New Info on Moffitt
 

I learned this afternoon that donating to "The Mission For Moffitt" apparently does not benefit Moffitt Cancer Center. This saddens me.

I've been conflicted about donating. I like that Moffitt will be on campus. Donating to it appeals to me. However, it did concern me that Relay for Life reportedly would not be allowed on campus unless it split donations with the developer's fund raising effort. Some TOTVers seemed to think that the donations would not actually benefit Moffitt. That would concern me even more, except I thought it unlikely.

Like Cabo, I felt Ritchie is too biased a source. Ditto The Daily Sun. So, on Feb. 9, I emailed these questions to Michelle Foley of Moffitt Center:

1. Will the outcome of the fund-raising effort for the equipment effect Moffitt's decision to locate within The Villages?
2. Will Villagers' donations for the equipment financially benefit the Moffitt organization in any way? If so, how?
3. Will Moffitt's costs to locate within The Villages be reduced in any way as a result of the fund raising effort?

After asking time to check with "our general counsel", Ms. Foley responded this afternoon as follows:

"Hi Phyllis, the answer is no to all of your questions. Please let me know if you need anything else."

So, does this mean that by donating to "The Mission for Moffitt," we would be buying merchandise for the developer, that he will turn around and lease for profit at no cost to him? Is this possible? Is the fund-raising justified if Moffitt won't benefit and if it will have no impact on Moffitt locating in TV? In what sense is it a charitable donation if the funds raised don't benefit Moffitt?

Cabo? Russ? GG?

Phyllis... In response to your queries to Moffitt, it becomes obvious that the answer is NO, NO, and a resounding NO. I feel that the folks are starting to understand the developer's "game plan" which I just explained in another post.

Moffit will have NO control over the building the developer is LEASING TO Moffitt. The developer is pulling a fast one for his own profit by this donation plan so that he can buy this hi-tech equipment with the donated funds, own outright this equipment (not Moffitt nor the donors) and lease this equipment as well to Moffitt. Moffitt is not receiving ANY monies from those donations and the only one asking for the donations is the developer, NOT MOFFITT, and the developer will OWN this lucrative equipment with the donations as well as reap the rewards of the income this equipment will create. Yes, it's all a huge scam with many loopholes I would imagine where the developer is using these donors for his and his only profit AND WITH THE DONORS MONEY. Get the picture? So shameful and the worse part of it is that these well-intended donors don't seem to understand the scam the developer has going.

AND, this is not the first time that the developer has knowing misappropriated funds due the residents' budget to maintain the common grounds. Referring to the law suit the POA initiated AND WON! Then the final fau pau (sp?) was when the developer kicked out the ACS Relay for Life....proof of the lack of integrity the developer so blatently displays!!

TRUST THE POA; they are your friends. It's all about greed like our government leaders, we must learn who's our friend and who's our foe here in TV as well. Sad....but true.

I am saddened by this. I am satisfied to see someone who is a journalist by trade and someone I respect mightily and trust utterly has researched this issue and posted here.

I am pleased that you wrote this without venom and sarcasm. So much has been seen here that has been written with venom and sarcasm including my own postings.

It is obvious that by donating to Moffit that the developer would benefit financially.

I wonder why Moffitt would allow this.

Can someone accurately identify the name of the 501 c3 organization to which the "Moffit" contributions are going? Further can someone cite facts relating this charity to the "Developer?

I wish I could say this surprises me, but it doesn't. It really is more or less what I expected to hear. When I first heard that Moffitt Center was coming here, that the Morses were donating the land and building, I was thrilled. Then I heard about the Leesburg Moffitt and it quickly became apparent to me that Moffit in TV was only about the status of having it here, not any real need. Moffitt got an offer they couldn't refuse is what I thought. Now, I'm not even sure of that. Since Moffitt will have to pay rent and won't own the equipment, what in heck are they getting out of this deal? Why would they want two centers so close together? Just doesn't make sense.

So, the Morses' clay feet are showing. They get a nice tax writeoff; rent paid for the land and building they "donated;" probably a lease for the equipment they are getting with donations (be interesting to get the facts on this aspect, if at all possible). We get a cancer center -- one that is duplicative of one less than 20 miles from TV. We do not necessarily get the physicians and staff of Moffitt -- we get ones "trained" by Moffitt but that's not really the same thing. We or our insurance companies get to pay for the treatment -- it is not free or at a reduced cost. We lost the Relay. Other charities suffer by having to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Moffitt charity. Sounds like a very sweet deal for the Morses. I am beginning to wonder what makes it work for Moffitt.

Somewhere, somehow, we are missing some facts. I'm just not sure how we find them out. So, I guess we need to research if there is a Moffitt/Morse entity. What benefits Moffitt does get by building two centers so close together. What inducements were made/given to have them agree to come to TV after committing to Leesburg? It might be interesting to know the deal Leesburg made with Moffitt just for comparison. Anyone have any clues how we can find out some of these things?

Gracie, that's the million dollar question. I, too, have e-mailed Michelle Foley and asked her why Moffitt is associated with this and the fund-raising going on here in their name is doing nothing but sullying their reputation. That was two weeks ago, and even though I re-send the e-mail (second, third request), I get no reply. One can only assume they know exactly what is going on and how they get the equipment is of no concern to them, just that they get it. I find this whole thing a "senior scam" where donations are made by good and decent people who think they are helping cancer patients. In my discussions with people who donated, they were told by fund-raising personnel that even though you make the check out to Villages Health System, the money was going to Moffitt - a direct contradiction to Michelle's e-mail. Isn't this the definition of fraud?

One other thing I forgot to put in my post for everyone's consideration -

A lot of people have written on this website saying having Moffitt here can only be good for TV. It appears to me from what I have read that they are branching out to various locations, creating lots of "affiliates" with local staff. It's almost starting to sound like the Wal-Mart of cancer care - you have a name-brand that attracts people and the smaller Mom and Pop businesses are quickly put out of business because they just can't compete. So instead of adding to the community, it really reduces our choices in cancer treatment. I will state that given all that I know about their complicity in the fund-raising being done here in their name, I personally would have serious reservations about going there if I were diagnosed with cancer. Cancer treatment is a business and when and if the time comes for me to require it, I really do want a choice in my care.

Has anybody thought about the fact that selling homes in The Villages is the #1 priority of the developer and that the more renowned names that are associated with The Villages, the more attractive it would be to locate here?

Good point TH.............

I thought the donations were going for equipment that will belong to the Hospital Alliance - not Moffit. If true the answers to the questions are correct.

Correct Quietman. All the equipment purchased with the donations will belong to The Villages Health System. Therefore the answers to the three questions is no.

It just makes me sick on how much they push donations to Moffitt. They are lying to good- hearted people. I can't stand to listen to The Village radio anymore because it is just one big advertisement for donations. Between the paper, the radio, and almost every event, I am so sick of hearing about Moffitt. That's the problem with a Developer having so much power and owning all the media and everything else.

This will probably generate a lot of responses but here goes anyhow -

The Villages is a great place to live and the Morse family has done a wonderful job of making this slice of Heaven available to us. Where else could you be so happy for such a reasonable cost. $135 monthly amenity fee is almost unheard of anywhere - and for all we get!!

Greed on the part of the developer? The Morse family happens to be wealthy but this is America, folks. They developed The Villages and keep it beautiful. I begrudge them absolutely nothing and anyone would be foolish if they did. If you do not like it here, nothing is keeping you from leaving to go somewhere else.

If you do not want to donate to the Moffit Center - don't donate. No one is forcing you to donate. There are plenty of charities around who are totally separate such as Salvation Army, local food banks, donations directly to Red Cross, Boy Scouts, or whatever. Donate to your churches. Animal shelters need contributions. None of these are connected to the Morse family.

The POA does some good but it is also full of naysayers. Get that good feeling back when you moved to The VIllages and enjoy being here without griping. You never had it so good as you do right now!!!

You have a positive response from me on your post. I've said the same many times and agree with your statement to donate to whatever charity you wish.

I'm sure interesting replies will follow:popcorn:

Follow the Money
 

Every time some one posts an opinion questioning the developers ethics they are told "love it or leave it". I don't understand wrong is wrong. The developer has been misleading from the get go and continues even now. I am not against a Moffitt affiliate in TV. I am against donations made by misleading Villagers with false information and innuendos. Even Moffitt in Tampa is trying to distance themselves from this fiasco. At first Michelle Foley only referred emails to the moffitt foundation here, now she is answering emails saying they are not part of this fundraiser and will not receive money form it.

I have no intention of moving, I like living here and enjoying the many amenities we have. I just find it hard to ignore how people are being deceived and feel obligated to voice my opinion.

In a true society the strong protect the weak, here we just call them names and tell them to leave.

TBugs - Please try to understand. My problem is not liking it here or or not liking what the developer has created. In fact, I love it here and think what they have done is remarkable and certainly unique. What I don't understand is, having created this wonderful community (and profiting enormously from it also) they need to deceive residents. It is well documented that the initial notices indicated the developer was "donating" the spaces for Moffitt. Only later did we find out that there was no "donation" at all. It was purely a business investment in a rental property at a prime location. What do you think would have happened if the initial story had simply said that the developer was going to put up a new building that would be able to house the new cancer center? There would still be a positive response since the main roadblock to the center was adequate space. To me, the developer would have seen and addressed a need and residents would see it that way as well. Why spin it to sound like a donation when it wasn't?

A little history also plays into my feelings. Many vinyl-sided homes south of 466 were shown to have faulty/less than ideal installation of the siding. This was confirmed by independent building inspections. Instead of holding the contractors' feet to the fire and making them adhere to the siding manufacturer's installation instructions, we were treated to denials and the ridiculous comment that after the tornado he saw walls torn off with the siding intact. So what!!! It was only after the news of the faulty siding got published outside the community and his credibility took a hit that these deficiencies were addressed.

So, my attitude is really one of disappointment. This community is amazing and should stand on its own without the need to embellish or obfuscate. Tell it like it is. Do the right thing.

Note the transition in naming from The Villages Moffitt Cancer Center
 

to The Moffitt Cancer Center in The Villages. And recently the change of the donation emphasis is now "Mission for Moffit".
It may be nothing more than a lot of people getting it wrong or mis stated and now clarified.
However when there are open questions with limited communications and the smog of uncertainty, one just wonders....some more.

As stated previously just check out the size of Moffit or MD Anderson facilities...check their staffing and what they offer. You will soon conclude TV presence is a satellite with the Moffitt name. Obviously what ever is planned for it meets Moffitts criteria. Kinda like if there is a machine in the neighborhood (like Lake Imaging), they can claim to offer that equipment. Theses comments are not meant to be pluses or minuses to anything. Just observations made or to be made.

What else is annoying about the smog of mis-information is TV could EASILY set the record straight through their multiple media holdings...but they are not....have not. Just wonder why.

btk

Love of the Villages and love of the developer may well be mutually exclusive, as has been voiced by numerous people. Not to compare anyone to Hitler, but using an extreme example, a majority of Germans in the 1930s loved the improvements in the economy and the infratructure under the direction of the Nazis. Dictators often have widespread support of the people despite suppression of news, lying and stealing from the state coffers, because they can get things done without opposition, some of which benefit a great many people. I do not know the developers, and maybe their intentions are mostly honorable, but their lack of openness and disclosure certainly help raise doubts.

Maybe they'll come on here and set the record straight. Maybe they think that there is no record that needs to be set straight.

JLK

So what if The Villages is a nice place to live?
 

Why is the fact that The Villages is a nice place to live even slightly relevant to the controversy at hand? As I see it, the controversy arises from three basic issues, all related to the Developer's role in the so-called Moffitt fund raising and having nothing to do with The Villages lifestyle:

1. What can charitably (no pun intended) be described as misrepresentations being published in the Developer's newspaper in order to raise funds that will flow back to the Developer.

2. Total lack of transparency in regard to the arrangements between the Developer and Moffitt. Is the Developer a paid fund raiser? Is the rent normal rent, or somehow tied to the Developer's fund-raising efforts? Who knows exactly how the Developer is benefiting from the fund raising? Moffitt won't tell us.

3. The Developer's shameful attempt to shake down the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life for the Developer's own financial benefit.

Yes, we don't have to contribute to the fund raiser. But we also don't have to stand by and see our friends and neighbors doing so without their being informed about where their money is going.

Finally, as to your allegation that the POA is full of "naysayers": Those naysayers brought the class action that got you, the other residents of the Villages, and me about $40 million that the Developer was wrongfully taking from us. We all owe those naysayers a debt of gratitude. When you tell us that you have written the Developer a check for your share of that class-action settlement (call it $1,000), I will start to listen to your complaints about the POA being full of naysayers. Until you write that check, you may want to temper your name calling.

:agree::mademyday::BigApplause:
Well said.

I agree with all of the parts of your post that I quoted, (other than the part that states that the issue is deciding whether "to donate to the Moffitt Center," since fund-raising in question doesn't do that.)

Indeed, deciding whether to donate to "The Mission for Moffitt" was the point of this thread. I'd been trying to decide, I got my questions answered and I shared the answers with others who are deciding.

I sincerely don't understand what this has to do with TV being a wonderful place to live, or the developer having done a wonderful job making this slice of heaven available to us. I don't see what it has to do with the fact that we've never had it so good. This is about deciding whether to donate to "Mission for Moffitt".

I also struggle to understand the inability or unwillingness to distinguish among traits of genius, vision, acumen, ethics and personal integrity.

For example, it's possible to be a great businessman, produce a great product and be highly ethical. Bon Jovi and Warren Buffett pop to mind.
One can be a great business person, produce a wildly popular but flawed product and be highly ethical. Bill Gates comes to mind. One can be great business person, produce a popular, sought-after product and be highly unethical. Bernie Madoff and Ken Lay come to mind.

It is possible the Morse's possess all of these traits in abundance; it's possible they have great genius, vision and acumen and rate less well or even poorly or even pathetically on the ethics and/or personal integrity scales. Isn't it?

Or does it make more sense, as Tbug's and other posts in previous threads seem to me to imply, to accept or acknowledge no distinction among traits of genius, vision, acumen, ethics and personal integrity.

As usual, your comments are right on target. Well said.

Talk Host....100% correct....
 

there may be no need to set the record straight....it may well be straight as is!!

btk

Are donations tax deductible? Or is that question another can of worms?


.

I also agree with Advogado - except I do think the last paragraph is a bit strong. In the past the POA has been anti-developer and negative. I think that has changed for the better - a POA that can see both sides and negotiate on our behalf is a wonderful thing.

Chuck - I think challenger's question on the 501 (c) (3) name and status of the charity is to help determine if our contributions are tax deductible.

Most of the time I don't agree with you but this time your spot on.Not anyone here knows the facts but claim to have heard or know somebody that does.The facts will come out then voice your opinions. It just doesn't make sense to get all rattled til you know the TRUTH.

This discussion is not limited to this forum. I just returned from a one week cruise and there were about 100 Villages residents on board. Every one that I talked to was tuned into this and not necessarily from this forum.

There was talk of "character" and a parallel drawn by some to the Montana woes.

The succinct , stunning genius of the above posts is so refreshing and relevant. Thank you.

:coolsmiley:

Very clear analogical reasoning . :clap2:

Try reading the above posts............while working on your second scotch.

I've been a member of this forum for a long time. After reading every post so far in this particular thread, I find myself wondering why I've done so!

In fact, Talk Host and Tony, I am inclined to say that this thread should be deemed "political," and removed from general access accordingly!

Personally, I heartily applaud Tbugs entry and Bosoxfan's endorsement thereof.

I think I have posted previously that I have made a reasonably substantial donation on behalf of the Moffitt's equipment needs, primarily in memory of my late wife who would have benefited immensely from Moffitt's advertised style of care, had she lived to even know about this Place!

I fully understand that the style of debate available in this forum is an American Heritage. I just wish we could discuss it without being so altogether negative!

'Nuff said!

SWR
:beer3:

Follow the money
 

I don't see how this can be political, when we are discussing the ethical and moral issues of misleading donors like yourself.

People are negative on this subject because there is plenty to be negative about.

That is true...

However,

SWR - you made a donation in the memory of someone you love.

While I deplore all this information that the Morse family has been less than truthful with us, that can in no way take away from your wonderful generosity and that will help so many suffering from this terrible disease.

Hi Swinfla,
I had not commented previously about the Moffitt Center. Some issues raised were unclear to me. My intent was to share information I had learned and seek others' evaluation of its relevance and significance.

I feel terrible that I started a thread that causes you sadness. Your donation was worthy and kind. You are someone I respect and admire. I'm sorry.

And THAT is the reason I love you and trust you and .....

people like you and Swrinfla are the reason that it is Paradise to me.

While I have not been a contributor, I must say the thread is interesting- Not so much the issue of the Developer vs Good/Evil but what a field day Freud would have analyzing the responses and /or the respondees.

Putting this thread (topic) into "Political" would make that forum a dust bin into which we place all controversial conversations. This isn't a political discussion and that's not what the "political" forum is for.

While this topic may be unpleasant to some, it is of keen interest to many. I personally don't think that it's the "to contribute or not contribute" aspect that has riled people. I believe it's the inability to learn what is fact and what is not fact that rankles residents. The lingering fear that perhaps the developer was not been completely forthcoming about how this will play in his financial favor.

I find it annoying that they would just plain "ignore" or "skirt" these questions, just like my parents did to me when I was a little kid when they thought I didn't need to know the answers or thought I wouldn't understand....or thought it was none of by business.

If you read these posts carefully, you will see that this community is made up of immensely intelligent, articulate, and clear thinking people. If (IF) there is ever an attempt to "pull the wool" over their eyes, they won't allow it. Bully for them.

JLK

Be of good cheer. Kipling's "If" captures the essence of what it takes to be a good person. One thought expressed is most relevant to the current circumstance.

"If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools........"

Along with many others, I appreciate the stellar effort you exercised in securing first hand information related to the dialog. Unfortunately those with intransient positions embraced the answers you offered and contrived them to fit their bias. Those who viewed them with an open mind appreciate your effort as well.

In time, the truth will reveal itself, a new cancer care option will be available to Villagers and you will still be a "good person", helping many make informed decisions in turbulent and uncharted waters. Thank you.