[Villages Kahuna]

One thing that surprise almost all new visitors is the size of The Villages. Currently, measured from north to south, roughly from CR 42 to the area where new development is underway, The Villages is approximately 33 miles “long”. As a comparison the City of Chicago is 27.9 miles from it’s border with Evanston to borders with far south suburbs. When one factors in the average speed of a golf cart, navigation thru tunnels, stops, etc., one can properly conclude that accessing amenities, shopping, etc. all over The Villages really isn’t practical. Choosing where you want to live in The Villages is an important consideration.

While there haven’t been many “warts” in the fifteen years we’ve lived here, times may be changing. The Morse family is now in its fourth generation of managing the development. The original contractors, designers, architects, department heads, etc. are also moving on to new generations of people with different experience, skills and personal objectives.

The Morse family and their objectives are something that may be changing as well and should be considered. The first two generations, Harold Schwartz and Gary Morse, represented single CEO’s who “ran the show”. The objectives even into the third generation, the three siblings who currently are in charge, didn’t seem to change much. But they’re approaching retirement age and a much larger number of fourth generation family members are assuming key roles. There are other family members who don’t have the interest or skills to be involved. Yet presumably they all will need to be “taken care of” financially and in the rights if ownership of the business. Combined with the fact that the sheer size of the residential and commercial development business suggests that there will be changes in management style and objectives. Again, the sheer size of the business suggests that the owner-resident relationship will have to change.

Other than the current kerfluffle regarding apartment development, one can’t assert that there have been major changes in the management of the enterprise. But for those considering living here for the next fifteen years, they probably should anticipate that the future isn’t likely to be like the past.