Sold or taken off the market?

Have you given thought to how long it would have taken to saw the trees using a handsaw ??

Don't know, it just disappeared. It doesn't say it is pending. There was an open house there as recently as last Friday. Will just have to wait and see if the house changes hands or reappears with another real estate company.

You are right. I can't understand how all this tree cutting happened without a lot of people being aware of it.

Yes it does. And now CDD's 5 through 10 are sharing the cost of nearly $50,000. Maybe I am being naive, but I still think the culprits will be caught. Eventually.

I wonder what you get for 50,000 dollars. Just think what the cost was for the trees at Brownwood.

I have in my younger days cut large diameter trees with a hand saw and believe you mean your hands will cramp up for a few days.

I do not believe the culprits will be caught.

I do believe that the simplest answer is the correct answer and one should look to whom gains advantage of a better view.

I wish the District had not paid for this crime because once paid all interest by district and police will disappear because our money solved their problem

I do wish the district reviewed the legal possibility of charging the costs to the residents of this village because I assure you suddenly one neighbor would have a miraculous recollection of suspicious events

In short the district did not serve us best in the use of our amenities .

Having grown up in the days prior to power saws and having used both two man and one man (boy) bucksaws I can say this would have taken a long time if done by hand saws.

It seems the object was simply to cut down the trees and provide a clear sight line. Without the necessity of removing the cuttings it could have been accomplished by a couple of people with a chain saw in a very short time. No trucks, no trailers, no other equipment needed. I believe the area could have been accessed by boat as previously mentioned.

Tree Cutting
 

Being from the North(north of 466 that is) I don't have a "dog in the fight"but I hope those of you that do keep this alive by complaining to anyone that will listen.Some entitled AH committed a crime and should pay the price.There is no reason that an entire community should be penalized for the actions of a criminal.That word(criminal)may offend some but lets call it what it is.

It’s been 6 full weeks since this egregious act was first posted and it is just as disgraceful today as it was then. The most obvious motive has always been that one homeowner or a few homeowners desired a better water view at the expense of those beautiful old trees.

While the felled trees are truly awful, it is equally wrong to punish so many homeowners who will now foot the bill. I agree that if the $50,000 fee was charged only to the homeowners in this particular neighborhood someone’s memory would be jogged. After all, money is a powerful motive – it makes idiots cut down trees (so they can sell their house for more $$$) but it also makes a lost memory become an “Ah ha…now I remember” moment.

The reward has unfortunately not yet encouraged anyone to step forward but a hefty bill shared by a small neighborhood will produce reliable leads. It’s time for those who know something to step forward and do the right thing.

I agree completely with what you say.

The cost of repairing the damage done to this area of Lake Miona is only the start .............. I cannot be the only person who saw that in future SWFMD are going to be monitoring the area at a cost of between $3 - $5,000 per three months .................. and who do you think is going to foot that continual bill?

It would seem to me that the residents impacted should be contacting their representatives and making an awful lot of noise! You need a good community organizer to get behind this and get to the bottom of it.

I just don't understand why I must pay for this. CDD 5-10 to pay? Why? What about CDD 1-4? Why don't they have to share in the cost? It should only be the CDD that Lake Miona is in. I'm not the most politically active or knowledgeable person. Please make me understand how this can be fair.

CDD 1 - 4 have a different form of Government.

And this $50,000 expense is added to the $1.5 million residents of districts five through ten are going to be charged for shoring up the Morse Blvd bridge.

IMO Janet Tutt seems to be trying to sweep this event under the rug by just giving the same tired statement every time she is asked about it. Hopefully she will be asked what happens if the guilty party just sells their home and moves far, far away?

Please explain the difference so I can better understand this issue. Thank You.

Considering the tree issue and the bridge restoration, how much money per household are we talking about? Will it be spread out over a span of time?

That would be a good question for your elected representative in whatever district you live. Just guessing that these fees would come from some reserve fund and not be assessed to each household.

We haven't been accessed for anything in the eight years we have owned property here. Not ONE penny from the deal we made when we bought.

All Districts have inter local agreements that cover who pays for what. These agreements are a matter of record so I am told. If what happens doesn’t suite you views, then express your frustration to your locally elected District representatives.

Did anyone see a mention of this crime in the VHA news included with today's Sun Times? Looked twice but maybe I missed it.

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There is another dimension to this issue. The District is setting precedent meaning that in future expect more of our amenity fees to be used for other than amenities like attorney fees for fighting the IRS, tree cutting culprits bridges.

And again let's not put the cart before the horse. In my view we do not have people making negative statements we have a negative situation that people are commenting on and they have a right to express their opinion.

What are the differences?

I agree. I contacted my CDD representative. He said: "Of course people in the immediate neighborhood knew exactly what was going on".

I have never seen where Jane Tutt "swept anything under the rug".

Community Development District Orientation

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I agree 100%

Has Ms Tutt ever addressed the issue of why the district is on the hook for paying the $50,000 and not waiting for the guilty party to be found and made to pay? If she has, I've not see it.

In the 15 years I've lived here, I don't ever remember an event like this where one or two residents break the law and all residents are being asked to pay the damages. Maybe others know of any such events.

The district is on the hook because the district owns the property. It is not up to The Villages to decide when they pay. The district must mitigate the property damage when they are told.

Why is everything such a conspiracy?

Hmmmmmmm "never" that's absolute? Requires being around Tutt 24/7

I too respect Ms. Tutt but leaders do occasionally bend under pressure.

A previous poster asked whether TV has insurance against vandalism on its property. Sounds like a reasonable question to me. Thoughts?

It's Janet not Jane !!!

I hate it when people try to make this place look bad. I really do believe that everyone can see the same people bashing, bashing, bashing. AND I know why. THANK GOODNESS that the MAJORITY of people who live here don't agree with them.

Janet Tutt is an ethical person. If I had her job I would throw myself off the Morse Bridge.


Daily.

The problem here is that Janet Tutt is actually hired by the Developer. The developer is the only land owner in the VCCDD District which employs Ms Tutt. BUT, the developer does not pay her salary, the residents do. I would not accuse her of being biased, but it does have a possible conflict of interest connection.

Lie detector test
 

I would like to see the Authorities ask those who most benefitted from the cutting of the trees to take a lie detector exam. There is no doubt in my mind that if anyone knows any details of the cutting, it would be quickly exposed.

THEY can't DO that. I am not defending the folks who did it.

But you just can't accuse someone without proof. And a lie detector test is worth the paper it's printed on. People with no conscience can pass them 24/7.

There is no conspiracy with The Villages government.. Someone did something wrong and there is no way to prove they did. Period and amen.

I am guessing that people who live closeby are pretty sure they know who did it, but they don't know Which who.

So they walk, we pay. The lesson learned here is do whatever you want, just don't leave a trail, and the other residents will cover your fines because we weren't given a choice.