[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by canyonblue

Well guess what? Those soon to be NEW Villagers of Chitty Chatty will have golf cart access to shopping at Lake Deaton Plaza along with golfing at Championship Courses way before anyone down in Fenney, McClure, Isles, Marsh Bend and the Deluna areas will ever see. The bridge over 44 will guarantee that, as the Turnpike bridge sits and collects rust awaiting the approval from FDOT that is held up due to the widening project. Of course all is well and why should you ever complain. Cue the Koolies in three, two, one....

Where can I read an official statement on this???

[npwalters]

he main takeaway from your post that any reasonable person should agree with is this: The developer owes updated and reliable information to the residents. They were quick to publish optimistic anticipated times in their sales literature and should correct it now that those estimates are long past.

Owes??

I'm a southerner. We use the word "owe" when one has a moral obligation to complete an action. Such as I "owe" you an apology for telling you that golf cart access will be available in early 2020 and now it wont be.

[asianthree]

The Villages Gourmet Club have a restaurant going in the new plaza. So far developer has one Grocery and one restaurant sign on the dotted line. It’s filling up quickly

[Number 10 GI]

Whine, moan, groan, snivel and sob! Good grief people you are above ground and living in a place so many others can't afford that has more amenities than many cities offer. I'm so tired of hearing about how there are no restaurants, stores, etc. at Magnolia Plaza. How many smart, knowledgeable and successful business owners would even think about building/leasing a building, stocking it with merchandise and hiring employees to run it if there aren't enough people living in the area to even pay the electric bill with from their patronage? You do know that businesses need to make a profit to keep the doors open?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

My guess is that it's a minimum wage employee, whose daily job duties include looking at TOTV, the online newspaper and certain other media (re: Tampa Times/local papers).

IMHO, it would be pretty ridiculous (and naïve/borderline dumb) to think that Da Family doesn't try to stay right on top of what the general feelings are...by both residents and non-residents.

And whatever else they may also be...Da Family isn't "dumb."

It's called "opposition/competitor research" and I challenge anyone to prove that any entity, political or corporate...that isn't fully involved in doing such.

So why would anyone think that TV...is any different?

Anxiously awaiting for...proof otherwise.

A minimum wage employee whose job it is to check the online forums?

Why would the pay scale be part of the qualification?

I think that Mark Morse is very aware of the opinions of people who live here and I am sure that some opinions must annoy him. They would certainly annoy me if I were doing my best to run my business and I was being so successful in doing so.

And the ultimate test of success is continued droves of people wanting to live here.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

A minimum wage employee whose job it is to check the online forums?

Yep.

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Why would the pay scale be part of the qualification?

Because to look at all of the media sources on a daily basis, would be simple, tedious and very easy to do.

All characteristics of those positions typically...on the low end of the pay scale.

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I think that Mark Morse is very aware of the opinions of people who live here...

And how would he know that...by osmosis?

Or maybe, just maybe, someone is assigned the duty to gather all of the opinions/writings, from a plethora of sources...and disseminate them to him and/or other members of Da Family?

Originally Posted by graciegirl

...and I am sure that some opinions must annoy him.

No doubt.

And exactly WHY, should anyone care what does/doesn't...personally annoy him?

Last I checked, he's still not a king or dictator...and can't lop off anyone's head.

Originally Posted by graciegirl

They would certainly annoy me if I were doing my best to run my business and I was being so successful in doing so.

So you're saying that everyone should avoid "annoying" anyone (by simply stating their opinion), who is..."doing their best and has a successful business?"

Really?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

Yep.

Because to look at all of the media sources on a daily basis, would be simple, tedious and very easy to do.

All characteristics of those positions typically...on the low end of the pay scale.

And how would he know that...by osmosis?

Or maybe, just maybe, someone is assigned the duty to gather all of the opinions/writings, from a plethora of sources...and disseminate them to him and/or other members of Da Family?

No doubt.

And exactly WHY, should anyone care what does/doesn't...personally annoy him?

Last I checked, he's still not a king or dictator...and can't lop off anyone's head.

So you're saying that everyone should avoid "annoying" anyone (by simply stating their opinion), who is..."doing their best and has a successful business?"

Really?

Yeah that's pretty common actually, in corporations. Having a clerk whose job it is to check the press for op-eds and news articles about their boss or their boss's business. They're not typically minimum wage, but they're definitely on the low end of the totem pole. In Florida terms, that'd be around $10/hour (which is still less than minimum wage in many states). They check ALL media though, not just online fora.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Yeah that's pretty common actually, in corporations. Having a clerk whose job it is to check the press for op-eds and news articles about their boss or their boss's business. They're not typically minimum wage, but they're definitely on the low end of the totem pole. In Florida terms, that'd be around $10/hour (which is still less than minimum wage in many states). They check ALL media though, not just online fora.

Admittedly purely anecdotal, but all my buddies who have looked for jobs in TV (set up/take down for events, event security, golf ambassadors, Etc.) have told me...that the pay was extremely low.

I also recall most of them saying that a lot of the jobs...WERE minimum wage.

Which was $8.46 per hour until this year, when it shot all the way up...to $8.56 per hour.

But hey, maybe for the highly technical and intellectually demanding position of perusing all media/internet sources on a daily basis, that discuss TV or Da Family...the pay might even get all the way up to $10.01 per hour.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Originally Posted by JoMar

Villagers take projections as promises. Not sure why you think the "owe" us anything other than projections. I assume, they assume, that we are adults and understand how construction can change, how regulatory bodies can impact schedules and how "business's" choose markets and make determinations based on revenue where they will put their stores. You bought into a dynamic community, one that will ebb and flow until you sections is built out. It might be difficult for you but the Developer owes you nothing and it is their business to manage.

But, but, there are the privileged entitled elitist people amongst us that think everything revolves around their little world and the Developers had better get everything done immediately for them.

[Northwoods]

Originally Posted by alwann

Want to know the Villages's leadership? Google this: The Villages of Lake-sumter Inc

All the officers are listed there, along with their email addresses. There's a Mr. Lester listed who I believe is in charge of community relations. Maybe he will respond to your questions.

I'm always fascinated by how little the developer communicates. A town meeting once a year (limited, I believe, to HOA members), and with no Q&A, doesn't cut it. I speak as a former PR executive for a Fortune 10 company.

Of course, he/they don't have to communicate. It's a privately held business. Then again, I wonder whether the developer gives a hoot about his reputation.

I have a similar background and worked for a major corporation. Ultimately we focused on anything that might positively or negatively impact stock price. The Developer doesn't have this problem. This is a very successful privately held business. I will say there have been a few situations where they could have done a better job of "messaging" the issue. But I think the VAST majority of homeowners are very happy. And they continue to sell houses at an amazing rate.
So, to me, responding to the "squeaky wheel" negative comments is a bit of a 'whack a mole' exercise.
If there was an issue that had a negative impact on home sales they would be very visible and address it. But their approach has worked very well for them. There will always be negative people.
And do I believe The Developer Leadership team reads TOTV? I'd be very surprised if they do. The majority of negative comments are about issues that are attributed to them but are the responsibility of the District. They have MUCH bigger fish to fry.

[FriscoKid]

I just wanted to add my experience buying a home in the Village of DeSoto a couple years ago... at NO time did my Villages sales rep make any claims around the timing of the shopping center or golf cart bridges. In fact, she was very careful not misrepresenting any forward looking planning and building. It was (and continues to be) a non-issue for me. (Now, I am NOT retired and continue to travel back and forth to the villages making this perhaps less of an issue.) She also sold a home to one of my closest friends. (It was a two-for!) He wanted to have golf cart accessibility NOW (better for rental) and bought a re-sale in the Village of Gilchrist.

It frequently appears to me that the lack of bridges is more of an issue for those who don't live in the southern areas than for those who do. (At least talking to the people I come in contact with down south.)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

Admittedly purely anecdotal, but all my buddies who have looked for jobs in TV (set up/take down for events, event security, golf ambassadors, Etc.) have told me...that the pay was extremely low.

I also recall most of them saying that a lot of the jobs...WERE minimum wage.

Which was $8.46 per hour until this year, when it shot all the way up...to $8.56 per hour.

But hey, maybe for the highly technical and intellectually demanding position of perusing all media/internet sources on a daily basis, that discuss TV or Da Family...the pay might even get all the way up to $10.01 per hour.

Most entry level jobs in the Villages are minimum wage. But office jobs tend to start a little higher. Not much - but some. It's still poverty-level wages but that tends to suit retirees who are on Social Security and need to maintain a low maximum income, but don't want to or can't yet leave the work force completely.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

We were told by two agents, when we were on a lifestyle visit in the Brownwood area, that the whole area would be 100% golf-cart accessible to and from the northern part of the Villages, before 2020. It was one of the selling points. I'm just glad that neither me nor my spouse liked the newness and wanted something more settled. I would've been rip-roaring ****ed if I had to be stuck in an unfinished neighborhood, in a golf cart community that didn't have actual golf cart access to the vast majority of that community for a year or more.

[JoMar]

Isn't speculation fun?

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by JoMar

Isn't speculation fun?

Accompanied by a plethora of WAGS.