[Hiltongrizz11]

Originally Posted by shut the front door

I'm canceling my pool service with T&D. Getting real tired of the blatant buyoff of Rep. Hage.

From the other site:
A lawmaker’s updated bill would make impact fee limits retroactive to Jan. 1.

The change to the bill cosponsored by Rep. Brett Hage, R-The Villages, would seem to paint into a corner a trio of Sumter County Commissioners trying to raise impact fees on builders. Impact fees were a key issue in last year’s elections, when the then-challengers ousted incumbent commissioners over a a 25 percent property tax rate increase in 2019.

The stage is set for a showdown on impact fees when the Sumter County Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Everglades Recreation Center in The Villages.

What do you think should be done about impact fees? Express your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at news@**************.com

House Bill 377 and Senate Bill 750 would limit impact fee increases by local governments to 3 percent a year. Hage, whose disclosure form showed he’s earning a six-figure salary from The Villages, has been championing the bill. The Villages is vehemently opposed to raising impact fees and has been using the Developer-owned Daily Sun to beat back the proposal and assail the character of Commissioners Craig Estep, Oren Miller and Gary Search, all three of whom are residents of The Villages.

A 3 percent impact fee hike means The Villages would pay about $1,000 for each single-family detached home, up less than $30 from the current rate of $972.

Last month, commissioners voted 4-1 to reject an agreement proposed by The Villages to raise fees by 40 percent to $1,372 per home. The agreement would have allowed the county to raise fees only on The Villages development and not other businesses.

Commissioners said the amount was too low and it was substantially less than the $2,430 per home recommended in a 2019 study.

So what does TandD pools have to do with anything?

[Gmaf6]

Show me a politician that isn’t bought and I’ll show you.......NONE!
The bottom line is that the 3 Non-Republicans are trying to prevent growth and businesses from coming to Sumter let alone causing new homeowners an increase in what are already high prices. We are sorely in need of a new hospital.....as well as small businesses South of 44. I agree that the Developer should pay a higher fee but cutting off your nose to spite your face isn’t the way to go. This, coupled with the proposed increase to fire, is causing much divide. The 3 should’ve taken the 40%!

Before you say they’re Republicans.....they aren’t. They changed party lines for one reason; to be able to run!! When I see my taxes go down, as they promised, they just might earn my respect!

[eeroger]

Originally Posted by Kahuna32162

Thanks for the update, did not know that T&D sold off it's service part of the business. That might explain why their service has fallen off severely over the last couple of months. First, our tech of over 7 years is re assigned to a different route, next, they start to miss a week and when they do come, it's a different person each week.

Calling to complain seems to fall on deaf ears. It's too bad because there are other options out there that would be eager to service the 5 pools in our cul de sac.

I agree with the above. We have had shoddy work from T&D more several months. We have not had a consistent pool tech for months. Longest consistent tech lasted 2 weeks before they quit.
Looking for new company ...

[JoannMH]

So glad to hear you are cancelling TD service. Maybe I can get your spot.

[fastboat]

Originally Posted by shut the front door

Actually, he's pretty expensive. For what the developer pays his puppets, he could pay the stupid impact fees!

A Form 6 Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interests filed by Hage on May 5, 2020 shows that during 2019, he earned $141,003 from the Holding Company of The Villages located at 3619 Kiessel Road at Brownwood. He also earned $113,554 from T&D Distribution Inc., $14,410 from T&D Concrete Inc. and $11,000 from T&D Supplies Inc. Hage earned $29,697 for serving as a state representative.

And you forgot to mention dinner at the Morse compound.

[fastboat]

Originally Posted by Gmaf6

Show me a politician that isn’t bought and I’ll show you.......NONE!
The bottom line is that the 3 Non-Republicans are trying to prevent growth and businesses from coming to Sumter let alone causing new homeowners an increase in what are already high prices. We are sorely in need of a new hospital.....as well as small businesses South of 44. I agree that the Developer should pay a higher fee but cutting off your nose to spite your face isn’t the way to go. This, coupled with the proposed increase to fire, is causing much divide. The 3 should’ve taken the 40%!

Before you say they’re Republicans.....they aren’t. They changed party lines for one reason; to be able to run!! When I see my taxes go down, as they promised, they just might earn my respect!

The hospital that UF is talking about, and I mean TALKING about, not planning, is slated for Lake County.

[kappy]

Originally Posted by Gmaf6

Show me a politician that isn’t bought and I’ll show you.......NONE!
The bottom line is that the 3 Non-Republicans are trying to prevent growth and businesses from coming to Sumter let alone causing new homeowners an increase in what are already high prices. We are sorely in need of a new hospital.....as well as small businesses South of 44. I agree that the Developer should pay a higher fee but cutting off your nose to spite your face isn’t the way to go. This, coupled with the proposed increase to fire, is causing much divide. The 3 should’ve taken the 40%!

Before you say they’re Republicans.....they aren’t. They changed party lines for one reason; to be able to run!! When I see my taxes go down, as they promised, they just might earn my respect!

The hospital has been scheduled to be built in Lake County even before the Commissioners talked about raising impact fees. Since the hospital is a not-for-profit hospital, they do not pay property taxes.

At the January 12th BOCC meeting, the Commissioners voted to delay the vote on impact fees. The very next week, January 19th, Brett Hage, an employee of the developer and a Florida Legislator, co-sponsored HB 337 to limit the amount that impact fees can be raised to 3%. Coincidence? The developers voluntary offer was so one sided that no official in their right mind would have accepted it.

If your getting your information from the local paper, that info is totally biased toward the developer. See some of the articles in **************.com for the true facts. For example, the local paper continues to claim that raising the impact fees may cause the hospital not to build in Sumter, while they already know that it is scheduled for Lake County.

[Hans53]

read todays paper. good explanation there

[tjsolomon]

We are dropping our T&D pool service because our technician was switched out and our pool has been green for 3 weeks. I have called to complain and have been told twice that a manager or supervisor would call me back and that hasn't happened. I did take a water sample up to the T&D store on 466 and they told me they couldn't test it because I was using their service. The company has been sold and the salesperson told me that they would be changing the name soon.

[DanishAndScottish]

1. Core function of government is to provide the essential services for all that reside in its jurisdiction to ensure their health and safety.

2. Government has to raise those funds in some manner.

3. Competing interests with businesses, developers, and residents who also have a bottom line.

4. Rapid expansion of residential and commercial inventory puts a strain on current government resources. This directly affects #1.

5. Developer backed County commissioners were decisively beat in their primary 2 to 1. The challenger candidates then went on to win their general election.

6. Developer backed local political party is now trashing the County Commissioners of their own party because they are not developer backed.

7. Because these County Commissioners answer to the people they represent and not to the developer, the developer is using a paid member of the FL House to pass a bill to limit the authority of local government.

8. Everyone that speaks tonight in favor of an impact fee hike, needs to state the above points over and over and over again.

[KDW9966]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

By the way, the pool service from T&D has been sold to another entity. Not sure how I feel about that because T&D is absolutely one of the most ethical and best run businesses I have ever encountered, with one brothers part slightly better than the other brothers part. Vera is the most accomplished pool designer anyone could ask for. They are always RIGHT there if you have a question or problem. I am a HUGE fan of the company, T&D.

THEY HAVE A DESIGNER??

I have been trying to get a quote a from T&D Pools for the last 3 months! Like everyone else I waited 5 months for an appointment, which I understand they are busy.

The problem is the designer/salesman doesn’t listen to what we want! So when he does have time to return a bid, which as only been twice in 3 months the design is wrong.

No negotiating on the price, even though they have water features & stairs going to part of the yard, that we don’t want!

Here sign the contract now, all change orders will incur a ADDITIONAL $500 CHANGE FEE!

For a design we didn’t want in the first place?

If the so called designer would listen in the first place we wouldn’t have any change orders.

So at last we are about to sign a contract with a different company.

Bottom line is I guess T&D is just to big. They don’t care if they lose a $100,000 sale .

They but all the focus on new homes! For whom they are contracted with to complete work first.

Can anyone guess who that is?

[Advogado]

Instructions and the form for filing a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics can be found here: http://www.ethics.state.fl.us/Docume...PDF?cp=2021323

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by DanishAndScottish

1. Core function of government is to provide the essential services for all that reside in its jurisdiction to ensure their health and safety.

2. Government has to raise those funds in some manner.

3. Competing interests with businesses, developers, and residents who also have a bottom line.

4. Rapid expansion of residential and commercial inventory puts a strain on current government resources. This directly affects #1.

5. Developer backed County commissioners were decisively beat in their primary 2 to 1. The challenger candidates then went on to win their general election.

6. Developer backed local political party is now trashing the County Commissioners of their own party because they are not developer backed.

7. Because these County Commissioners answer to the people they represent and not to the developer, the developer is using a paid member of the FL House to pass a bill to limit the authority of local government.

8. Everyone that speaks tonight in favor of an impact fee hike, needs to state the above points over and over and over again.

That is an excellent summary of the situation.

I would just add one point that many residents have still not focused on. The Developer should not only be paying 100% for county road infrastructure that his massive expansion of The Villages is necessitating. He should also be paying for his other county infrastructure: Libraries, fire, police, jails, other government buildings, EMT, parks, sewers, etc. To impose those impact fees, the County Commission needs to contract for a new impact fee study.

Also, remember that Sumter County is unique. No other county is facing the rapid and massive increase in infrastructure costs that are being piled on Sumter County by the Developer's massive expansion of The Villages. The Developer should be paying those costs, not us current residents.

[Dond1959]

Originally Posted by kappy

The hospital has been scheduled to be built in Lake County even before the Commissioners talked about raising impact fees. Since the hospital is a not-for-profit hospital, they do not pay property taxes.

At the January 12th BOCC meeting, the Commissioners voted to delay the vote on impact fees. The very next week, January 19th, Brett Hage, an employee of the developer and a Florida Legislator, co-sponsored HB 337 to limit the amount that impact fees can be raised to 3%. Coincidence? The developers voluntary offer was so one sided that no official in their right mind would have accepted it.

If your getting your information from the local paper, that info is totally biased toward the developer. See some of the articles in **************.com for the true facts. For example, the local paper continues to claim that raising the impact fees may cause the hospital not to build in Sumter, while they already know that it is scheduled for Lake County.

Like the local paper is biased for the developer, the online news site you tried to reference is biased against the developer.

As far as the location of any proposed hospital I have seen nothing from UF on a potential location. However, the location previously discussed by posters online is west of the turnpike and north of 470. If you look at county maps you will see that Lake County only has a small portion of property in that area which would not fit a hospital and research campus. Further if you look at the Villages paper insert from several months ago called “Continuing the Dream” the area described above is shown as commercial. The hospital, research, education, and health area is north of the small commercial area that runs along the turnpike.

Bottom line, plans can change and no one knows if or where UF may eventually build a hospital. But it is clear from previous publications from the developer that the intention was for the hospital to be in Sumter county.

[merrymini]

Wow, maybe we need a new hospital. What we really need is a GOOD hospital that gets more than one “star.”