[EnglishJW]

Originally Posted by Florida Fan

This has been an ongoing issue that the Rec. Dept. has chosen not to monitor or take any action. The people that are hosting the free dances are volunteers who chose to give back to the community, which should be the basis for all the activities here since they are using Villages rec centers, employees, etc. There has been a rapid increase in the amount of paid dances (most around $7 per person). It appears they are supplementing their income by using Villages amenities. Other than paying the cost of a disc jockey, there is really no other expense involved. Some will provide bottled water or a light snack, but they are certainly still turning a profit. And some hosts are using their significant others to be the disc jockey, which is clearly stated in the volunteer rules from the Villages as being unacceptable. Some dances are 70-100 people paying $7 per person and they probably pay a DJ $250-300. Some people are hosting multiple dances per month. This has been brought to the attention of the Rec Department and other than re-stating the rules to the various hosts, there is no enforcement. If the people in the community knew that our rec centers were being used to generate income, maybe something would be done correctly. If the dancing community can get by with charging admission to use our rec centers, then why can't the other clubs charge such as the arts, various exercise classes, music classes, etc? This sets a dangerous precedence to the future, but this has been brought to the Rec Department's attention and they are fully aware of this.

I agree with you completely. I think it would be simple to put a rule in place that says IF there is any charge to come in, the room MUST be paid for. The precedent risk of what is going on with dancing is substantial to all other clubs and their activities.