[dillywho]

I cannot see how constantly bashing the developer is a better attitude than if you don't like what you see, don't come; if you came and don't like, then you are free to leave. Can there be improvements? Always. As I said before, nothing is perfect and if perfection is what one expects, then that person is up for disappointment. Because I choose to disagree does not make me a grouch.

You ask what I like....I love the lifestyle, the new people (for the most part)and new friends we have made. My husband is handicapped and he enjoys a freedom here that would not be possible where we were. Life here is so laid back and I don't understand why some want to make it otherwise. I love going to the squares, the golf, the ability to go most everywhere by golf cart even when not golfing. I love being able to go to any country club without having to buy in, pay dues, pay a monthly fee for the restaurant whether you eat there or not, and pay assessments. I know of nowhere you can have access to as many as we do even on that basis. There is access to every club imaginable just for the signing, pools in most every neighborhood of some type, fitness centers, polo, softball, and the list goes on. We are free to partake of whatever suits our fancy or not at all. And the list goes on. Most of us have spent the majority of our adult lives looking forward to a less hectic life for our remaining days and for us, this is it.

As for the developer and what he makes, try some of the other places around and you will actually realize what a bargain most of this really is. Before we heard about TV, we had purchased land to build in another retirement community for when we got to retire. It was also before he became handicapped. There was one (1) exclusive country club you had to join and pay dues to belong and you had to be a member to play golf there, very few other courses which you also had to pay to play even though you paid an ammenity fee which back then was more than what we pay here now, and nothing was golf cart accessible....not even the courses. You had to either store your cart at one course and play that one when you could get on or haul your cart on your own personal trailer to another, or rent from them. This was in Hot Springs Village, AR. As property owners, we got to go there whenever we wanted, pay to stay since we hadn't developed our land, pay to play, and pay the monthly fees. We only played the country club when we were checking the place out. Never once we were allowed off the cart path on any of the holes at the courses the whole time we owned there. There was no entertainment and absolutely nothing was "free". It was, however, a truly gated community.

I don't like that people moving here now (and for a while) cannot create their own "wish list" and decorate their homes the way they would like. We moved here just prior to that change, thank goodness, and did get to do ours. I don't think it's fair that those with drainage issues are having to remedy those issues out of their own pockets. I don't like that we had no say in the grass that was planted (St. Augustine) and then we are told that we cannot water as much as St. Augustine requires. I don't like that the gates are just an inconvenience rather than a deterrent to crime. I don't like that we no longer have pool monitors, etc. I don't like that because of someone's stupidity, we no longer have the buffalo to enjoy. I don't like that many people use TV as a yearly vacation rental spot.

I guess what it boils down to is that there is more that I do like than what I don't. If it gets to be the other way around, then I can make another choice. Right now, I don't see that happening, but anything is always possible.

Kind of a long post, but you asked.