Jeffrey A. Bogue
Bogue, the son of a U.S. Army colonel, settled in the Tampa Bay area as a young adult and began a career in fire and EMS, working as a firefighter/EMT, paramedic and trauma flight paramedic; his campaign biography says he is currently director of emergency medical services for AdventHealth. His family bought a 10-acre farm in Bushnell in 2014 and made it their permanent home. He served on the county's ambulance committee before filing in January 2022 to run for the District 4 commission seat, and has served on the Board of County Commissioners since 2022, currently as 2nd Vice Chairman. He sought re-election in 2026 and won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary over Michael Squier with 19,912 votes (73.04%) to Squier's 7,349 (26.96%). Because write-in candidate Ethan Parks qualified, the primary was closed to Republican voters and Bogue advances to face the write-in on Nov. 3, 2026.
How they got on the ballot: Won Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary with 73.04% (19,912 votes) over Michael Squier (26.96%, 7,349) (Lake & Sumter Style; ClickOrlando results)
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Taxes & spending Leans disagree· based on record
His 2026 record leans toward preserving services over lowering the tax burden: he moved in July 2026 to eliminate the fire assessment fee, then in September 2026 voted with the full board to fully fund Fire & EMS through property-tax millage despite taxpayer objections, saying commissioners are elected 'to make the right decision for the entire county' rather than 'to take a popular vote.' In 2023 he described himself as 'never more conflicted' over a proposed fire-fee increase that was rejected 3-2 (see record). No general statement on tax cutting as a priority was found.
"We are not elected simply to take a popular vote. We're elected to make the right decision for the entire county."
Property taxes Leans disagree· based on record
Coded from county millage votes only; no statement by Bogue on the state homestead-exemption Amendment 3 was found. In September 2025 he moved to adopt the Fire/EMS municipal service taxing unit tentative millage (0.8571), and the FY 2025-26 budget he helped adopt kept the general-fund rate at 4.89 mills, which state TRIM rules classify as a 4.75% tax increase. In July 2026 he moved to abolish the county's per-parcel fire assessment fees, and on Sept. 15, 2026, after taxpayers complained that fire-related property-tax bills had risen $1,500 or more, he joined a unanimous vote to fully fund Fire & EMS through a $4.60-per-$1,000 levy on non-Villages property on top of the 4.89-mill general rate.
"We are not elected simply to take a popular vote. We're elected to make the right decision for the entire county."
Growth & development Leans agree· stated position
In his 2022 campaign Bogue said the county must 'reevaluate the impact fee structure so that there is not the significant disparity in age-restricted (The Villages) communities and those other communities' and must 'better control the growth rate in Sumter County.' No 2025-26 statement or vote on Villages expansion, rural-land rezonings or impact-fee levels was found in search snippets.
"better control the growth rate in Sumter County"
No public position found on 4 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Housing affordability, Environment & water, Crime & policing, Veterans. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Fire assessment fees vs. property-tax funding for Fire & EMS — Bogue, an EMS administrator, has been a central vote on how Sumter County pays for its fire department. In 2023 he said he had 'never been more conflicted' over a proposed fire-fee increase (rejected 3-2). In July 2026 he moved to 'trash' the fire assessment fees entirely (approved 3-2 after a 3.5-hour hearing), and in September 2026 he voted with a unanimous board to fully fund Fire & EMS through a $4.60-per-$1,000 levy on non-Villages property rather than cut the department.Sources: Outpouring of opposition snuffs out county's controversial … (2026-07-29) · Sumter commissioners make tough decision on funding for cou… (2026-09-16) · Firefighters plead with Sumter County officials not to cut … (2026-09-09) · Sumter Commission splits 3-2 on hot topic of fire assessmen… (2023-08-22) · Sumter County struggles to hire new firefighters after comm… (2026) · Sumter County to consider new fire assessment fee rate - Sp… (2026-07-22)
- Impact-fee disparity between The Villages and other communities — Said in 2022 that the county must re-evaluate its impact-fee structure so there is not a 'significant disparity' between age-restricted (Villages) communities and other communities.
- Code-enforcement fines — Challenged the county's routine practice of waiving code-enforcement fines once violations are corrected, saying at an October 2023 workshop that it made no sense to impose daily fines the county would ultimately waive.
- Road maintenance funding — As a member of the board, adopted the FY 2025-26 budget that retained the 4.89-mill general-fund rate, which the county said was done to increase funding for road maintenance; the board also approved a contract for C-470 intersection improvements in 2026 (board actions; no individual statement by Bogue found).
- Voter-guide questionnaires — The Daily Commercial reported that Bogue did not answer its 2026 candidate questionnaire but posted a candidate profile on the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections website. ClickOrlando's 2026 Voter's Guide for the District 4 primary features Bogue and Squier; its questionnaire text and any Ballotpedia survey could not be read in this sandbox.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Incumbent Sumter County Commissioner for District 4 running for re-election in 2026.
- Served on Sumter County's ambulance committee before filing in January 2022 to run for the District 4 seat; elected in 2022 and currently 2nd Vice Chairman of the board.
- Aug. 22, 2023: in the board's 3-2 vote on a proposed fire assessment increase (from $124 to $323.64 per residence), Bogue voted with Commissioner Craig Estep and said he did not want to see firefighters laid off but had 'never been more conflicted about a decision.' The increase was rejected; the fire chief subsequently reported a $12.2-million shortfall, 30 layoffs and cancelled hiring. (Which side of the 3-2 split Bogue and Estep were on could not be confirmed from search snippets.)
- Sept. 16, 2025: moved to adopt the Fire and EMS MSTU tentative millage rate of 0.8571 for FY 2025-26; the board's final budget kept the general-fund rate at 4.89 mills (a 4.75% increase under TRIM rules) to increase road-maintenance funding.
- July 28, 2026: after a 3.5-hour public hearing, moved to eliminate ('trash') the county's fire assessment fees for FY 2026-27; the board set the assessment at zero on a 3-2 vote.
- Sept. 15, 2026: voted with a unanimous board to fully fund Sumter County Fire & EMS for FY 2026-27 through property-tax millage ($4.60 per $1,000 on non-Villages property on top of the 4.89-mill general rate; countywide property-tax collections projected at $127.9 million, up 9.4%). Final budget vote scheduled Sept. 29, 2026.
- Won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary 73.04% to 26.96% over Michael Squier.
- Elected without opposition to a second term after write-in candidate Ethan Parks withdrew; VoterFocus lists his 2025-26 campaign as raising $57,660 and spending $56,822.
- On Sept. 30, 2025, moved to adopt the FY 2025-26 final aggregate millage rate of 5.0821 mills (general fund held at 4.8900 mills) and the Villages Public Safety Department MSTU rate of 0.0464 mills; both passed 5-0.
- County biography: son of a U.S. Army colonel; firefighter/EMT, paramedic and trauma flight paramedic; director of EMS for AdventHealth; B.S. in health-care administration; moved to Sumter County in 2015; homes in Bushnell and farmland in Center Hill; first elected August 2022.