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Originally Posted by NJblue
I think you are raising a completely different issue than what I was talking about. In fact, I don't think the Fruitland Park addition breaks any new ground. It is my understanding (I could be wrong) that Brownwood and its surrounding land is part of the incorporated part of Wildwood. Certainly the Lady Lake part of TV has long established this precedent.
But, as long as you raise this topic, it will be interesting to see how FP votes on this. I don't know the current politics of FP to know whether the current elected officials might be at odds with the very large segments of new voters. If, for example, they are very liberal, then the typically conservative voting block of Villagers may indeed sweep them out of office. However, if they are conservative, they could be giving themselves job security for life by adding another 4,000 people who tend to be conservative.
If I were a parent or current resident in FP, however, I may be very inclined to want 4,000 new taxpayers who do not put any additional demand on the schools but will provide sufficient taxes to upgrade all of the existing school and recreational facilities ... and provide more jobs to boot. I don't know how many people who have this type of thinking there are in FP versus those who don't want any change or outside influence. If the former outnumber the latter, it may be political suicide to NOT let TV in.
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The Fruitland Park board and residents appear to have one shot at improving their town, and their choice is right now. Your point on how new development such as has been proposed by The Villages would stabilize FP's finances, improve facilities for current residents, and assure the quality of the development of the "dairy farm parcel" are accurate in my opinion. If FP turns the proposal down, I might go so far as to say that the development of that property into tax revenue producing real estate might take decades. In the meantime, Fruitland Park will remain the hardscrabble, sleepy little village it is now.
To some degree it's up to the residents of Fruitland Park. If they like things as they are now, they can tell their elected board to reject TV proposal. They may think that will assure the long-term continuation of their current lifestyle, but it won't. The value of real estate will always migrate towards it's highest and best use.
Always. It might take longer, but that 672 acres abutting TV, located on a major east-west county road is going to be developed. And the lifestyle of the FP residents is going to change. To believe otherwise is to believe one can stop a freight train by standing in the tracks in front of it.
The Mom and Pop general store will probably have to start serving lattés. The class D strip mall with a barbershop and nail place on the main intersection in town will probably be redeveloped. The main city park won't be right on US 441 for much longer. The weekly flea market may not make it much longer. Better commercial uses will be found for the resale shop and massage parlor, both in decent commercial locations. I'll bet the library will be able to buy more books. Maybe the pressure will be off the police to fund the FP government with phony-baloney speed trap tickets. Yeah, things are going to change in Fruitland Park, one way or the other. Maybe it'll take longer, but things WILL change.
I believe their choice is to cut the best deal that they can with TV, and try to enjoy the modernization and financial stabilization of their town. It'll get busier and noisier, and some of the new visitors to FP will be loud, objectionable, big city northerners. That'll be too bad. But one way or the other, that's the way it's going to be.