[QUOTE=rubicon;727799]

I want to thank those Berlin Wall protesters for getting out there and bringing unwanted attention to those outside The Villages that will use any and I mean, the most minuscule tidbit to mock The Villages. You managed all by yourself to make a laughing stock out of The Villages.



You are very welcome!

Letting the developer walk all over us would have made us an even bigger laughing stock, but without the end result that we have got our cart path back.

Correct, but when I thought about it, I realized that in order to get into either of these two gates one has to either drive their cart illegally on 27/441 or come in through the Paradise gate.

I'm happy that the gate has been reopened. I would have liked to have heard a more specific answer to why it was closed in the first place, but I am not going to spend the rest of my life being miserable over something that has come and gone.

You use the Villages post office?

If you're coming from Stonecrest going to the VA on 42 and have access to a car, wouldn't the car be a much better choice of transportation?

Personally, I don't care if Stonecrest residents come into the Villages by golf cart. I'v really never had any problem with it. But, the cart gate in question is on private property and the owners of that property have every right to allow or deny access to whomever they choose.

There has been a lot of talk about, in an attempt to get even, Stonecrest will shut off access to their development. I personally have no problem with that as there is no reason for me to go to or through Stonecrest. There has also been talk that the medical center or assisted living facility will shut off the path to Villages residents. Again, they have every right to do that. Every time one of us from either side crosses over private property, we are doing so at the pleasure of the owner.
If either of those entities choose to do that, I will be very disappointed, but, I will also understand that it is their right to do so.

Frankly, I don't know why the Villages wants to close out the Stonecrest residents and I wish I had heard a more specific explanation. But it is private property and they really don't owe an explanation to anyone.

I suppose their answer to you would be, if you want to transverse the Villages in your golf cart, buy a home in the Villages. It could simply be that they would like the ability to get to the Villages or go through the Villages by golf cart to be exclusive to Villages residents. By allowing Stonecrest residents that same access, they are giving their competitor an edge in selling homes.

I believe that you are referring to the Shay Gate. That is accessed by automobile only and there is a guard there 24 hours a day.

Is he working for Mr Morse? Does anyone know for certain who Murray construction is or is this simply another urban legend born from speculation?

Glad o see they removed the wall yesterday.... Supposedly they are putting in a gate with card reader to replace it. Good news

The security issue is a smoke screen, it has nothing to do with the reason for the wall, and the use of the cart paths is also bogus, they are open to anyone who wants to use them for walking, running or hopscotch. This path has existed since 1998. The new player is Harbor Chase. That is the reason for the wall.

That's good to know. Can you please give us the sources that you learned this from?

I'm not saying that this is absolutely the reason, but this is a paragraph taken from the Stonecrest sale website.

Stonecrest Summerfield FL - Stone Crest Florida

Now, if you're a developer trying to sell houses and competitor starts a development next to you and is also trying to sell houses in his development, and he is using the fact that they can get into your development and take advantage of the many features that he doesn't have in his development, why would continue to allow that to go on?
Now, I realize that this has been going on for a long time so the question arises, "Why now?". I don't have an answer for that.
It's also true that Stonecrest residents bring a lot of business into the stores and other businesses in the Villages and that would seem to be an advantage to the Villages. But the developer would have to decide whether or not that additional income to those businesses that he merely rents space to, offsets the fact that people might be buying homes in Stonecrest rather then the Villages because of the golf cart access.

I really don't know if this is the answer, but it is a possibility. It could simply come down to business. Why would the developer of the Villages assist the developer of Stonecrest in selling houses?

Dr Winston I hear what your saying and you may be correct---who knows---there hasn't been any real transparency in this entire fiasco. I think "they" (whoever they were) had no idea when "they" put up the wall and closed the golf path that "they" would stir up a hornet's nest. After that, "they" were scrambling to cover their butts. As mentioned before and verified by Stonecrest residents---maybe as few as 15 carts or less use that trail to access TV a day and that sounds about right to me. As far as Stonecrest being a competitor with the Developer---I don't see it. Living down in Sanibel I really don't have a dog in this fight. However, I do have empathy for my fellow residents who were shutout from getting to the doctors and grocery by their only means of personal transportation (golf cart) after years of being able to do so without transparency and adequate notification. That is wrong in any reasonable persons mind.

How does the cart path impact this? Stonecrest is in proximity of The Villages, that's not going to change. They could still come by car (thereby breaching the "Security") and use the facilities in the Villages that are open to the public. The impact of closing the path only makes it less convenient to get to SS and the merchants who do business there, it does not make it impossible. Stonecrest still benefits.

I'm confused, Rubicon. On TOTV, you blast those who protested the wall... Yet, on *************.com you post the following:

By Rubicon:
"Great move? Cause a major confrontation? Create confusion and hardships galore for the people on the historic side? Just so he could get someone else to build a gate?
Get real, he wanted to hurt the businesses in that area, even made promises to do such in board rooms when thwarted on his new Brownwood hospital. Now the people of this area went to bat for all villagers in stopping the decline of service in the older areas of the villages. He does not care about the non sales side of his village. To him it just costs, as for outsiders using our amenities, yes they do now, especially since the watch stopped scanning at the pools. I haven’t brought my card to the pool in 3 years.
If he’d gotten away with this how long before the cart trail in Vail Verde to the driving range was closed? How long before those golf courses were closed or maintenance reduced? This is the path that developer you worship has been on in the historic side for the past few years.
Well done to the villagers that stood up and flashed Comrade Morse the bird on this one. Keep in mind the wall is still there and as much progress as seems to have been made he can still walk away from the table if the protests stop and he’s not hurt further.'

What's not to see? They are both 55+ developments within a short distance of one another. Some people buy in the Villages some people buy in Stonecrest. If the buy in Stonecrest, they don't buy inThe Villages and vice versa. How are they not competitors.

The Stonecrest website advertises access to the Villages, BY GOLF CART for those buying and living in Stonecrest. They obviously think that this is a great selling point. Why woudld the Villages want to help Stonecrest sell homes when those people might buy homes in the Villages?