Belleview resident files candidacy for county commission

Sarah Dennis, 41, has filed candidacy for the District 3 seat of the Marion County Commission.

Sarah Dennis was born and raised in Marion County, from Ocala to Belleview, and wants to represent her hometown on the Marion County Commission by giving a voice to her community.

Dennis, 41, works at Peek’s Printing and Design in Belleview and as a real estate agent at REMAX Premier Realty. She is a graduate of Belleview High School.

“I am District 3,’’ she said. “I was born in Ocala, but I was raised in Belleview. Forty-one years I’ve been here, and this is my district—this is my home.”

Dennis, a Republican, is running against incumbent Matt McClain and David Blackwell, both Republicans. McClain was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the District 3 seat in September 2023 after former commissioner Jeff Gold resigned from his position. Dennis also applied for the appointment.

No Democrat has filed to run for the seat. If the race remains among these three Republican candidates, the winner will be decided in the Primary Election on Aug. 20. With only candidates of the same party, the primary will be open to all Marion County registered voters regardless of party affiliation. There will be no requirement for earning over 50% of the vote; whichever candidate receives the most votes will win.

If elected, Dennis said her main priority would be slowing growth and development.

“I want things to be progressive enough for us to keep up with the rest of the country, but just safe enough, stable enough for Marion County to be the best place to live and best place to raise a family,’’ she said.

By slowing growth, Dennis said she hopes the county’s infrastructure will benefit in turn; she specifically hopes for improvement in traffic.

“I think it needs to be maintained better, until we can get the infrastructure at least to where the roads can handle it. You ride through Belleview at 5 p.m., it’s almost as bad as riding through Ocala now,” she said.

While Dennis has no experience in government, she said she has enrolled in the Citizens Academy, a weekly program from March to May that educates and trains citizens on all aspects of local government in Marion County.

“I’m a wife, I’m a mom, I’m an employee and a real estate agent,” Dennis said. “I’m a citizen, and I’m just as qualified to serve, if not more qualified, because this is where I’m from.”

She and her husband, Biff Dennis, have five children ranging from ages 6 to 23, and one grandchild.

“I’m not from a political family, but I am from a Belleview family,” Dennis said. “We’re very much rooted here.”