A Villager appointed earlier this year to the Sumter Commission and now running for election has raised the bulk of her campaign cash from a big-name GOP donor living outside the county.
Roberta Ulrich of the Village of Bridgeport at Miona Shores was appointed earlier this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Sumter Commission seat to which Villager Gary Search was elected in 2020. Search recently cut a deal in a perjury case and has agreed not to seek office again in Sumter County.
Ulrich has filed to run in the GOP primary in August and will face fellow Villagers Reed Panos and Jimmy Hagan.
During the month of April, Ulrich raised $8,570 for her campaign. Ulrich raked in $5,000 from Medallion Homes of Sarasota and associated companies operated by GOP political activist Carlos Beruff, who is also a major statewide political donor. In 2017, Beruff was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott to head the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, on which Villages Vice President Gary Lester also served.
Donors from The Villages who also contributed to Ulrich’s campaign in April include:
• Jerry Prince, who in 2020 was caught up in the alleged “fake candidates” scandal when he launched a write-in campaign for the Sumter Commission. He has donated $500 to Ulrich’s campaign.
• Ellen Hoffman, whose husband Dick previously served on the Sumter Commission. She donated $100.
• Patricia Francis, whose late husband Mike previously served on the Sumter Commission. She donated $100.
• Marilyn Iskra, who filed a formal complaint that led to perjury charges against Search and fellow Commissioner Oren Miller. She donated $100.
