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Don't forget that 3 years ago at this time they got a $350 Million cash infusion when the amenities north of SR44 were sold and they are about to get another $200 Million cash out from the sale of the utilities north of SR44. None of this is a bad thing as these were all built and invested in by the developer to support the community development and homes sales, but it's not their core business. Taxes aren't really an issue, businesses don't pay taxes, never have, never will, they collect taxes and pass them along to the appropriate government body. Taxes are no different than labor and material, just another cost of the project that is rolled into the final price. We, the customer and end user, pay the taxes not the businesses, not The Villages, not Walmart, not McDonalds, just us in the end. |
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A & B are directly related. When Wildwood Springs was acquired it was already established as a CDD and development plans had been through the initial process of approvals. They were able to start construction work almost immediately. This was unlike the Cresswind property that appears to have been the next logical step that still needed to have a development plan and CDD formation approved. Because Wildwood Springs was disconnected from the rest of The Villages there was no natural progression and sharing of the amenity resources that had occurred in the past that made things seem seamless and already in place. Instead all new amenities had to be built at the same time as homes were being built which makes things appear backwards from the previous trends in The Villages. Basically they've been playing catch up for the last 3 years. With the Low Lands course and Water Lilly rec centers they appear to be back on track. Wildwood Springs is now knows as the villages of Fenney and DeSoto. Cresswind is the areas south of Brownwood and adjacent to Lake Okahumpka that is currently under construction. C is a contributing factor to the time it has taken to catch up with the amenity construction, there is more green-spaces/park like areas and the amenities are much larger and more elaborate that before and anywhere else in The Villages. Maintaining the natural areas that they have also has required longer roads to connect the more spread out areas. Again, they've been playing catch up for a while now but they appear to be back ahead of the game now. I completely disagree with your comment about the "family"'s interest. If you look at the approach they have been using the last few years you see a big shift towards both being more environmentally friendly and preserving of the natural areas you will see that this has come at a great cost of time, effort, and the number of homes being built. Hogeye Sink could have easily been backfilled and Hogeye creek been established in its place and many dozens of new homes built in its place. Instead this natural area as well as others have been preserved. This all comes at a cost. It also creates a more desirable community long term, they are actually investing in their and our futures with this greener approach to building. It's a different mindset than in the past and more in line with the values of those now and in the future retiring. This isn't the beginning of the end of The Villages, it is the beginning of a new era of The Villages. |
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It is amazing to see how short some people's memories can be. It was okay for them to work hard and be successful in their endeavors, this wasn't greed or arrogance, but when someone else does it (the developer) it is. This quickly translates to "I got mine, you can stop building now because you're being greedy". Capitalism is a wonderful system and is the reason we are all able to live here. |
Hey folks the whole world has changed. As some so-called politician recently said "Get Used To It." Used to be 40cent gas and people who cleaned your car windows with a smile, 24c/pack cigarettes (I never smoked but I remember getting them for my dad in a machine with a quarter and having a penny stuck inside the wrapper). What is gained by telling new people how it was 30-40 years ago during the George Washington administration. You want things to be like they were 30-40 years ago? It's either ALL or NOTHING not just the things that you like. For the "oldies" I understand your reminiscence but for new people what do they care how it was 30-40 years ago (or whatever the "old days" here were). Sounds like a bunch of old folks wanting to go back to the 1920's because newspapers were only a penny. :D
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Unfortunately, most good things usually come to an end, normally the demise is due to abuse. Katie Belles is a prime example of this, it wasn't a private and free attraction, it was a business and businesses have to make money to continue to be viable. The few times I went there for dinner there were a large number of people camping out there having an ice tea or water and taking up a table for hours on end, not spending any money and enjoying the free entertainment that was anything but free to the proprietor. They can't make money with this type of entitled abuse and they can't stay in business. Hence the change in business model. The country clubs suffer for the same syndrome, one has already closed its doors for the same reason, how many more will follow? By the way, in the business world, it's called a $1 million investment not a donation. |
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Yes, we all got screwed because some in county government wanted to put a feather in their own hats and say "look at us, no tax increase for 14 years", now we all see that there were short sighted fool that didn't bother to look at their 5 year forecasts that are required every year. Repaving of roads just snuck up on them and the development they approved had cost to the county they chose to ignore until it was too late. |
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The budgets show that the cost of the flowers and other plant change outs that happen 4 times a year is less than 25 cents per month per home of the average $500 annual maintenance fee that is paid by each. |
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I have my own barometer of when to bail (I hope never). Watch the flower beds. When they stop changing them 3X per year it will be time to take the profits and run.
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