Lake & Sumter Style Magazine on LinkedIn: Anthony Pellicano, Running for Sumter County Sheriff Experience that… (2024)

Todd Coon, Running for Sumter County Commissioner, District 3As owner of Tri-County Landscapes and DeSantis Air Conditioning and Appliances, Todd Coon feels his family is living the American Dream. He’s running for Sumter County Commissioner to give back to the community where he and wife Melissa raised their family.AccountabilityTodd is accountable to customers, suppliers and employees in his business. He sees his highest priority as taking care of everyone, making sure customers are served, suppliers and employees are paid and the business displays good citizenship in the community. He is anxious to apply his knowledge of customer service to public service. “Our mission is to serve our customers with quality products and affordable prices. I believe we need government at all levels to have that same attitude.”ManagementTodd has spent most of his career in management, growing his businesses over the last 25 years to more than 150 employees and thousands of happy customers. His experience managing people, managing money and making decisions could be easily applied to the role of County Commissioner.“We need a businessman as our next county commissioner who will make good decisions about managing growth and maintaining the quality of life and family-friendly culture that we love in Sumter County.”Community InvolvementTodd has been active in the community in these organizations:• Sumter County Fair• Sumter County Chamber of Commerce• Hospice of Sumter County• ScholarshipsFacing IssuesTodd is committed to fighting rising insurance costs, taxes, and eliminating wasteful spending. He also believes that we can never sacrifice our commitment to public safety so that our seniors and children never have to fear the crises that are affecting other communities across the country.

This week's show features interviews with East Ridge Head Football Coach Donnie Burchfield and Student-Athletes Tahj Howe, Winston Bourgeois, Dylan Bogun, Midley Bazil, and Jadon Corcino.https://lnkd.in/eNUEG5UK

Erin Daly, Running for Circuit Judge, 5th CircuitErin Daly’s deep knowledge of the law, unwavering fair mindedness, commitment to strong values and integrity make her a compelling candidate. Growing up in a law enforcement family, Erin became a court officer (bailiff) at the Brooklyn Supreme Court when she was just 19 years old. Her rapid ascent to the rank of Sergeant, and her nearly 17 years of service in uniform exemplifies her dedication.For the next 17 years, Erin prosecuted serious felonies, including crimes against children and major sexual assault cases as an Assistant State Attorney in Hernando County. She served victims and ensured justice by taking more than 60 cases to jury trial and resolving countless others, often resulting in life-in-prison sentences. “Being in the courtroom for 35 years, I have the experience and the knowledge to make the tough decisions according to the law and stick by them.”

Jonathan Germeroth, running for Lake County Republican State Committeeman When Jonathan Germeroth decided to run as Lake County Republican State Committeeman he had one goal in mind. The goal was to unite the party and appeal to all Republicans in Lake County. As a business professional Jonathan understands the importance of listening 1st and being a voice when needed. “My passion is agriculture, and the future of this county,” Jonathan stated. As a board member for the Lake County Farm Bureau, Jonathan has been collaborating with legislators in Lake County, Tallahassee, all the way to Washington D.C. to advocate for Agriculture. As your Lake County Republican State Committeeman, he will bring the experiences learned from his years advocating for Agriculture to our Republican Party. Jonathan stated, “It is the job of the Lake County Republican Party to support and promote, not discriminate against candidates or our elected Republicans.”Jonathan was born, raised, and educated in Lake County where he currently lives with his wife Ana Germeroth, and their combined family of seven children. “being Raised in Lake County has been amazing, and I plan to keep it that way for the next generation” Jonathan says. “We have an obligation to our party and the constituents to be leaders’ worth following.”History of Service: • Leadership Lake County Graduate 2011• Community Coach of Central Florida • Lake County Farm Bureau • Lake County Fair Board• Lake Water and Soil Conservation Board

Alan Hays, Running for Lake County Supervisor of ElectionsPublic service is not new for Alan Hays. After a career in dentistry, he served in the Florida House and the Florida Senate before being elected Lake County Supervisor of Elections in 2016. His record of elections administration over the past seven years demonstrates his devotion to serving the voters with accurate and efficient elections.When elected Lake County Supervisor of Elections, Alan made four commitments to the voters which he has fulfilled:• Voter Confidence• Excellent customer service• Accurate and efficient elections• Responsible financial stewardship“We run an operation that is completely transparent and open to the public. Anyone can sign up to take a tour of our offices. We’re proud of what we do, and we’re happy to show voters how we do it.”Making it BetterThe transparency of the voting administration process is evident on the Supervisor of Election’s website where every rule and statute is explained, every method of voting is detailed and even the technology used on election day is displayed.Alan worked to increase the integrity of the voting process by implementing a system for vote-by-mail with increased security measures. He also enhanced the training of election workers and installed a money-saving system for early voting.The elections office might be the only county agency that ever returned money to the treasury. Money saving measures have allowed the agency to return more than $3 million to the county commission. “I thoroughly enjoy the job and working with this team of people. I hope the voters are gracious enough to allow me to continue doing it.”

Peyton Grinnell, Running for Lake County SheriffPeyton Grinnell was born in Eustis, Florida, and is a graduate of Leesburg High School. He is a decorated combat Marine Corps veteran with distinguished service in the Republic of Panama during Operation Just Cause and in the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Sheriff Grinnell completed his basic law enforcement training at the Lake Technical College in Eustis. He was hired at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in 1994 and has worked various job assignments including Criminal Investigations, Uniform Patrol, Organized Crime and Intelligence, Training Director, Community Services, and Public Information. Sheriff Grinnell holds a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management, and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration, is a graduate of the Administrative Officers Course (111th) at the Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville, 244th session of the FBI National Academy — Quantico, VA and the Chief Executive Seminar (43rd) at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). His professional affiliations include Life member Veterans Foreign Wars, American Legion, Leadership of Lake County 2008, Educational Foundation of Lake County (Board Member), Hand in Hand Lake County (Board Member), Lake-Sumter State College Foundation (Board of Directors), The Salvation Army Advisory Board, Institute of Public Safety Advisory Board, Florida Criminal Justice Executive Leadership Institute (Former Board President). Sheriff Grinnell and his wife of 34 years, Jennifer, have two children, Lauren and Blake.

Lake County K-9 Team Gets National Recognition for Teen Anti-Vape Mission: Samba, a two-year old yellow Labrador Retriever, isn’t your ordinary police K-9. She doesn’t catch bad guys. Instead, Samba’s skills are used to sniff out vapes and other controlled substances in schools, a growing concern across the country.Samba, with her handler, Erica Stamborski, of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are pioneering a program aimed at ensuring student safety by detecting harmful substances, like nicotine and THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis), found in vape pens.“I was amazed when we first started in the schools,” Erica says. “She had a nicotine vape and THC vape immediately, like within a minute. It’s incredible how many students are vaping. And when it comes to the THC vapes, sometimes the kids are mixing their own (concentrates) or they’re just getting them from someone else and they don’t really know what’s in them.” Samba’s 160-hour training was intensive and tailored specifically to her role. The training sessions began with simple exercises like finding her ball in odor boxes, then progressed to more complex tasks involving nicotine and THC detection.Since her deployment in March, Samba has been effective in not only detecting vapes but also other substances among students, including paraphernalia and contraband.

Addie Owens, Running for Florida Representative, District 26Voting for Addie Owens is a vote for the future prosperity of Lake County, and an investment into long-term leadership of Florida. She may be new to state elections, but her track record demonstrates she has the experience to deliver for Lake County. It only takes a few moments with Owens to learn that she is a compassionate leader focused on and invested in the best outcome for Floridians. She has a heart and the drive of a woman who started with nothing but hope and faithful prayers.As a young mother, facing the harsh realities of single parenthood, she chose a career path that prioritized her family. Looking back at those early years of her career, Owens gratefully remarks, “I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. They were both great and tough. The lessons I learned about business and our community are all priceless. They shaped me as a leader and helped develop resilience in my career. Most importantly, I was present with my children, creating lasting memories. As a young woman, I always dreamed of raising my family in a town like those found in the Golden Triangle. It has been all I ever hoped for and more because of the people that live here.”Serving the people of North Lake County has always been a passion for Owens and an open House seat presents an opportunity for her to help position Lake County for a bright future. Commissioner Sean Parks, who has endorsed Addie Owens, says, “A true conservative, Addie is a hard worker and consummate professional who makes fact-based decisions while listening to people. In a time where growth brings great opportunity yet so many challenges, I believe Addie will work well with Lake County and our 14 unique cities and towns to make the right long-term policy decisions.”

Young anglers Mason Bush, 13, and Hayden Berryman, 14, know more than a thing or two about fishing and they’re making names for themselves in Florida and beyond. Mason and Hayden, who are cousins, have won competitions at the state and national levels since teaming up a year ago. Their love for the sport comes from their fathers, Josh Bush and Jason Berryman, who have been fishing most of their lives. “I began fishing at a young age,” Hayden says. “Eventually, my cousin Mason wanted to get into fishing as well and we began fishing together a few years back. Eventually we decided to make a team together. Since we are cousins, it just made sense to call our team Just 2 Cousins Fishing.” That relationship is key to their success, Jason says. “One thing about fishing is that you might be best friends with someone out on shore but when you fish you might not be compatible,” he says. “For Mason and Hayden, they work extremely well out there together and that is one of their greatest strengths.”Mason and Hayden mostly fish with Jason, who is the skipper on the boat. “I am so happy that Mason and Hayden get to compete together,” Jason says. “I think they learn a lot about the sport of fishing, but they also learn about themselves while fishing out there together. One might be strong at one thing and the other may be better at something else during a competition, but they work together very well.”