Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Who really thinks that the daily entertainment we now have at the town squares will be free when the developer leaves?? It is no differnet than charging for tables and seats for New Years although that could be considered by some a safety or crowd control issue.

Be honest here, someone has to pay for the bands and DJs and they are not cheap. My bet is more likely than not we can expect another amenity fee (probably not until after 2010) like we have for recreation but this one will be for entertainment......AND rather than havings entertainment 7 days a week at each town square, it could rotate town squares to keep costs down.

Am I right or wrong :dontknow: ???

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

It was my,understanding that the local businesses paid for the entertainment, not the developer. It certainly results in a large increase in the number of people that might patronize their businesses.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

I would think that whoever owns the liquid refreshment stands would be willing to continue footing most of the bill. The local Sheraton has a band every Wednesday night, as well as veggies, cheeses and hor douvres. No cover charge and the drinks stay at normal prices with a $2 special on Coor Lites. There is a lot of money to be made on drinks.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

I seriously doubt there will be a charge for entertainment. It is the entertainment that draws crowds to the square and therfore the businesses that are there. I'm sure the rent paid reflects the cost of entertainment. How could they possibley charge you anyway, It's on a downtown street.

Galen

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Paying brings a thought to mind. When we pay our amenities fee why dont we get a break down as to what that covers. Shouldnt we know where the dollars are going. Lets ask this month and if they dont want to furnish you with an itemized invoice refuse to pay it. If they do and on for entertanment then the town squares will have to be close to paying customers only. That would be real interesting to see.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

So far there are alot of "understandings", "rumors", "he said/she said", "the Town square merchants pay", or even the "refreshment stands" pays.......but the real fact is NO ONE appears to really know who is paying for the entertainment. We (myself included) all assume this is part of the Villages lifestyle and it will continue forever but I see big RED flags on the horizon especially after 2010.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Doubt if they will start charging for entertainment on the squares because of the competition success often brings. The Villages is very successful it seems and other developers will want to get their own piece of the pie. So, unless the Villages in 2010 wants a number of people to move to new developments in the area, they will probably continue with the features that drew people to TV in the first place. Like free entertainment in the Villages 2 squares in 2007. 3 squares in 2010?

My guess is that the Villages pays the entertainers but that the rent the various liquor vendors pay for the spots on the squares is adjusted for the number of people coming for the entertainment i.e. it has probably been going up from year to year. Just a guess though.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Speaking of entertainment here is a link for what's happening at Spanish Springs for the month of December. http://thevillages.com/newsletter/20...ishSprings.pdf :beer2:

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

How many people have went to spanish springs to view the entertainment on their first visit? I did and boy was I impressed. The entertainers were very good. Wow, I thought, disneyland for grownups. I believe this entertainment probably has sold more homes than any other feature of the villages. Having said that, I believe the owners use part of the revenue from sales of homes to pay for it. It could be part of thier advertising budget.

I doubt whether this will continue after all the homes are built and sold. It would be nice if the owners would comment on this. They don't have to since TV is privately owned and they don't have to answer to anyone. I'm sure some of the management watch this board and could reply. It would be a nice gesture.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Sometime ago I went to the district office and asked the Question where do the amenities fees go. The answer was that they go to the developer,that he owned the pools and golf courses and most oe the rec centers and that he operated as a public corporation and that he did not have to open his books for anyone anbd that the money went to maintain these facilities.
drd

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

After reading about being charged for tables New Year's Eve, I have a feeling we will be charged for all special events and parades. We moved here for "free" entertainment. I think outsiders should be charged if they want to come into the Villages. See how fast the store owners etc. would start screaming. We should not be charged for tables. If you want a table, get there early and reserve it like before. All this is just getting out of hand. The lifestyle in The Villages surely has changed.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

This will be interesting.

After the new house construction is completed/sold, the developer appears to still have a vested interest in the long-term success of TV. They still own the commercial areas, and the rentals of that alone is significant. They have the most control over resales by virtue of just being here, and that goes for rentals as well. The "districts" are like super-HOAs, and control of these is worth money, too.

I have a hard time accepting that "the family" is going to take the money made by 2010 and run, especially if there is a long-term profit potential, and that long-term profit potential is tied to keeping many of the social/entertainment aspects of TV running well.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

:agree: I doubt "The Family" will walk away from TV. There is money to be made as you said.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

I doubt they will ever charge people who live in TV for the entertainment since the Squares are open to anyone. Not sure who pays now but I suspect between the merchants and the beer stands who benefit the most they will continue to pay in the future. If and when they start charging I would probably cut back my attendance, but I seriously doubt that would ever happen.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Golfnut
If the developer starts charging (which is uncertain) it would be through some sort of fee structure...not a pay as you go. This was simply a "Thought Provocating' question as no one really knows who pays for the entertainment or How Much?

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

I can't see the developer leaving at all (where did this 2010 come in)all building will not be finished at least until 2013,possibly later.
Secondly the developer owns most of the business buildings and rents them out,he has a huge investment here with all that he owns,why would he want to leave.
If by some ridiculous chance the developer should leave and sell all his holdings here,investors would buy it and continue to run the the place themselves,possibly not as good as it is run now,or it could be run better.
Restaurants would still have to be competitive and keep their prices in line,the same for the stores, and all the rest of the businesses in TV.
When thinking about 15 years or so into the future,that is going to be tough to figure,after we are not going to live forever.
I know prices rise every year(amenities,gas,electric,booze,shows etc)after all when we were working, we wanted raises every year also,and when we got the raise it was passed on to the consumer.
So enjoy the time you have left here and do not be so critical about the little things.
PS, I am not rich,nor have any connection to the developer,I am just a retired blue collar worker trying to enjoy the 10/15 years of life,if that long.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Is this how rumors get started at TV?

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

I remember reading an article a while back in the Daily Sun I don't remember all the details but I do recall that the various restaurants (other businesses?) paid for the entertainment and since then I have made it a point to visit restaurants inside tv when we go out.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

To AUTOSHOW:

Thank You !

:bigthumbsup:

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

To AutoShow................right on. There are too many critics in TV, and rumor mongers, too. There is no other place where things are so great, and when you critics were up North, was everything done to your liking? I think not. Did you look to your developer up there to solve everything, or baby you? I think not. By the way, the merchants pay for the entertainment; and people can find out where their amenities go by attending the CDD meetings.
Why spend your "rest of your life" fussing................ENJOY!!!!
As for paying for tables for New Year's, would you rather see all the tables taken up by people who get there at the crack of dawn and save them? This happens at every event, so to me, paying for tables evens out the playing field.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

I was told early on that TV is a community of rumors. If you do not hear a good rumor by 10:00 AM, you are obligated by community covenants to start one.

After reading so many of the posts in this thread and others that proclaim with absolute certainty that "the developer" does this or that, owns various stuff, gets amenity fees, etc., I'm reminded once again how important it is that everyone attend the CDD course. Remember that TV is a legal governmental entity (or entities, actually). It is restricted by government regulation. (By the by, that's why some Villages vehicle qualify for Florida government license plates. But I digress. . . ) Much of what we attribute to the developer is actually the responsibility of one or more of the development districts. The CDD concept is confusing as :edit: even if you've attended the course. It's impossible without it.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

If I can't understand it, I don't trust it. That is why I don't want to live in a CDD!

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

My friend does not live in a CCD but in a resident owned community called Continental Country Club. Give me a CCD anytime. The pool was not heated and in poor shape--finally is heated and redone.
They have a terrible time finding anyone to run the restaurant and bar. In the last two years it has shut down for long periods of times. Right now the restaurant is open but not the bar. They say it will open before long. There are other things but enough for me to be against resident owned.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

mejahu - Why are you on this forum if you don't live here or aren't interested in TV?

Just wondering.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

It is the most debilitating attitide I can imagine: to close one's mind because of lack of understanding. At one time none of us understood anything of this world. I still don't understand most things. But I still listen to reason and am oftentimes motiviated to find out instead of remaining in ignorance. Accurate information is readily accessible about CDDs. It's only a matter of wanting to know.

How many of us are fully knowledgeable about how cities are run? Not many. But how many of us live or have lived in one?

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

That is a fair question. I wanted to live in Florida and have followed TV because of their advertising they sent to me. When this forum started I was very glad to be able to read what people living there had to say and very much appreciate the willingness to answer questions about what I consider important to making a decision. I did not see, and still don't, how CDD's and the some of the ways in which the rules and fees operate are in the interest of the retirees. That seems to be the case when it comes to condo ownership outside TV as well, so I'm just trying to understand what the upside vs. the downside is. Not trying to start a range war. Hope this makes some sense?

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Mejahu -- Have you visited TV? Before you make up your mind one way or another, you really should spend time there -- a month if you can. I've got to tell you that I was never going to live in an "old people" place, I hated Florida (except that it is easy to get to and warm), and there were lots of better things we could find to do with our money. We bought last spring. So much for my "I would nevers".

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Autoshow......suggest you lighten-up. This thread was not started as a rumor or ever intended to be critical of anyone or any organization. The sky is not falling. It was clearly meant to be a thought provocating question to encourage the "what-ifs". To voice ones opinion pro or con on any subject is just that... his or her opinion. Granted taken to an extreme (on either side) could be viewed as critical or supportive, but that is not the issue here. No one is critical of anything and I certainly said I dont know the answer......if someone had some facts about the issue I, and Im sure many others would certainly like to hear them.

The participants on this board should be allowed AND ENCOURAGED to provide their honest and free opinions to questions that are of interest to TV residents, otherwise we can all simply read the Village Sun.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Mejahu

Please don't cross TV off your list. You must visit to appreciate what is there. It is unlike anything you have experienced. You'll love it.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Linda and Peggy Thank you for not kicking me off the island before I even visited it! I'm sure it is a great place to visit even though I haven't been there. There's a lot to like for the people living there now too since they say it's even nicer than the advertising. Just don't understand why my comments would inspire so much of a reaction. I thought it was ok to be on the forum even if not living in the villages.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Not only ok but encouraged! (I'd use caps, but ...) I don't yet live in TV either, but spent March there last year, bought a place, and will spend march there this year as well. And when we stop working we'll spend even more time.

Do you plan to visit? If you do, let us know your reaction. I'll bet you'll fall in love in spite of the CDDs. Just something we have to be involved in and work with.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Be of good cheer....the Villages lifestyle can only get better as time goes by. Kick back and enjoy the ride. The developer's family isn't going anywhere and leave so many banks, furniture stores, income properties and all that jazz behind. It is in his and his family's interest to see continuing success and a lifestyle that makes us want to be here rather than anyplace else.

In the next 10 years, it has been projected by experts that know infinitely more than I about demographics, that 77 million babyboomers will be retiring. It is projected that fully 1/3 of that number will retire to Florida. I can't imagine developers with vision like the Schwartz and Morse families would not be prepared to convert that influx into positive, trend setting, advantage to their interests and the interest of The Villages, even after buildout.

I wonder how buildout will effect Villages property values with our amenities already in place? As building and labor costs naturally rise in the future, it seems to me competing communities would not be able to offer a comparable home and amenities for anything but much greater prices than we bought into.

From a business standpoint, the family name is forever linked to the Villages. I cannot imagine a desire to degrade the brand. There has been much said about the developer's control over media "spin". I submit the pursuit of that control only reinforces the position that maintaining and improving the image of the Villages is in the interest of the decision makers.

I don't know him or work for him, but if I bump into him on the street, I will thank him for his family's vision that has given my wife and I a retirement lifestyle that we never imagined in our working, family raising years.

Sometimes I think the rumors and disinformation are started by people that know what a great "thing" we have going and are sending up smoke screens and red herrings to keep people from finding out how wonderful it is here. That was tongue in cheek, don't get excited, it was a joke.

The Christmas Parade was great! Have a nice weekend.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

to quote cabo35:

"In the next 10 years, it has been projected by experts that know infinitely more than I about demographics, that 77 million babyboomers will be retiring. It is projected that fully 1/3 of that number will retire to Florida."

That's like another 26 Million retired folks in Florida! Wonder where they will live?

It's going to get pretty crowded at the malls, restaurants, roads, golf courses, etc etc.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Presently don't live in TV, but went down last year on the "Preview"--only way to go! We have looked into other retirement communities and nothing compares to TV.

If you want info on anything TV has to offer, you've come to the right place.

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

Your Welcome

Re: Is a charge for Town Square Entertainment close at hand??
 

From my perspective controversy is one of the things which keeps us "hoppin' 'n' poppin" if for nothing else but to keep our brains active. It doesn't matter whether I agree or disagree with the various points of view especially since I don't yet live in TV and cannot speak to the issues. How lucky we are to live in these United States where our right to free speech is protected by the first amendment of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States.

IMHO It appears to me that if there are concerns about how things are run then it is incumbent upon those concerned residents of TV to become involved in the governing of the community and as I understand that means attending CDD meetings.

If nothing else the question has got us all thinking........