Villager Oren Miller has filed paperwork indicating he will run for the Sumter County Commission.
His action Friday means Miller’s name will appear on the August Republican primary ballot. He will face incumbent Don Wiley for the District 5 seat.
It’s the latest chapter in the long, strange saga that saw Miller rise up four years ago to successfully knock off incumbent Commissioner Steve Printz. Miller was inspired to run after Printz and fellow commissioners voted for a huge property tax increase in 2019 that enraged residents.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Miller when he was charged with perjury. Miller was convicted in 2022 and served two and a half months behind bars. He was freed from jail and his conviction was overturned by an appellate panel of judges. Since that time, Miller has called to be reinstated to his former commission seat and contends he is owed back pay.
Replacing Miller was also complicated. Initially, Villager Diane Spencer was appointed to his commission seat, but soon bowed out. Wiley, a former Community Development District 10 chairman, was appointed to the seat after Spencer’s abrupt departure. Wiley, a Village of Hillsborough resident, won election to the seat in 2022.
There were other filings this week:
Landscaping company owner Todd Coon filed paperwork indicating he will challenge Commission Chairman Craig Estep in District 3 in the Republican primary.
While District 1 Commissioner Roberta Ulrich has given no indication she will run again, Villagers Deb Butterfield and Mary Lazich have filed to run in the GOP primary.
