Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

It looks like the Professor got this information from articles by Christopher Curry of the Ocala Star-Banner.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Look at the top of the Forum's main page. Click "links" then links for the villages then "who owns the villages rec centers and executive golf courses". It seems the developer has circumvented the law that set up CDDs by establishing one that no one lives in so it gives him complete power over it now and forever. Paying what ever price he deems appropriate for facilities he sells to it. Only problem is the villages pay for it with no say. I don't think that was what the lawmakers had in mind when they passed the CDD development laws. But I could be wrong.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Exception noted! Chicago IS a neat city and a fun place when the wind isn't whipping off the Lake in mid-winter. I'm probably too defensive about CentFL, as this is the "end of the rainbow" to me.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Oh that is just the beginning, an 8 million dollar property being sold for 50 million. Reread the article that is being so talked about the one about how the government of the villages really works. Many of the properties that Villagers north of 466 have been forced to buy without a vote were bought at huge inflated prices. There is so much infor. on this I will have to go back and research however the POA has all the information on what has been going on. People south of 466 will be charged huge prices for their districts buying buildings rec. centers etc.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

huuuuu boy! :(

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

WOW -- leave it to politicians to ruin a wonderful thing. Do we have to secede !!! :(

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Viva la revolution!

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

With all due respect and with no desire to discuss any specific issues, everytime I read some of the comments that appear from time to time about the absolute dislike and distrust of the Villages, I always have this question in my mind.....

If it is and will be so bad here in The Villages why did you remain here even when you could have sold and made a large profit and moved to a neighboring community ?

This is not meant to be interpeted as "if you dont like it, leave"....it is real curiosity because if I felt the way you seem to (speaking to those who are posting here supposedly from the POA) I would have sold, made a few bucks and moved up the street !!

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Bucco

My wife won't move and basically I like it here but that doesn't mean I should be taken to the cleaners at every turn.

Lady Kathleen I support you and agree with what you say.

Four year resident
Willy

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Thank you Willy.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Bucco, Many people bought here in late 2005 and early 2006. They might not be able to recoup their investment by selling now.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

It is amazing how good this forum is. Sam, that explains a lot. I realize now that what I am reading from a number of posters that I had previously thought to be very negative might very well be frustration. They really don't feel that they can change their minds at this point, even if they love the place. I feel good about our recent purchase because we have bought when the prices were lower. I don't know how many people have mortgages, fortunately we do not, but that too would add to the problem. I thank you for pointing this out.

I am completely baffled when I hear what I consider rants sometimes that are negative about the current members of the Morse family. Perhaps if the family would make themselves more available, as Mark Morse did recently, people would get to feel better about them.......or not. Who knows.

I am going to go to a POA meeting when I come down in November, if only to satisfy my curiosity. They may be the greatest group ever, but they annoy me when they post here. I feel that we have made a good choice by coming here and it appears that our investment is wise.

There are no guarantees in life. When things get worrisome, I remind myself to enjoy this moment, this day. We never know how many we have. Just my take on things.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Well said Graciegirl,

Just keep an open mind. Where theres smoke there could be a fire.
and I'm not in the POA.

PEACE
Willy

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Hi LadyKathleen ....... I'm impressed with your knowledge and participation in TVs Association and if I lived there, I'd be interested in attending the meetings also. Right now, I'm only a wannabee stuck in the real estate dump!

I also applaud you for not being daunted by the nagative-post-police ;)

Although, I really don't understand everything you have written, it makes me want to know more. THANK YOU for trying to educate us.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

CIB - Posters can say whatever they wish but please don't speak for me. I haven't gotten much of an education from LK as far as i can tell. I don't take kindly to preaching of any type. I'll make up my own mind. I may end up agreeing with LK but I may not.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

I found this Hugh Bartling article by accident when looking for stuff on One Sumter. I do not really have a dog in this fight though as I do not own property in TV.

As many know I live with my parents who do own property in TV. We moved from Palm Harbor in 2005 and I am extremely happy here in TV when compared with how things went for me in Palm Harbor. At least, the Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce has not threatened me with a lawsuit yet through his lawyer. It was really the Palm Harbor Library lawyer who did this on March 2, 2004 but since at that time the Palm Harbor Library Director Gene Coppola was the Chairman of the PH Chamber of Commerce there seemed to be quite a lot of conflict of interest and lack of any real accountability there in PH.

I do kind of get a little nervous when too much power is in the hands of people who also have a lot of control of the media.

TOTV is a great leveller though with respect to getting information out about issues of interest to Villagers.

Happy to see people taking an interest in that professor's article. I will bet that more people have probably read that article in the past few days than ever read it since it publication in November 2006?

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Ooppsss..... Russ Boston: I'm so sorry if I gave the impression that I was speaking for everyone. It was certainly not my intention; semantics was never my best subject. Therefore I'll revise my statement.

Dear LadyKathleen... THANK YOU for attempting to educate me in regards to TV issues I know nothing about ;D

I've already learned to Beware of the topic-cops :cop: Beware of the negative-post police :cop: Beware of the forum-placement police :cop: and now the preaching police :cop:

OK! I obey !

THANKS again LadyKathleen; I (speaking for myself only) do appreciate your effort to inform the uninformed (like me) regarding important issues on TV (possibly my next home, maybe).

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Tal,
Very interesting article. Thank goodness for you doing our research.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

ConeyIsBabe,

Well, looks like you did a CYA correction. And who is that good-looking fellow on your lap?

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

tkret......... I'm going to boldly risk the Off-topic-Cop :cop: getting after me, but to answer your question...... that's "Jack" a 1-1/2 year-old Rat Terrier, my best little buddy ;D.

Sorry for the digression, my apologies to the OP ::)

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

My fault, CIBabe, I should have asked that in a PM. Jack is a handsome one, though. And now back to the discussion. Re: Interesting take on The Villages

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

First, Hometown Democracy will result in bypassing our local elected officials and subjecting the voters to the paid propaganda of the biggest spending lobbyists. It will either stifle adaptation to changing land values and obsolete land uses or will cause the state legislature to repeal the planning act altogether.* It would be a boondoggle.* See what state professional planners say... http://www.floridaplanning.org/homet...wdemocracy.swf

The article itself sounds like a college paper by some form of Gore-inspired academic who likes to use lots of big words and find fault with things that are obviously working well.*

And as for higher costs in the future, CDD's are not new.* Several around the state have existed for longer than 30 years and function very professionally and efficiently.* I have NO reason to expect anything different from our CDDs.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

gfmucci,

:agree: You're right on target! :agree:

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Bucco, Many people bought here in late 2005 and early 2006. They might not be able to recoup their investment by selling now.
__________________________________________________ __________________

Of course that is true...I realize that. I suspect, dont know and not saying it is a fact, that fact does not apply to most. I have been here for quite a few years now and this is not anything knew...the negativity. Every time I receive on my driveway an unwanted POA bulletin, I cringe not because they have no right to compain or investigate but because I have found beyond being negative, it APPEARS that their GOAL is to be negative. Having seen how some of their "surveys" are worded for example makes me wonder about the goal.

Hey, this place is not perfect....you can take a course on how it is governed..no secrets.

YES...we need an outlet for problems....and I think we basically have them. Now if your GOAL is to provide more noise about all problems then the POA is being succesful and they wonder why the developer wont commnicate with them...DUH !

I have no problem bringing up problems...there are and always will be those..I have had them.....followed up and got them resolved.

Said my piece I suppose....no sense in beating a dead horse, but some folks just live to complain and I suppose it keeps their blood flowing :) I just do not think that MOST, not ALL, of those you were referring to are stuck and will lose their investment and that is the ONLY reason they are staying. NOT ALL, but some will find fault no matter where they live and how well they live.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

I really do not buy this by the professor on One Sumter. Doesn't seem to reflect the shades of gray you find so much in real life outside of academia. One Sumter seems to be more about the votes going to the population centers in Sumter County rather than focused on geographical voting districts.

"In July 2003, residents backed by the developer established a political committee called One Sumter. The purpose of the committee was to promote a referendum that would change the way in which commissioners in Sumter County were chosen from a district-based system to one where commissioners were voted on at-large. Given the fact that The Villages is the largest community in the county, critics of the developer viewed the initiative as a shameless power grab by its CEO, Gary Morse. Funded primarily by contractors and other businesses with identifiable economic interests in The Villages and, often, headquarters outside the county, the developer-appointed administrative head of the CDD, Pete Wahl, sent residents a letter informing them of rising maintenance assessments explaining that they were forced to raise the costs due to decisions made by the Sumter County Board of Commissioners and conveniently enclosed an application for an absentee ballot to be used in the August, 2005 election (Curry 2004c)."

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

TALTARZAC,

Could you supply the source of your quote in your last post ??

Thanks

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

It is from the 14th paragraph on this page of that article. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/sec...tart=768593209

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Thank you Taltarzac......I worked on that particular issue in petition gathering, etc. I always knew that the Developer supprted it but this article implies that he began the entire process. Will need to check more on that as this may be opinion.

Doesnt matter..to me it makes sense.....I think representation should be based on population and not empty space. In those days the developer was also sued by a local farmer who just did not want any development like this anywhere near here. He wanted the area to stay rural...and this went on for a few years !

Still think One Sumter is a good idea !

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

WELL SAID. :agree: :agree:My thoughts exactly. Would you be interested in running for president? :bigthumbsup:

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

This thread has kind of confused me!
If the POA is not recognized by the Morse family and the family rejects any and all info from them it seems to me that there is no clout or benefit to being a member. OR even for the existence of the POA so, how does it manage to continue to exist and for what purpose? :realmad:

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Outsider, thanks for your take on things. I wish you could go into more detail on the gate issue.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

who's Outsider and what's his/her take on things?

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

OMgosh....Muncle, he had a long post but he and the post are gone!! Here is his/her profile and when they were online. I posted a reply immediately after his post. Maybe he felt that he said to much and his position would be recognized. In any event, it was a well written post. As he obviously had second thoughts about leaving it online, I shall not post the topics he discussed.


Summary - OutsiderWithInterest Picture/Text
Name: OutsiderWithInterest
Posts: 0 (N/A per day)
Position: Contributor
Date Registered: Yesterday at 09:45:56 PM
Last Active: Yesterday at 11:27:45 PM
ICQ:
AIM:
MSN:
YIM:
Email: hidden
Website:
Current Status: Offline Offline [Add To Buddy List]
Gender:
Age: N/A
Location:
Local Time: August 11, 2008, 08:26:41 AM
Language: English
Signature:

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Now I'm REALLY confused ::) :dontknow:

Somehow, I get the feeling like there are secrets that some people know about but dare not talk about it, or at least print it here?

Yes, as a prospective TVer I'm curious....... call it nosy....... but (speaking for myself only, of course) I WANNA KNOW everything; the good, the bad, the ugly, all about the POA, and what about the gates?

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

I should NOT be answering this, because it was before we bought in TV and it is hearsay and I am not sure of my facts. I think that I heard that the POA sued the Morse family and won. The issue is not clear to me, but part of it was that one subcontractor had not nailed the shingles properly on a zillion or so houses. Now this is gossip. I think I heard that somehow, some folks in the POA benefited monetarily. Please correct me if I'm wrong. And I probably am. What I am sure about is that almost every post I read from people in the POA is negative. About something. Sometimes about silly things. (IMHO) Now, I am an incurable optimist and an activist too. When something goes wrong, I immediatly set out to have it resolved. And It usually is resolved, or if it can't be, I change it somehow, or accept it.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Think you are referring to this, graciegirl. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandos...0M+in+upgrades

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandos...f+amenity+fees.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

I work in the Villages but do not live there, so take it fwiw.

The article is intellectual mumbo-jumbo. Even a non-resident can see this. The author is obviously viewing things from a distance with a very dirty pair of sunglasses. All one has to do is drive through the place day after day to see through it. If the place was so negative, then I'm thinking the golf cart trails wouldn’t be so active, the squares would be depressing, and you would get smart-a** looks and attitudes from the residents. Well, I have heard of some sour apples living here, but I've not seen any of this yet. Most everybody I meet is active and happy.

To those who don't know (probably a low percentage--it amazes me that TV detractors think that only they know "the low and dirty truth" about TV), a good chunk of your future amenity fees will be influenced by these resident boards making recommendations to the district. Representation is absolutely vital (it is after all, a government body), however each resident shouldn't take anything for granted because some of these people on the boards, while wanting to do good, have some bizarre AND EXPENSIVE ideas.

I won't mention many specifics, to protect the innocent, but I will say that a couple of "inquiries" from the residents board have come across the radar that I monitor lately. One inquiry, pertaining to the area of recreation center usage, was based on a "feeling" of the board members regarding usage. This "feeling" (note: that’s all the board has as evidence---a feeling) costs money by itself because time must be consumed to provide an answer. If, after the feeling is researched, the resulting data doesn't meet the board’s expectations, I fully expect a second request to come along to change the ways things are managed. This change, when completed, will undoubtedly cost tens of thousands to the district. To what end?: to BE SURE that nobody, but Villagers, regardless of the number, are using the rec centers.

A bizarre one was that some group of residents (I don’t know which) got irritated over some ongoing issue with the gates. Apparently, to get the point across, consideration was given to immediate cancelation of a contract for a number of gates, and had someone not intervened, it would have resulted in significant costs AND MAJOR HEADACHES for the residents going through those gates---for you see, no consideration was given to how the gates interact with computers. In fact, if I recall, the solution was as simple as contacting the company, and in short order, the glitch was repaired.

Who pays these costs? Ultimately the residents do.

So, the point is, as long as the residents remain engaged in the process of governing, the and the radicals can be kept at bay (along with their negativity), and smart people can serve on these boards, then hopefully, when I reach retirement age, it will still be an awesome place to live.

I think most know this already, but sometimes it pays to throw an alternative message out there for those who may be on the fence about certain things in TV.

Regarding gossip---well, sometimes it is true, but most of the time, it is either 100% false or skewed so far past reality and in so many people’s heads as gospel that no amount of facts can convince folks otherwise. Case in point: “The Villages in Texas”. As we all know from that game in elementary school, a fact, whispered to two folks downstream turns into a “biggest fish story”. Whisper it to four and you have a lie, albeit unintentional.

Fwiw, I look at it like this. If America is so bad, then why do people from all over the world risk their lives to come here? On a smaller scale then, if TV is so bad, then why are people from all over the US tossing their lives overboard to come here? The answer is the same for both questions: Opportunity! For the former it’s an opportunity to live free and earn a good living for a hard day’s work. For the latter, it’s the opportunity to live out one’s latter years doing what they love, day after precious day, and doing it with other like-minded people.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Excellent post InterestedOutsider.

Well stated,and merely your "take" on the subject. Liked your outlook. Good to hear that your future plans are to become a TV-er.

Good luck to you.....barb

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Outsider, you are back! Thanks for reposting.

Re: Interesting take on The Villages
 

Outsider,

Thanks for your post...it brings an interesting perspective to things. I hope that you will continue to read/monitor this board and chime in when you deem it appropriate. I can't tell what type of employment position you have, but, I would encourage you and other Villages employees to keep an ear on this board. As TOTV goes, so goes The Villages as far as what people are thinking, fearing, appreciating, etc.

As to the future, there are so many bright and talented people living in the Villages that we should expect our local governance to be reasonable, fair, and forward thinking. However, my personal fear is that more contrarians, negativists, or penny pinchers will get involved and we'll be hard-pressed to maintain our current quality of life. To quote BTK, it's up to the silent majority to make sure this doesn't happen and to remain One Villages and not a collection of "me first" individual neighborhoods.

Again, welcome Outsider!!!