District 5

Sumter County District 5 Commissioner

Sumter County District 5 Commissioner Thank you for your interest in Sumter County government, I’m Don Wiley, County Commissioner for Sumter County District 5. I am currently in my second year as the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. Also I serve as the Chairman of the Withlacoochee River Water Supply Authority and Vice-Chairman of the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization. Additionally, I serve as the Sumter County representative on the Florida Association of Counties Trust (the general liability insurance company for Sumter County) where I am a Trustee and on the Insurance Claims Committee. I was initially appointed to the Board of County Commissioners by Florida Governor Ron Desantis in June of 2022, subsequently elected by the residents of Sumter County in August of 2022 to continue to serve, and then reelected in November of 2024 to serve another four years on the Board. I’ve only lived in Florida for 20 years, the first eight years in Polk County and then moved to beautiful Sumter County in 2014. I and my wife of 44 years, Debbie, are the products US Air Force families and met in our sophomore year of high school when our fathers were both stationed at Lackland AFB in San Antonio Texas. We were married in 1981 after I completed two years of Naval Nuclear Power training in the US Navy. I served in the Navy for over 20 years on four different submarines and served at the chief Reactor Operator on three of these boats. I also served two tours as an instructor of Nuclear Physics, Nuclear Power Plant Operations, and maintenance and test practices. I retired from the Navy in 1999 as a Chief Petty Officer (E7). Following my Naval career, I entered the construction industry and worked for Johnson Controls where I served in multiple roles - design engineer, sales, regional operations manager, and finally as a senior project manager. After nearly 20 years I retired in 2018. After a year of “retirement” I couldn’t take it any longer and started my own media company that focuses on providing accurate, insightful, and useful information to the residents and future residents of Sumter County. After moving to Sumter County in 2014 I immediately stepped up and started serving as a District Supervisor on VCDD 10 and on the Project Wide Advisory Committee and served as Chairman of both boards for the last three years before stepping down to take on the role of County Commissioner. Serving on the Board of County Commissioners has been a great honor. I was honored by being selected by and appointed by Governor Desantis, but more honored by the trust placed in me now twice by the residents of Sumter County. I firmly believe that Sumter County is One county; a county made up of it cities, its farms and rural communities, its business community, and The Villages. Each plays a vital part in the diverse economic entity that is Sumter County. For Sumter County to be successful, each part of the community must be successful, and if any part of the community falters it ultimately affects the other parts and the entire community suffers. Sumter County continues to grow and change, some say for the good, and some say for the bad. It is my responsibility as a Commissioner to ensure that Sumter County’s growth continues for the overall good of all who call it home. Doing this requires a detailed understanding of the many issues that face the county residents and the operations of the county services. To exercise fiscal responsibility and ensure the residents and business hard earn tax dollars are spent wisely. To provide the resident with the very best services possible at the lowest possible cost, each and every day. Our job as County Commissioners is to serve the residents. While we each must live in different districts, we are all elected by all the residents of the county and each of us answers to all of the county residents. Each resident should always feel free to reach out any or all of the County Commissioners to address their concerns. Our job involves establishing policies and enforcing them, but more importantly it is know when it is time to say “NO” is not the right answer and to be able to say the policies don’t work how they need to and it is time to address them, to make them better for the residents and the community. I don’t work for myself or any special interest, I work for you, the residents of Sumter County, and you will always come first. Commissioner Wiley resides in District 5. For the defined district boundaries, please click here.