[terrieb]

We come to the Villages every December to enjoy the place, the weather, and people. This past year we were there in December 2013 and January, 2014. We wanted to experience "peak" season to see what it was like. We did have some problems getting tee times at the times we wanted but we adjusted, we did have to go to restaurants earlier than we were used to to avoid crowds and waiting in line, but we adjusted. We were on autopilot "defensive driving constantly with both hands on the wheel in case anyone decided they wanted to share our lane which we adjusted to but at times very, very scary. But we were amazed from all our visits to the Villages, the amount of burglaries in all areas of the Villages. A little alarming but with a 55+ community of all senior ages and more vulnerable than the younger crowd, I am not surprised. In earlier years of our stays, a lot of the residents would claim they would not lock their doors or feel the need to close their garage doors because there was no crime in The Villages. Well it seems like the word got out to a lot of opportunists that see an easy entry. With all the recent burglaries as well as the ones that were reported while we were there in December and January, amounts to a lot of crime in the Villages. With size and various crowds coming and staying in the Villages, I am beginning to think word of mouth of not locking doors or windows or garage doors open is an open invitation to the crooks of the world. Be careful what you say to strangers you encounter. They may not seem as friendly as you might think. I can't count on my fingers or toes the comments in all my stays in the Villages of where residents comment this fact of not locking up their homes.