Quote:
Originally Posted by tophcfa
(Post 2359316)
Hey Don, just curious, what is SLAD and RAD? My understanding was that the amenities were controlled by the PWAC and the AAC? Are they subcommittees that report to PWAC and AAC?
I am surprised at how low a percentage Executive golf is of the total budgets, but then again, that might help explain the deteriorating conditions over the years? I can only imagine what it costs to maintain and heat (in the winter) the approximately 112 swimming pools.
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SLAD is the Sumter Landing Amenities Division and RAD is the Recreation Amenities Division- these are divisions of the SLCDD and VCCDD that are the actual owners/controllers of the amenities north of 44 and north of 466 respectively.
PWAC and the AAC are resident advisory bodies that provide guidance to the SLAD/RAD. Neither has the actual authority to make a final decision or spend a dime of the amenity fees that are collected north of 44, any decision made has to be approved by the owners of the respective properties - SLAD & RAD
I’ll post the AAC and PWAC charter documents later this morning when I’m on my PC and not my iPad for all to read and understand that the AAC is only an advisory body for the amenities, regardless of they think the outcome of the lawsuit was.
Just a quick reality check here on the AAC and PWAC - the district office and the developer won’t like the following paragraphs too much, they’re much too blunt.
VCCDD and SLCDD are the owners of the amenities north of 466 and between 466 and 44, as such they have the sole authority and responsibility as a government body (a CDD under FS190) to manage, operate, and make all financial decisions related to the amenities they own. The AAC and PWAC are buffers between the VCCDD and SLCDD (the amenity owners) and the residents. Why? Because the VCCDD and SLCDD are land owner elected boards and the only significant landowner in these CDD is the developer, you can call it a “landowner election” but the reality is it is a developer appointed board. These boards as the owners do not need the input from the AAC and PWAC to make any decision, but they do want the input from the residents, they just don’t want to have to deal with the residents directly.
Acting as buffers, the AAC and PWAC get to sit through the sometimes hours of complaints, uninformed opinions, and whipped up hysteria (thank you POA barf ) that frequently accompanies difficult and controversial issues in the community. Having been a member of the PWAC for nearly 8 years, I make the previous statement form a first hand and informed position. The VCCDD and SLCDD boards are spared these joyous times. After receiving the residents inputs the AAC and PWAC make their recommendations to the parent boards for final actions.
It’s been said many times over by staff that the parent boards have never overridden or gone against the recommendation of the AAC and PWAC. This is a true statement. Why it is so is important more to the VCCDD and SLAD than to the residents. The first time they override the AAC or PWAC they effectively neuter these committees and invalidate their existence; this translates to that they get to deal with the residents directly, something they really don’t want to do. The other reason this is important is finger pointing - if the committees make a poor decision, the boards can point back to the committees and say they were doing what was requested by the residents. These committees are the board’s poop shield and scapegoat. The first time they override a PWAC or AAC decision, PWAC and the AAC need no longer exist.
Concerning decision making: when a CDD board, Committee, or even the BOCC convene a meeting most the the decisions to be made by the boards are already determined in the minds of the board members before they walk into the room. This isn’t because they are given direction by anyone on how to vote, it is because they have spent the time researching and understanding the issues beforehand. They have been doing their due diligence to understand the facts, the laws associated, ramifications, impacts, and community inputs of the issues. They are making the decisions based on an educated and informed position that many times does not agree with the passion of the resident that come to speak at the meetings. Be glad for this, because otherwise it becomes mob rule and decisions would be made based on who can gather the biggest crowds and can yell the loudest.
If you want to understand why board members make the decisions they do, ask them. Most all I know will take the time to help you understand why they have come to their decision. They are willing to have a calm and reasonable conversation with most any constituent. Does this mean that you can argue with them, get in their face, or threaten them? Not hardly, if you try these tactics the response you’ll likely get is they allow you to vent and then thank you for your input, they ignore you and walk away, or maybe even get law enforcement involved and have you removed. Your right to freedom of speech does not give you the right to disrupt a public meeting or verbally or physically abuse or accost another person or an elected official.
