My parents retired in 1983 to a place about an hour from here, Timber Pines in Spring Hill, Florida. It opened that year and was built out in 1998. It's on 1400 acres with 3,400 homes. They have one 18 hole championship course and two 18 hole executive courses. You can own a golf cart and drive it on the streets. The community is completely walled and gated.
I use to visit my parents in the 80's and 90's and they liked it a lot. Inside the gate there is no businesses to drive your cart to, but right outside within a mile is a movie theater, a Walmart, K Mart, Sonny's and many other places. Yes, it would be nice if they were within the community walls, but this way it keeps workers and other non-residents from coming inside the community. The two gates are manned 24 hours and no one enters unless you have left word at the gate for visitors.
The available homes are now only resales, they are all masonry, most have 2 car garages, no fences are allowed, there are golf courses homesites. Homes are much cheaper, villas start in the $90's, single family homes can be found in the low to mid 100's and the top prices are in the $300's. When I visited my parents I wasn't really looking to live there, so I never took a close look at what they had to offer. Someone on a tighter budget would probably love it there, or someone wanting to be close to Tampa/St. Pete, they are less than an hour's drive.
Timber Pines Community Association