[TVMayor]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

When a person buys a home in a deed restricted development and one that is run by the developer, that person in essence turns the decision making about how the place is run to someone else. A home owner in a CDD cannot vote on anything. ANYTHING.

The purpose of ANY business is to take in more than you pay out. Also a successful business employs people who pay taxes. I have no problem with this business that runs where I live running in the black.

If any potential buyers want to be part of the decisions that impact how things are done in their community, find someplace else to live.

We have owned property for six years here and not once did we have an opportunity to vote for or against anyone or anything.

It is a huge decision to make. Most find it works out to their liking.

We chose a place that is run like this so that people without experience do not take over and mess things up.

Anyone who has ever attended a homeowners association meeting or has been part of a homeowners board of directors will know JUST what I mean.

It is a choice to live here.

To me,

An EXCELLENT choice.

I think you just made the case for the IRS.

[Peachie]

Originally Posted by Steve9930

This post definitely helped the relations between the two communities. As a stonecrest resident and being very active with in the community I doubt that the who ever posted something that put a bur in your saddle is not a representation of our community.

Steve, this is where the bullying starts... because I want adjacent communities to respect The Villages borders as I respect the Stonecrest borders, you state I have a burr in my saddle, you're a lowly outsider and probably the next charge from another poster will be I don't like Stonecresters and so forth. That allows the posters to dodge the real question... do the cart/multimodal paths belong to The Villages? Should The Villages real estate agents promote our community as having golf cart access to Stonecrest?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by TVMayor

I think you just made the case for the IRS.

Hmmmmm.

I don't remember voting for a mayor. I thought KathieI was mayor.

The IRS is busy with other important things like serving tea and dancing.

[Moderator]

Again, please, stay on topic and do NOT direct comments at other site members. Respect and civility are expected.

Moderator

[Steve9930]

Originally Posted by TVMayor

I think you just make the case for the IRS.

I read the IRS report and you all have another storm that could develop far worse then what this original post is about. I believe there is about $427 Million in play n that one. Fortunately with our court system and the way lawyers have structured the system the legal battle will drag on for sometime.

My other advice for what its worth is, keep your eye on the ball. All this talk about outside access is distracting everyone from the real issue. Remember when Resolution 98-106 was discovered the wall came down quickly, put some one tried to file a permit to demolish the current path structure and get a permit to build a home. There is a push by someone to close that path. I have my suspicions why but no real proof. Enough circumstantial evidence how ever that probably would get a conviction if we were in a court room with a jury. Follow the money, follow the money.

[Irishmen]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

The "What's Yours is Mine" attitude has been taking over more in recent years, and it's turning this society into a bunch of squatters, moochers and bums.

Private property ownership goes all the way back to Moses and the Ten Commandments, in that people are not to covet nor steal what belongs to somebody else.

Exactly. No need to destroy and vandalize our community because one feels entitled to something not yours. Now we all will have to pay to repair sod, busted irrigation et al. Spray painting a wall should not be applauded as way to go we got our way.

[Steve9930]

Originally Posted by Peachie

Steve, this is where the bullying starts... because I want adjacent communities to respect The Villages borders as I respect the Stonecrest borders, you state I have a burr in my saddle, you're a lowly outsider and probably the next charge from another poster will be I don't like Stonecresters and so forth. That allows the posters to dodge the real question... do the cart/multimodal paths belong to The Villages? Should The Villages real estate agents promote our community as having golf cart access to Stonecrest?

I think all need to understand that the Villages based on how the developer was allowed to finance the development made the Villages basically no different then any other municipality with the exception they were not granted police powers. Now all the roads and infrastructure is no different then the streets and paths that may exist in any other city. Ocala if they decided to put Golf Cart paths next to busy streets to allow access would not be allowed to restrict that access to only Ocala residents because Ocala residents paid the taxes to construct those paths. However I believe their is a solution. I may be wrong but I believe The Villages would have the authority to sell Golf Cart Access stickers. The sale of these stickers would not be allowed to be restricted to residents only but would provide a revenue stream for the maintenance of those paths.

Here's the other thing to keep in mind. All this talk about outside access is distracting everyone from the real issue. Someone is trying to close that path. Follow the money if you want the answers to this problem.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Regor

I think it was great that the people from Stone Crest could drive their carts here. Now they will come by car. Think of the parking problems! Spanish Springs has already lost parking due to the Church's expansion. Every car takes away 2 to 4 golf cart parking spots. I feel the people from Stone Crest will continue to come here but will now make it harder for everyone to find parking.

If, as some people in this thread have stated, there are only about 15-20 non resident golf carts, per day, coming through that gate, assuming that they are not all going to Spanish Springs Town Square, and assuming that they are not all coming at the same time, I can't see it being much of a problem.

Also 15-20 golf carts per day, which I'm going to estimate as 20-30 people per day, all going to different businesses is not going to have a substantial impact on any of those businesses.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by SpicyCajunPugs

Yes, outside realtors seem to like selling the nearby neighborhoods because they can't sell Villages property. So they will stress the proximaty and convenience to the villages and its amenities. I don't blame Morse for being upset about that and trying to do something to prevent it. You have to pay the piper to play.

Actually, outside realtors can sell pre owned homes in the Villages. And I'm not sure, but where I come from, if a realtor has a client, he can approach another realtor that holds a listing and the commission from that sale would be split. Maybe that is done here, maybe not.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

The people paying the piper are The Villages residents, not the developer.

If we residents are upset with a few outsiders using our golf cart paths and amenities then we should organise ourselves and ask for something to be done.

If, however, we are happy to share our golf cart paths with a few outsiders, as we appear to have been for the past twenty years, then we should expect the status quo to be maintained.

If the developer (or the VCDD or VHA or whoever actually represents us) thinks that a change might benefiit the residents then they should publish their ideas in The Daily Sun, call a meeting and hold a referendum - not just unilaterally build a wall at 6 am on a Saturday morning in the mistaken belief that "the developer knows best".

I don't believe that the residents own the golf cart path in question. I believe that it is owned by the developer. If it harms him to have outsiders coming through it, he certainly has the right to do something about it.
When it was shown how many people would be adversely affected by that closing something was done about it.
As far as I can see both the interests of the developer and the residents have been looked out for here.

People are going on about how we're not allowed to vote on anything here and technically that is true. But the vote that we do have is the choice to live here or not. It is in the developers interest to keep the residents happy. It is in his interest to present the best product that he can for the money so that he can continue to sell his product and get top dollar for it.

Over 100,000 people have made the choice to live here and thats speaks volumes about the place. If everyone was so unhappy and began leaving in droves, the developer would have a lot of difficulty selling new homes and home values would decline. I don't believe that either of those two things are happening.

You see how quick they were to respond when people became upset about this cart path. They don't want anything sullying the reputation of The Villages. That is also how we vote. It may not be in the traditional sense, but it is a vote of sorts.

I came here because I had a friend who lived here and raved about the place. I came for a visit and bought a house immediately. How many others do you thing first came here because of word of mouth? It is important for the developer to keep us raving about the place.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Steve9930

You are correct about the public access. The Villages was built using tax free bonds. To do that it need to be classified in a way that allowed it to issue those bonds thus making it pretty much like any other city. This means that you cannot restrict access based on residential location. You cannot do this any more then Ocala can but up gates restricting outside access to their residential streets. I'm sorry some of the Villagers are upset about that and what they wrongly perceive as hordes of outsiders using their swimming pools, etc. Its just not happening. There probably is a solution however. Don't know if it would work or can be done. The Villages could call all those bonds, pay back the $400 million plus, reclassify the development and you could built a twenty foot wall around the whole complex. But I will tell you this doing so will not reduce any of the property taxes you pay to the county.

Another suggestion is to issue a trail sticker for any Golf Cart that uses the paths. You will not be able to restrict sale of those sticker to only Village residents but you would gain revenue from people that are not residents that use the paths. I do believe that would be within the authority of The Villages.

I could be wrong on these suggestions for what do I know I'm just a lowly outsider.

No one is restricting access to the Village. They are only trying to restrict access by golf cart. I'm not sure that that is legal or not, but I would think that if access by golf cart is only available by crossing private property then the owner of that property has a right to allow that or not.

No one is suggesting that "hordes" of outsiders using our facilities. It was stated that there are some. I have run into some. You simply do not know that that is not happening. I really don't think that that is the real issue, but the reason for this action is completely irrelevant.

It is simple. The owner of the property in question is going to allow Villages residents and no one else to transverse his property. I'm no legal expert, but I would guess that that a property owner has that right. Maybe it will be taken to court and we'll find out otherwise but until then, I believe that the property owner has the right to say who may and who may not cross their property.

A solution has been reached.

[PennBF]

First, let me emphasis that although I have less respect for his staff I think the Developer has in the main done a fine job of creating a life style for the Residents and we should all appreciate 95% of what he has done. The remaining 5% is in some cases serious flaws in judgment and allegedly some the responsibility a result of Staff input/direction.
There has been some discussion regarding the POA vs VHA. I am not sure how many really understand the background of each. A few years ago there were some real problems with the Developer. The Paradise Rec Center was in disarray and there were no funds to repair the facility. Allegedly the Developer was not going to do anything as there were no "reserve" funds. Some residents picketed and were very upset. The POA was the original organization for The Villages and they stepped in to get some help for the residents. It came down to that if they wanted to fix the problem they would have to "sue" the Developer. Some members on the POA actually kicked in some of their own money to fund the suit. Net: The POA won the suit and $40M. Allegedly, the Developer became incensed and formed the VHA as a spokesman for him and cut out the POA completely. And the Paradise Rec Center was "fixed". You can now see that allegedly the VHA is the answer to the POA challenging the Developer. This should close any questions regarding the POA being there to support the Residents and the VHA there for the Developer. To this day the POA has not lost its focus and continues as the voice of the Residents. I believe that most of the above is an approximate description of the genesis of the VHA and why the POA after being the first established in the Villages is now not in favor of the Developer.
Regarding the latest salvo. I believe that whoever takes credit for trying to find a solution must also accept responsibility for the terrible misjudgment to put the wall up. You can't have it both ways.

[graciegirl]

Here is an article about that problem from an outside source, The Orlando Sentinel.


I can't imagine the developer not fixing things like mold in the ceiling.


Villages developer to pay $40 million for recreation upgrades to settle a lawsuit - Orlando Sentinel

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

.... where I come from, if a realtor has a client, he can approach another realtor that holds a listing and the commission from that sale would be split.

Preowned homes can be sold by VLS, the Villages Listing Service, or by MLS, Multiple Listing Service. As suggested in Winston's post above, competing agents from VLS and MLS do NOT have the right to show and sell each other's listings, and split the commission. This is a unique situation unlike most other cities. Back in the day, all houses were listed and sold via MLS, but problems developed, and the unique VLS system was developed.

This fact is the reason why most purchasers of resale homes choose to work with two agents, one from VLS and one from MLA.

[Number 6]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I don't believe that the residents own the golf cart path in question. I believe that it is owned by the developer. If it harms him to have outsiders coming through it, he certainly has the right to do something about it.
When it was shown how many people would be adversely affected by that closing something was done about it.
As far as I can see both the interests of the developer and the residents have been looked out for here.

People are going on about how we're not allowed to vote on anything here and technically that is true. But the vote that we do have is the choice to live here or not. It is in the developers interest to keep the residents happy. It is in his interest to present the best product that he can for the money so that he can continue to sell his product and get top dollar for it.

Over 100,000 people have made the choice to live here and thats speaks volumes about the place. If everyone was so unhappy and began leaving in droves, the developer would have a lot of difficulty selling new homes and home values would decline. I don't believe that either of those two things are happening.

You see how quick they were to respond when people became upset about this cart path. They don't want anything sullying the reputation of The Villages. That is also how we vote. It may not be in the traditional sense, but it is a vote of sorts.

I came here because I had a friend who lived here and raved about the place. I came for a visit and bought a house immediately. How many others do you thing first came here because of word of mouth? It is important for the developer to keep us raving about the place.

Well said.