[Velvet]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

???? My property taxes actually increased 25% in 2019. I checked some other properties and their property taxes actually increased as well. The increase did in fact happen.

Yep, me too. I have paid the 25% property tax increase twice already; 2019 and 2020 as it was included again even though the taxes did not change much between the years.

[J1ceasar]

Keep in mind tax revenue went up . 50 million.

[donassaid]

Well said. They accuse others of misinformation while they themselves completely mischaracterize the effects of the increase in the impact fees. Kudos to the new Commissioners for standing up to this financial tyranny.

[Stu from NYC]

Well when the developer is the one who puts the food on the table you will do exactly what they tell you to do.

[crash]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Well when the developer is the one who puts the food on the table you will do exactly what they tell you to do.

Including pay for it if you don’t speak up.

[Altavia]

Thanks to massive development...

New home owners already pay more than their fair share of taxes due to the Homestead Exemption which is why there were no increases for ten years.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Robbie0723

Thanks to massive development...

New home owners already pay more than their fair share of taxes due to the Homestead Exemption which is why there were no increases for ten years.

Please expand & explain this "logic".

[merrymini]

My first year of homestead was cancelled by my nonexistent tax increase.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

The Sumter County commissioners, including three who ran and were elected on the promise of rolling back a 25% increase in property taxes, voted to do just that on Tuesday.

The special meeting to vote on the question was scheduled before the period agreed on to “study the effect of the tax rollback on county property owners” was made necessary because of the bill proposed by State Representative William Hage to cap impact fees charged to developers to a low single-digit percentage. Hage’s proposed law would have been retroactive to January 1, 2021, and if passed would essentially protect the Developer (and all Florida Real estate developers) from the obligation to pay impact fees created by the commissioners concurrent with the rollback of taxes on call Sumter County property owners. To refresh everyone’s memory, Hage is a senior executive of the Developer being paid about $200,000 year. If you see Hage’s proposed law as a huge conflict of interest—and very expensive to county homeowners—you’d be right “on the money”.

But the Developer-owned Villages Daily Sun’s front page headline describing the commissioners passage of the property tax rollback was Commission Pushes Tax Increase Through. The long article in the Wednesday edition describes the increased road and infrastructure impact fees as a “tax increase”. Of course there was no discussion in the article of the fact that county homeowners’ property taxes would have a major reduction from the tax increase passed by the former county commissioners which would have gone into effect next year. To refresh everyone’s memory the former five-member board of county commissioners were all either employees of the Developer or affiliated with contractors working for the Developer.

Draw your own conclusions, but all Sumter County homeowners should be thankful that finally there were three political candidates who followed through on their campaign promises. I know I am.

The other two conflicted commissioners run for re-election in 2022. Keep a eye out for the emergence of candidates challenging their incumbency.

By the way, I predict that both residential and commercial development in the south end of The Villages will continue at the pace desired by the Developer. Somehow they’ll “figure out a way” without the funding of new roads and infrastructure which would have been provided by ALL Sumter County homeowners!

All posters:
Keep it up! Eventually, we'll be able to enjoy all the perks high fees and taxes bring to states in other areas of the country!

[birdawg]

I was wondering does anyone know where taxes stayed the same or went down for eleven years?

[Happydaz]

Originally Posted by G.R.I.T.S.

All posters:
Keep it up! Eventually, we'll be able to enjoy all the perks high fees and taxes bring to states in other areas of the country!

What the voters of Sumter County wanted was to shift more of the developer’s road costs back to the developer by increasing road impact fees. The 50 million dollars we had to cover in our tax increase of 25% is why the residents revolted and ousted every single incumbent. The rest of the incumbents will be ousted when they come up for reelection including our local representative to the state legislature. We, the residents of Sumter County, refuse to pay for the costs of development. These costs, like in all fast growing counties in Florida, need to be paid for by the developers not the residents. That also means that as developers build non age restricted buildings they need to pay school, fire and other impact fees in addition to road impact fees. We don’t want higher taxes that is why we rose up and changed things. Welcome to the power of the American people when they band together and determine their own future.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

What the voters of Sumter County wanted was to shift more of the developer’s road costs back to the developer by increasing road impact fees. The 50 million dollars we had to cover in our tax increase of 25% is why the residents revolted and ousted every single incumbent.

And how did that work for you???
Impact fee increased $800 for the developer.
On 2500 homes by the developer, $2mil will be collected.
Zero of the 25% or $50mil has been changed.
$2mil out of $50mil ain't a good rollback.

[Happydaz]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

And how did that work for you???
Impact fee increased $800 for the developer.
On 2500 homes by the developer, $2mil will be collected.
Zero of the 25% or $50mil has been changed.
$2mil out of $50mil ain't a good rollback.

If it was such a minor deal why did the developer fight so fiercely to stop it? This could be the starting point. Other impact fees could rise as well. Fire impact fees would be a good starting point. Progress is made one step at a time. Sit back and watch. Sumter County is set to shift the costs of rapid development back to the developers where it belongs.

[PennBF]

What is outrages is the breath and how deep these alleged abuses in The Villages go! Beginning with the outrages alleged payoff to a Florida State Legislature. Is this an alleged
Organization functioning to exploit the residents?There seems to be a number of notes that refer to the Developer as the cause however it is alleged that one person could not be the only person driving all of the abuses and that it would take an Organization?

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

If it was such a minor deal why did the developer fight so fiercely to stop it? This could be the starting point. Other impact fees could rise as well. Fire impact fees would be a good starting point. Progress is made one step at a time. Sit back and watch. Sumter County is set to shift the costs of rapid development back to the developers where it belongs.

They really didn't fight it "so fiercely".
They really didn't spend $$$ on the fight.
"starting point"............Ooooooooooo I'm watching because it's entertaining.
If the average property tax bill went up $400 as a result of the 25% increase, the $2mil collection represents $8.