Read post #39 about who controls amenities in what areas. How Village CDD’s spend the monies is transparent/listed on the District web site -> Village Community Development Districts

The same information presented at all District Board meetings (open to the public) is listed on the District web site. So, the public has access to how monies are spent.

And, the public is always invited to CDD meetings to ask questions. The time and dates of the meetings are listed on this site.

I did the math, it's lots of $$. But we get lots for the $$. How much do you think it costs to maintain over 40 executive golf courses, maintain and heat about 100 outdoor pools to over 80 degrees in the winter, keep up the multi-modal paths, keep everything looking beautiful and clean with new plantings for each season, run and maintain all the recreation centers, pickle ball and tennis courts, softball fields, shuffle board, bocce, corn hole, horseshoe, lawn bowling, pellet gun ranges, dog parks, etc...... Try to find another place where you can get anywhere near that much for about $150 per month. Good luck with that endeavor.

Thanks heaps for the explanation Goldwingnut. I was able to actually follow the general idea of it all (even though I didn't understand fully). If I'm grasping it right, it boils down to a very primitive layman's explanation:

Whoever buys "today" will be subject to "x" amenity fee with the guarantee that it won't go higher than Y% in the next Z years or before the GPI changes or whatever else the criteria is. If you already live there, you'll be subject to "a" amenity fee, which was the fee at the time you purchased, and YOU will also be guaranteed that YOURS won't go up higher than Y% in the next Z years. If you sell your Villages home today and buy a new one today and move in, both you and the buyer of your old home will be subject to the same fee: that being whatever the current fee is effective today. With the SAME guarantee that it won't go up more than Y% in the next Z years or before the GPI changes or whatever else the criteria is :)

Am I close?

Really?

There actually are nicer kept up places that don’t charge fees. So many people need to take off the blinders.

Go for it!

Such as? Do tell, I'll bet we don't get an answer.

Actually, maintenance of the multi-modal paths and new plantings each season are not paid for with your monthly amenities fees. They are managed by your numbered district and paid for by your non ad valorem taxes.

Amenities
 

1billion dollars plus a year is collected in fees. Why are recreation center pools being shut down, by the health inspector due to high bacterial levels. This is only because they are not being properly maintained.

Water Oaks, any SunCommunity. They are beautifully maintained and kept up.

It is actually $100M (60K homes x $150 per month x 12 month), not $1B, but, what the heck, being off by an order of magnitude is no big deal ;-)

Water Oaks
 

Comparing a mobile home park to TV is not realistic. Nothing in Water Oaks comes close to TV.

I usually agree with just about everything that Goldwingnut posts but I take issue with him being enraged about the developer being "in charge of the amenity fees in the areas North of 44". I have seen no mishandling of the amenity fees in the eleven years we have lived here.

And although I think Goldwingnut would be completely trustworthy to vote on the details of management of the CDD, I really don't want the structure changed. Unfortunately not every one will have the intelligence, the background, the good common sense that Goldwingnut has.

I understand that the deferral rate needs to be dealt with. I just don't want to see something well run, mishandled.

Also as far as I can tell, when you buy one of those mobile homes, you don't own the property. The rent you pay is what covers the cost of the limited amenities.

One club house. One restaurant that closes at 3PM. One golf course. No theatre, etc. etc. etc.

Yes it's very pretty. But it's incredibly limited and you ARE paying for it via land use rental.

In the interest of accuracy, based on your assumptions...it would be $108Million.


Still, a far, far, cry from the alleged...$1Billion. :ohdear: