Obituary, Mike Gudis, 86, of Crystal River, FL
Michael ("Mike") L. Gudis, 86, of Crystal River, Florida, who was born May 29, 1937, passed away August 4, 2023 after a brief illness.
Mike graduated from Charles E. Gorton High School in Yonkers, New York, and majored in accounting at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was known as "Money Mike" due to his long career as a financial advisor, public accountant, and Enrolled Agent qualified to represent clients before the Internal Revenue Service. Mike also served his country in the U.S. Navy.
A lifelong Democrat, Mike got along well with everyone, regardless of their political affiliation. In 1996, he attended the Democratic National Convention, held August 26 - 29, in Chicago, Illinois, and in 2012, was one of 300 Florida delegates at the Democratic National Convention, held Sept. 4 - 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mike worked as a money manager and accountant in Silver Spring, Maryland, and also served for 12 years as a county commissioner in Montgomery County, Maryland. In 1988, he made a brief bid as a Maryland State Representative before withdrawing from the race.
In 1996, Mike moved to Crystal River, Florida, where he continued his financial services consulting business, and served his new community for the next 27 years.
For 12 years, Mike served as a Crystal River Councilman. He was a past president of the Interfaith Council of Central Florida. He was instrumental in forming the Boys and Girls Club of Citrus County, the redesign of the Crystal River downtown area, cleaning up King's Bay and the King's Bay River Walk project. He was a proponent of bringing mental health and addiction treatment services to Citrus County, moving from the use of septic tanks to sewage lines, cleaning up derelict buildings, and encouragiing the growth of new businesses.