Longtime leader of Community Standards, known for his dedicated efforts

The longtime director of Community Standards in The Villages has died.

Candice Neva Dennis died of a heart attack on Monday, November 25th at the age of 68.

She began working for the Villages Community Development District in 1999. The district government was in its infancy and Dennis arrived at a time when Pete Wahl was district manager.

Dennis became head of the Community Standards Department, working on deed enforcement issues and the Architectural Review Committee.

She led the ARC from the beginning. The ARC is made up of volunteer residents from each village who review applications to ensure homes meet the deed requirements that have kept Florida’s friendliest hometown looking like a first-class community.

“She was always very thorough, professional and well-prepared,” said Don Simson, a longtime member of the ARC and its chairman. “If we needed more information or a better understanding of something, we knew we could turn to Candy.”

She is known for her dedicated work with residents and tries to educate them about the often complicated process of compliance in the event of a violation, Simson said.

He joked that he and Dennis occasionally “clashed” at the ARC, but he always considered her a friend.

“You could always trust that she would give good advice,” he said.

Dennis retired from her long-running role on The Villages in 2020.

Not quite ready to give up public service, Dennis landed a job at Fruitland Park City Hall in 2021.

A celebration of life will be held in her memory on January 11th at the Lake Miona Recreation Center in The Villages.

You can read her full obituary at this link.