow suspended commissioner, Villager Oren Miller.
You can read the motions for dismissal in Search’s case at the links below:
Miller’s attorney is also seeking a dismissal.
Both men were suspended in December by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the perjury charges, which are third degree felonies.
Miller, Search and Craig Estep were elected in 2020 after commissioners, seen as puppets of the Developer of The Villages, forced through a highly unpopular 25 percent tax increase on homeowners. The trio attempted to make good on their promise to shift the tax burden from homeowners to impact fees paid by developers. The Villages fought the move tooth-and-nail and eventually enlisted state Rep. Brett Hage to change the law. DeSantis signed off on the measure.
