Quote:
Originally Posted by VillagesFlorida
I remember the day back in 2002 when The Villages development plans came grinding to a halt. Dan Farnsworth, a farmer from Oxford, didn't like what he was hearing about The Villages' proposed plans to develop land south of Rt. 466. After witnessing so much building and site work, since moving here in 1998, it seemed surreal to see huge earth-moving machines sitting silent in the middle of half-developed fields. Piles of pipes and reels of wire lay covered with dust. Contractors and sub contractors laid off workers and many of them sought work elsewhere. For months the landscape looked eerie and it seemed like a plague of some kind had gone through the whole area. I was able to find an old article that the Orlando Sentinel printed in 2002. Perhaps someone on this forum knows exactly what happened to end the standoff. The word around town was that The Villages settled on a "deal" with Farnsworth. "You stop this nonsense and we'll stop our lawsuit against you".
Speaking Out Has Its Price - Orlando Sentinel |
I remember the Farnsworth episode quite well. One of his arguments against development was that there is not enough water available to sustain a large population. I guess we'll find out if he was right when more sinkholes develop. It was inferred that he got a large settlement, although no amount was ever mentioned. He was still living on 466 out toward I-75 the last I heard, and he made his money laying cables in south Florida.