[thistrucksforyou]

Originally Posted by mrdills

Is Morse going to build Electric plug in stations for our golf carts?

That would be great with all the bulding going on, but it won't be free ....I can imagine an electric station with a meter alot like a parking meter....Cash or charge for juice....Still good idea..

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by VillagesFlorida

I am quite sure, if my memory serves me correctly, that a "deal" of some sort is what quieted Dan Farnsworth and allowed building to move forward. There is likely an article explaining just what happened but I have not been able to locate it on the net anywhere....yet. Also, I could swear that back then I read somewhere that Dan Farnsworth had made his fortune, whatever that is or was, doing some kind of developing in S. Florida. At the time I remember thinking that it was OK for him to be a successful developer but not OK for the Morse family. I have saved some Daily Sun newspapers over the years that reported on major development news in the community here. I do not think I have any articles pertaining to Farnsworth but I will go through them when I get a chance.

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

A few news items I found. Do google search on Dan Farnsworth the villages.


From POA archives:
The CEEB Articles - Resident living here about three years ago will remember the legal fight with Dan Farnsworth, an Oxford farmer, over whether the Villages developer should be allowed to build south of highway 466.

An organization of suppliers, vendors, workers, construction firms, Villages employees, etc., formed a group known as CEEB. The group's main function was to agitate and demonstrate for proceeding with the development and construction work. Many believed that the developer of The Villages was ultimately behind the group. Many, if not most, of the CEEB members were from outside either The Villages, Sumter County, or even the state. Most had a direct financial involvement with the planned construction.

You could scarcely not pick up a copy of the Daily Sun without seeing story after story describing the CEEB goals of starting the construction and discrediting Dan Farnsworth. Farnsworth was effectively ridiculed for his belief that the development would destroy the rural way of life in Sumter County that he and many others valued. Many residents could see what appeared to be the Daily Sun's one-sided coverage. Farnsworth's reasoning was never given much if any coverage in the paper. You might not have agreed with his reasoning, but you never saw it fully explained in the Sun

Was this fair and balanced? Don't think so!

================================
Daily Commercial 3/19/02
Villages angered by neighbor delaying expansion

=====================
Orlando Sentinel 11/2002 Covers the settlement
Towns See Villages As Mixed Blessing - Page 3 - Orlando Sentinel

Thanks VillagesFlorida and Bogie Shooter for the historical perspective. Change is often resisted before being eventually embraced, if not just taken for granted.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Thanks VillagesFlorida and Bogie Shooter for the historical perspective. Change is often resisted before being eventually embraced, if not just taken for granted.

Oh P...and there is a P in PTurner....P, everytime you open your mouth, pearls of wisdom fall from it.

That wasn't your teeth, was it?

I wubs you P.

[janmcn]

Originally Posted by VillagesFlorida

I remember the day back in 2002 when The Villages development plans came grinding to a halt. Dan Farnsworth, a farmer from Oxford, didn't like what he was hearing about The Villages' proposed plans to develop land south of Rt. 466. After witnessing so much building and site work, since moving here in 1998, it seemed surreal to see huge earth-moving machines sitting silent in the middle of half-developed fields. Piles of pipes and reels of wire lay covered with dust. Contractors and sub contractors laid off workers and many of them sought work elsewhere. For months the landscape looked eerie and it seemed like a plague of some kind had gone through the whole area. I was able to find an old article that the Orlando Sentinel printed in 2002. Perhaps someone on this forum knows exactly what happened to end the standoff. The word around town was that The Villages settled on a "deal" with Farnsworth. "You stop this nonsense and we'll stop our lawsuit against you".

Speaking Out Has Its Price - Orlando Sentinel

I remember the Farnsworth episode quite well. One of his arguments against development was that there is not enough water available to sustain a large population. I guess we'll find out if he was right when more sinkholes develop. It was inferred that he got a large settlement, although no amount was ever mentioned. He was still living on 466 out toward I-75 the last I heard, and he made his money laying cables in south Florida.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

A few news items I found. Do google search on Dan Farnsworth the villages.


From POA archives:
The CEEB Articles - Resident living here about three years ago will remember the legal fight with Dan Farnsworth, an Oxford farmer, over whether the Villages developer should be allowed to build south of highway 466.

An organization of suppliers, vendors, workers, construction firms, Villages employees, etc., formed a group known as CEEB. The group's main function was to agitate and demonstrate for proceeding with the development and construction work. Many believed that the developer of The Villages was ultimately behind the group. Many, if not most, of the CEEB members were from outside either The Villages, Sumter County, or even the state. Most had a direct financial involvement with the planned construction.

You could scarcely not pick up a copy of the Daily Sun without seeing story after story describing the CEEB goals of starting the construction and discrediting Dan Farnsworth. Farnsworth was effectively ridiculed for his belief that the development would destroy the rural way of life in Sumter County that he and many others valued. Many residents could see what appeared to be the Daily Sun's one-sided coverage. Farnsworth's reasoning was never given much if any coverage in the paper. You might not have agreed with his reasoning, but you never saw it fully explained in the Sun

Was this fair and balanced? Don't think so!

================================
Daily Commercial 3/19/02
Villages angered by neighbor delaying expansion

=====================
Orlando Sentinel 11/2002 Covers the settlement
Towns See Villages As Mixed Blessing - Page 3 - Orlando Sentinel

MAN! And I thought I could get my transformer moved. Pretty funny.

[Russ_Boston]

It doesn't look like Farnsworth was paid off. It appears (from the Orlando Sentinel article) that lawsuits brought forth by TV made both sides reach an agreement. My guess is that TV tried to buy him out long before they reached a 'settlement' since they said it was costing 50K per day delay and he wouldn't back down. The threat of TV winning the lawsuit (along with some cash maybe) made Farnsworth back off. Who really knows! But in the end it's tough for any local to stand up to progress. It's an age old story and one that never comes out well for the NIMBY crowd.

[mac9]

There is an electric outlet in a parking space outside of Kohl's for car recharging. Maybe there will be some at Brownwood.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by janmcn

I remember the Farnsworth episode quite well. One of his arguments against development was that there is not enough water available to sustain a large population. I guess we'll find out if he was right when more sinkholes develop. It was inferred that he got a large settlement, although no amount was ever mentioned. He was still living on 466 out toward I-75 the last I heard, and he made his money laying cables in south Florida.

We will never know if he was concerned about the cows and farms and bucolic atmosphere going away as it talks about in the Sentinel or whether he was concerned about getting top dollar for his property.

Since I think The Villages is a wonderful place to be and most of us agree, I think it turned out great. Angie Fox is probably living right where his chickens were.

Life continues and then it's history.

[janmcn]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

We will never know if he was concerned about the cows and farms and bucolic atmosphere going away as it talks about in the Sentinel or whether he was concerned about getting top dollar for his property.

Since I think The Villages is a wonderful place to be and most of us agree, I think it turned out great. Angie Fox is probably living right where his chickens were.

Life continues and then it's history.

As I recollect, Farnsworth didn't own the property where The Villages now sits. His acreage is on 466 west of 301 towards I-75. He just was opposed to over-development. When he settled with the developer, he signed a confidentialty agreement so no amount was ever made public.

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Angie Fox is probably living right where his chickens were.

Life continues and then it's history.

I heard a rumor that when they've sold all the properties in Sanabel that their going to put those chickens right back there again!

[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by skyguy79

I heard a rumor that when they've sold all the properties in Sanabel that their going to put those chickens right back there again!

Then the Sanibelers can sell fresh eggs at the squares on market nights. I can hear the roosters crowing now .

[graciegirl]

All's well that ends well.

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

All's well that ends well.

Cock-a-doodle-doo - YouTube

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by skyguy79

I heard a rumor that when they've sold all the properties in Sanabel that their going to put those chickens right back there again!

Oh no, not another rumor....................

[collie1228]

Oh no, don't tell me - now "the chicken pooped on my lawn" threads will start up . . . . .