Just cheap clickbait. Reporters now get paid based on click counts.

It is ALL true! Maybe not the pineapples but who knows?
 

I am a TV resident and I found the article to be right on the money! Here are some of the highlights from the article that are definitely true.

"Imagine truckloads of 60-plus-year-olds drunkenly line dancing and singing Foreigner"
TRUE
You need never go off the property or mix with the 'common folk.' My friend was a 'flyer' there at the hospital and said she'd never met a group of folks who thought themselves more entitled."
TRUE
"It is overpopulated, overbuilt and has a severe shortage of infrastructure, as it relates to fire and medical."
TRUE
"Whether it was the drunken [swingers parties], wrecked golf carts, multiple occasions of public indecency, [that] all of this coming from a retirement community just made it more comical."
TRUE
"There's a big party in every town square every night — little booze huts everywhere. Happy Hour lasts like four hours."
TRUE
"Of course, you can do or not do whatever you want, but there's a stigma attached to those who don't socialize as much as the rest."
TRUE
"This isn't a place to live if you like your privacy."
TRUE
"The Villages is the Wal-Mart of communities, providing a cheap, superficial sense of community with a made up history while simultaneously choking out the actual communities nearby."
TRUE
"There are train tracks going through the center of town that are completely fake."
TRUE
"They've taken over most of the surrounding area and think they are God's gift to the locals."
TRUE
"Small communities that were founded in the 19th century are losing their identity and charm to become de facto labor camps"
TRUE
"Villagers are kind of an entitled bunch"
TRUE
"They get permission to build 20 houses, then keep at it. By the time the whole thing is done, there are 50-plus houses."
TRUE

I have been here for almost 20 years. When I read the article, I thought most was spot on. I have never seen upside-down pineapples, an Italian woman who scrutinizes and watches everyone, or mob leaders throwing dead bodies into Lake Sumter. That's a bit of an unnecessary stretch.

For those of you who stated there are no wild parties with lots of drinking, have you been to the squares? Late-night restaurants? Have you seen the MANY unflattering mugshots of Villagers arrested for DUI? Indecent exposure? Fights? Reckless driving? Relieving themselves in public? Possession of child porn? Drugs? Retail theft? Domestic Violence? If not, you must be living under a rock.

Please do not respond that most of this is done by non-Villagers. Wrong! Reports of the incidents provide their age, village they live in, address, and for whatever reason the amount they paid for their home. C'mon! I know you have seen these reports. Why try to deny it? When company comes, I insist they stay alert. Anything can happen in this town!

To be fair, the amound paid for their home is important information. After all, they are about to get a divorce or jail time. The house will be on the market soon and we need a starting point. :D

ANYTHING can happen in ANY town. Exactly who benefits from the article? Who benefits from trashing T V? Tampa, Orlando, Miami... the list goes on and on of cities going to s$>t in FL BUT look up north. People still want out. T V isn't immune. It takes community strength to keep an area nice. T V so far has just that... for now at least.

Try working in the service industry anywhere. You’ll always run across “entitled” customers no matter where you live if you are in the service industry. In some cases people do feel above others (shame on them) but in some cases they just want and deserve good customer service which is often hard to find.

I lived there for eight years before moving onto Lakewood Ranch. While there is some truth to the article, there is obviously some false.
Still have a number of friends there and still visit.
At the hospital in Leesburg, I was told not to tell anyone I was from the villages as some of the nurses hated the people there as they felt they were entitled so I kept my mouth shut lol.
I never saw swingers, but people do start drinking early there. Never found it to be rowdy, but found most people friendly.
It’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed my time there.
It’s unfortunate the villages gets such a bad rap as they do so much good for the charities which never gets mentioned anywhere other than the local newspaper.

Irrespective of the content, the article is laughable!! Whoever believes anything written like this should absolutely keep going to Reddit for the truth and hold firmly to your knowledge!

Agree that the majority of the article is true.

A lot of exaggerations and half truths.


There's a big party in every town square every night — little booze huts everywhere. Happy Hour lasts like four hours. Two-for-one Rumritas, and the strongest margaritas I've ever had."


Happy Hour was never 4 hours and booze has not been 2 for 1 since the covid.


There are train tracks going through the center of town that are completely fake. The railroad never ran through there, it's there to seem folksy.

The one block stretch of rails in LSL doesn't look anything like a real train track. There was a real spur from Wildwood to Leesburg running next to 44A.


They also wield an insane amount of state political power. The developer built his own airport in the town just so he didn't have to bother going through customs at the Orlando Airport,"

The developer did not build an airport and if they did we would have paid for it. They did manage to get customs to staff Leesburg International.

This comment made me LOL! Couldn’t agree more. 👍🏻😂

Not correct. Drinking at the squares is from 5-9 which is 4 hours. If you do not buy from the huts there are several restaurants that serve happy hour 2 for 1.

The fake train tracks are in Spanish Springs along with a parked railroad car.

The developer does indeed have a private area for planes and helicopters. Not certain if he uses it to escape customs.

I would argue they do have state power. They are HUGE contributors to the campaign funds. In doing so, they receive kickbacks for what they want.

Thanks for making me laugh.

The article is a collection of mistaken thoughts of people’s posts on Reddit.

My home’s deed restriction doesn’t allow me to hang pineapples upside down in my yard.

Lots of truth and I found it very entertaining. Lol