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During the December Board of Supervisors meeting, three outgoing Board of Supervisors members were honored for their years of service. 

After 20 years of serving on the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors (BOS), Garland “Butch” Hamlett Jr. announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection for the Drakes Branch District.

During that announcement, Hamlett said it was time to pass the torch.

“I figured it was time for someone else to step up to the plate,” he said. “I’ve spent most of my life dedicated to serving on a local, state and national level.”

Hamlett, who has served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman of the BOS over the years, said he is now looking to enjoy free time and possibly travel with his wife, but he is thankful for the citizens in his district who continued to believe in him over the years.

“It’s humbling to have been elected to five terms to serve,” Hamlett said. “I always try to do what’s right by the citizens and to be ethical … I never thought I should be self-serving.”

Noah Davis will now fill Hamlett’s position. Davis ran for the Drakes Branch District seat unopposed. 

Reeves looks back

After one term as supervisor M. Anthony “Tony” Reeves lost his position to a write-in candidate, Henry “Buzzy” Carwile. 

Reeves took his seat for the first time at the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors meeting after winning the 2019 Cullen/Red House district election. 

“I want to learn and work with the other six members of the board during my term,” said Reeves following his election. “I hope the seven of us can have a like-minded goal of helping the county.” 

During his time as a supervisor, Reeves said he hoped the BOS could work together to bring businesses and industry to the county. “We are a poor county, but we are not poor people,” said Reeves. “We go and spend our money in other places because there is nothing here, so we need something in this county to help with the income and taxes.” 

Supervisor Will Garnett, who represented the Bacon/Saxe District, also lost his seat in the November election. 

Garnett was first elected supervisor in 2019. 

In an interview with The Charlotte Gazette following his win, Garnett said that he wanted to make a difference in his county. Although this is his first political position, he will not make decisions quickly: “I will not make my decisions in haste but in a methodical way,” said Garnett. “We really need to think about how our decisions affect the citizens.” 

The new supervisor also said that he feels that more transparency is needed, and he does not plan to sit on the sidelines. “I want to look at the end of my four-year term and think that I made a positive difference,” Garnett added. 

Garnett was defeated in November by Derek Toombs.