Ocoee, Windermere incumbents win reelection

Town of Windermere voters returned three incumbents to their Town Council, while Ocoee voters selected a familiar face to their City Commission and passed three charter amendments Tuesday, March 11, during the 2025 municipal elections.

In Windermere, incumbents Mandy David, Tony Davit and Tom Stroup all won reelection over challengers Frank Krens and Jessica Lee.

In Ocoee, incumbent George Oliver III defeated challenger Ages Hart for the District 4 City Commission seat. Voters also approved three changes to the City Charter.

OCOEE
By a margin of just 51 votes — 401 (53.4%) to 350 (46.6%) — incumbent George Oliver III defeated challenger Ages Hart to reclaim the District 4 seat on the Ocoee City Commission.

This win marks the fourth time Oliver has won an election for the seat. He became the city’s first black commissioner in 2018.  

“I feel elated, I feel energized, and I feel vindicated,” Oliver said about his reelection. “I am beyond happy, and I’m ready to get back to work continuing to represent the citizens of Ocoee and of District 4 tomorrow. We’ll celebrate tonight, but we’re going to keep moving forward starting first thing tomorrow.”

Oliver has a full docket he plans to prioritize.

“The first priority is to thank the residents of District 4 for their support,” he said. “Getting back out into the community and letting folks know up and down the Clarke Road corridor that this is my grassroots, and I’m going back to my grassroots. I’m going back to what has made me successful during my time in office — and that is by serving the folks who ride up and down Clarke Road every morning, thanking those people for their support. When I get back to City Hall, the work will continue on the remaining part of the Clarke Road project, getting some lights on the west side of the sidewalks and road as well as speaking with the police chief about ways to get folks to slow down on the newly constructed road.”

As for those 350 District 4 residents who did not vote for Oliver, he asks they give him a chance to earn their vote over this term. 

“A lot of folks were deceived by certain news outlets with false accusations and things used to try to smear my name,” he said. “Some folks kind of fell into that. … But in the end, my work stood up on its own. My message to those who voted for my opponent is to get to know the real George Oliver. Do your research. Understand the things that I have done in my time in office — objectively — and give me the opportunity to earn their vote next time.”

Hart also had a message to his supporters following his election loss. 

“I appreciate the support I received during this election,” he said. “I want to let folks know that even though I didn’t win this election, I’m going to still be at the City Commission meetings, speaking up for their concerns, their needs, and I will always be active in our community. I’m still available for them, and this isn’t the last they’ve heard from Ages Hart. I’ll be around, and I’ll be looking forward to other opportunities to serve the community.”

Voters also passed three amendments to the City Charter. Those include giving the City Commission authority to interpret and enforce the City Charter subject to review of such decisions by a court of competent jurisdiction; giving the commission the authority to judge the qualifications and eligibility of candidates for the commission, establishing procedural rules, including ensuring notice and due process is given to affected persons and providing for review of such decisions by a court of competent jurisdiction; and amending the charter to state a member of the City Commission who resigns cannot thereafter seek election to any part of the same term of office from which the member resigned.  

WINDERMERE
Incumbents David, Davit and Stroup said they were glad the residents of Windermere elected them to serve another term, and they are honored to continue to serve. 

In Windermere, 1,483 votes were cast. Stroup won with the majority vote of 30.34% of the vote, or 450 votes. David won with 24.48% of the vote, or 363 votes. Davit won with 22.52% of the vote, or 334 votes. 

“I’m so excited to be able to continue keeping the town’s charm and working on the traffic and the safety of our residents as we’re going about through town,” David said. “I’m really excited about the projects we have going on.”

Both Davit and David already have served two two-year terms on Town Council.

With the start of their third terms, Davit and David have a similar goal of working on the preservation of historic buildings in Windermere, including the renovations to Town Hall. 

“(Town Hall renovations) are going to help keep the quaintness of the town and the charm, making sure that we’re keeping it historic,” David said. “We’re also keeping true to the town.”

Davit said he also wants to work on solving traffic issues by partnering with Orange County and MetroPlan Orlando. He also wants a resolution for the boathouse issue.

Stroup did not return calls seeking comment, but in a Q&A with the Observer in January, he said he would continue prioritizing residents’ quality of life. 

“With a town as vibrant and exciting as Windermere, we will always be improving and moving forward,” he said. “Whether it is the increasingly high volume of traffic or the future development of Windermere’s downtown businesses, the quality of life for the residents ... will always be my highest priority.”