Of course there will be entertainment at the squares
 

That someone would post there will be no more entertainment is an over reaction and I'm pretty sure promoted by the incumbents. . The money is money that goes to tourism and this is how it breaks down.

"Villages Charter School gets $106,000 The Wildwood Middle High School gets $5,000. The Blackjack gun club they belong to gets $105,000 Bushnell Fall Festival gets $9,000 Villages Entertainment gets $120,000. The Villages Softball club gets $20,000. The Southern Draft Horse Contest gets $50,000. The Villages VHA Hoedown gets $37,500."

The incumbents wanted to pick out the entertainment (easy pick) and say that entertainment would go away. Why? Do you think the developers can't afford it? I assure you they can and It's how they sell homes.

"According to Bloomberg, the family’s wealth crossed the $3 billion mark in 2018, making Mark Morse, Jennifer Parr, and Tracy Mathews all billionaires."

I have no issues with the developers making money but then why are we paying for the things they should be paying for while businesses and tourism that could use it go without?

First let me say this money in the past has ONLY gone to Brownwood. Lake Sumter and Spanish Springs has not gotten the money previously and sill, this year only Brownwood and Lake Sumter are getting the money, and yet the entertainment has gone on without it at Lake Sumter and Spanish Springs.

The entertainment is NOT going to stop because the commissioners don't give them this money.... If it does, it's on the developers because they are responsible for entertainment NOT the county. If you look at the breakdown of the money most of it goes to the developers. Even when it doesn't look like it does, if you drill down you will find that it does go to the developers or T and D.

Why is it wrong to ask the developers to pay their fair share? Why can't money be spread all over the county and not just The Villages? Isn't that what representatives are supposed to do? To represent EVERYONE or is it just one family? The Morse family does live here (although I'm told they are moving out soon)

AND I might add, I don't believe there has been entertainment at the squares for months and may not be for many months to come so there is that.

Huh? There are so many things I disagree with. I hope the INCUMBENTS stay in. That is my view.


And this sentence, I quote; ""According to Bloomberg, the family’s wealth crossed the $3 billion mark in 2018, making Mark Morse, Jennifer Parr, and Tracy Mathews all billionaires."

My goodness, when is it shameful to be financially successful, doing a good thing, not breaking the law?

I have ALWAYS told my kids and grandkids to find a job that makes money legally and try to make a lot of it. I have told them that we would not pay for college studies in Art History or social work. We wanted to see a return on our investment and not on the kids living with us.

Previous thread was based on hearsay and rumors, nothing was fact. But you know how easily that fire can be flamed.

Tourism Tax
 

IMO all of the tax money should go to the public schools in Sumter County.

The Charter Schools here for workers who work for or support The Villages encourage good people to work here and also have proved to be good schools. I don't mind they are funded from the entertainment tax.

I have voted for every education bond issue ever put before me, even those I thought were loaded with fat.

You certainly can twist words. Who said it was shameful to make money? WOW!!!! Those are YOUR words not mine.



But again, you will twist words to suit your narrative.

Please enjoy the rest of your day.

And not to other Sumter Schools as well? Hmmmmm I want commissioners who will work for ALL the families of Sumter County, not just one.

Hard work pays off. I wish my family had started TVs and my children continued to make it great. So glad they made this wonderful place for us to enjoy.

Thanks Angie. I'm glad you confirmed that the EMS team will vote to NOT fund the entertainment at Brownwood and Lake Sumter with the hotel tax (which is supposed to be used to attract tourism). The EMS team will expect the Developer to step in and fund it (even though they don't pay for it now).
No... you can't blame The Developer if entertainment goes away... you can blame the EMS team for refusing to allocate the funds that currently fund entertainment.
I believe The Developer is selling a lot of homes right now, without entertainment.
The EMS team can explain to all the merchants and restaurant owners on the squares why pulling that funding was such a good idea.

Assuming the EMS group gets in and we will vote for them, think they would quickly realize the fastest way to lose the next election is pull the funding for entertainment so it goes away.

Is T & D controlled or owned by the Morse family?

The developers are NOT going to let the shops fail! The Developers will NOT stop the entertainment in the squares. I trust them to continue with the entertainment. I trust them to do the right thing for The Villages.

:ho: Contact them and ask. :) The T&D Family of Companies and company of families.

When EMS gets in they can see how some of these items promote tourism. Maybe it does. On the surface, it's hard to see that... But when they get in and look at it they may see something we don't... and can explain.


As it stands now, we just see the numbers and not the why. Our commissioners now will not tell us. They don't tell us anything so we have no way of knowing the why of the funding. Maybe if they did it would make a difference.


Does that make sense?