[cabo35]

The supplement looks like it would be very difficult to scan unless someone is way more proficient than I am with a computer. I just called the Sun to find out if additional copies were available for you and those that were out of town. I was advised they just went to subscribers and at the moment the Sun did not intend to print additional issues. The blog mentioned is helpful but far short of the detailed history of development and current status.

The Sun supplement is entitled "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow".

The sub-headings are:

How do you build the World's Premier Community for 100,000 retirees on 25,000 acres? Answer: We think we're learning.

Talks about first venture with Orange Blossom Gardens and relationship with first POA. The original improvements as a result and the first free golf initiative

Where do we go from here?

Decision to develop 3 small towns like the ones we grew up in.

The Secrets in the Planning

Defined boundaries of Villages, Hwys: 42, 44, 301 and 441. Deciding ratio of home to facilities. 47 golf courses (35 exec./12 champ) 91 rec centers, 23 Villages, 61 postal fac., 69 pools, 84 miles of rec. trails


Trucks, Cars, Golf Carts, Bicycles, In-Line Skaters, Joggers and Walkers. How do you keep them all flowing throughout the community.

Original golf cart paths were made for golf cart only. Golf cart paths became multi-modal and were designed to handle all modes as Villages grew, especially south of 466.


Where does all the money come from?

Billions to develop TV. 3 towns, dozen shopping centers, 100,000 residents at completion. Needed framework to fund maintenance in perpetuity. Looked at Disney World structure.

Enter: Community Development District Government

Disney started Development District Government. Morse hired Gary Moyer, foremost authority on District Governments in Florida.

The Plan

Districts designed for ultimate self government in perpetuity. In case of Disney, no resident, Disney controls. Villages divided into 10 numbered districts of property owners. 3 town districts, no residents, and control, like Disney, residing with the Morse family.

The problem with the plan

Developer says 3 town districts should retain responsibility to assess land owners to maintain their districts and enforce bond covenants. But, after, developer builds amenities, and transfers them to districts, responsibility should be turned over to residents. The rub: some residents approved of transfer of responsibility, some did not. In the interim, until resident Amenity Authority Committee is established, the Village Center District has put in place a Resident Advisory Committee which has been working well. Developer says its first step in right direction.

Enter Politics

Developer ID's three groups. 1. Silent group, love living here. 2. Love living here and want to help. Gravitate to VHA. 3. Love living here but believe developers goal is take advantage of residents. Gravitate to POA. Group 3 largest complaint is that developer sells amenities to districts without establishing adequate repair and replacement costs and accurately project future increased cost. (This seems to be core of class action suit discussed later.)

The Solution

Developer says Group 3 complaint is "best thing that ever happened to every resident that's here today and yet to come." Developer admits some issues could have been handled better. Most glaring was not setting aside enough reserves to rebuild Paradise Center. A settlement offer will be put forward by the developer on Dec. 21. It would be an immediate payment of $11,803,168 and annual payments totaling $28,021,000 over the next 13 years. All monies go to the amenity Division budget to assure adequate reserves and continuity of amenity services. The class action suit will bring this before a judge for a fairness hearing and court approval of a fair settlement. This applies to the districts north of rt. 466. South of Rt. 466 will follow later hopefully with less acrimony.
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The future

Essentially the plan is the same including the class action process for development south of 466. Hopefully, some of the earlier reserve funding mistakes will be out of the equation and the process will be smoother. No truth to rumor that the developer is going to Texas.

Sorry about the shouting (bold). I had a problem trying to bring the responses back to regular type. Its back to computer 101 if the administrator catches me with all that noise.

I tried to capture an abbreviated essence of the supplement for our friends and neighbors who are interested and out of town. It is not meant to be complete copy. Hope you find it useful.