A Villager running for the Florida Statehouse has died of a heart attack.
Andrew Curtis of the Village of Mallory Square died Sunday, according to Cliff Wiener, president of the Property Owners Association.
“He was my friend and a fellow POA board member. I am stunned,” Wiener said.
Curtis was also a supervisor on the Community Development District 6 board.
In March, Curtis announced his candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives, when it was believed at that time that state Rep. Brett Hage would be running for re-election. Hage, whom Curtis blasted as “hopelessly compromised,” later dropped out of the race. Sumter County educator John Temple stepped in to run and has been seen as the candidate most closely allied with the Developer of The Villages.
Curtis faced uphill election odds in his 2018 race for the CDD 6 board when he took on fellow Villager Pat Francis, widow of former Sumter County Commissioner Mike Francis. In that race, Pat Francis accepted $2,000 in campaign contributions from the Developer, while Curtis self-funded his campaign. She spent most of the money advertising in The Villages Daily Sun. Curtis collected 3,950 votes to Francis’ 2,751 votes.
Curtis had been an attorney in the Tri-County area for 20 years, concentrating his practice in the area of Elder Law. He was a graduate of Georgetown Law School, held an MBA from the University of Michigan, and earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University.
Curtis is survived by his wife, Eve, and their son.
