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As I recollect this thread all began with those pro and con to Ritchie's articles pertaining to the Developers' activities. I am in many respects neither pro or con. I do try and form my conclusions based on the intent of those speaking or writing and on the facts as they are presented. If as an individual you hear the same critic about something you do or fail to do that it an indication that you might want to pay closer attention to what is being said. and if the people advancing that critic have nothing to gain by taking the time and courtesy to assist you then you might want to listen.

Well that is how I view Lauren Ritchie. The concerns regarding the Developer have consistently revolved around his lack of transparcency, his ability to maximize profits and his knack for getting residents to fund his projects. think back and you will see that this is his profile. His business acumen is on spot and from that aspect I can't fault him. It is the egregious manner in which he operates such as the breach of our convenant in order to sell property to Freedom Pointe, to his pulling the rug from under disable residents who relied on an indoor swimming pool that remained with the individuals who purchased the original Fitness Center. Granted attempts were made to correct this issue after the fact but nonetheless not without much protest from affected residents . The IRS bond issue and the Amenities lawsuit have already been addressed. While mimimal, the controversey with the disappearance of the bison from Lake Sumter Landing . What upset people more was not their removal but the reason he gave as lawsuits. The fact remains that he had all the intentions in the world of building homes on that plot of land. In fact he has intentions of building on every single plot he can squeeze something on. It his right and its not personal its business

I challenge any resident to find one note of discord concerning the Developer from the Daily Sun, Villages Television or radio, the Villages Homeowner Association which he monetarily contributes and whose president is anAlliance Hospital Board member. The VHA was started to compete and and hopefully eliminate the POA. All of the foregoing enterprises, save the POA, are part of the mass marketing efforts of the Developer.

The fact is that the Developer is so too big to fail. He doesn't have to ask, imply or hint because so many business people make their living directly or indirectly from him that they don't dare say no. The question I have is does that also apply to the politicians and administrators around here?

So I welcome Lauren Ritchie articles and believe that all she is doing is writing about what she has read from IRS filing, court records, village residents, others such as with Moffitt etc. And if she didn't report it most resident would be left in the dark about what is really going on here. What saddens me are those residents who feel a need to defend The Villages. The Villages doesn't need defending as millions are being spent to relocate people here from around the world.

This is my opinion and I may be wrong and so I welcome editorial comments from fellow members who may information that would alter my view.