What is being proposed is a significant increase in monitoring including dedicated, full-time staffing. *That* would be a new amenity.

But I agree with you, an increase in the amenity fee (beyond the annual, CPI-based increase) is very unlikely to happen.

You are entitled to your opinion on what constitutes a new amenity but I doubt it passes the sniff test. Secondly, when you use the word “proposed” that could be interpreted as something that was seriously being considered by the decision makers. As far as I can tell, that is not the case. Anyone “proposing” such a thing on this forum should consider contacting the CDDs, otherwise it is all for not.

Rec center employees and community watch already do a few checks every day. The idea is to do more than a few. Maybe as many as several. And not on a schedule. Do a few scheduled every day, and add a few more as random spot-checks.

For pools that are adjacent to the rec centers, there could be a little extra construction to add a door leading from the rec center directly to the pool area. That way, anyone ENTERING the pool area, will have already had to show their ID to a rec center employee. A buzz-lock could be put on that door, so someone would have to buzz you in to the pool area.

You'd need an exit gate, and that gate could be made a one-way gate. A turnstile, perhaps - wide enough for a wheelchair to accommodate those who need it.

These would be one-time expenses, not including occasional maintenance to oil the turnstile or repair wiring on the buzzer system.

That would solve the problem of all pools adjacent to rec centers.

For the OTHER pools, you could have roaming rec employees working in concert with Community watch for the usual checks, and since they wouldn't need to go to the rec center pools anymore, they'd have that time freed up for extra trips around the other pools.

I've seen 'pool crashers' become a severe problem over time at one of our previous communities. It started slowly, but as others heard about the lack of security many more began using the pool, the tennis courts, etc. until the community funded cameras and a security guard to randomly check for IDs. Either the amenities are for the sole use of the residents who pay for them or they aren't. I vote for non-Villagers to go elsewhere.

Has The Villages considered using the same Gate Cards to enter pool areas and pickleball / tennis courts? It would be a significant cost initially as well as ongoing maintenance, but likely cheaper than hiring several full-time personnel. I've seen this done at apartment complexes.

Problem with this idea: people who live alone, get more gate cards than they need. In addition, you can read right here on this forum of people who find it easy and inexpensive to bypass the need for those cards, with stick-on thingies they can get on Amazon, or from any of a half dozen people in the community. You stick it on a laminated card that has no significance to you at all, and use it to get in and out of anything requiring that gate code.

Because - it's so readily advertised here, boasted about how EASY it is to do, and how it's not a big deal since those gates are for traffic control and not security, those gate cards don't provide any security at all.

They could have, once upon a time. But not anymore, because those few folks who worry about raindrop stains on their fine leather upholstery just refuse to open their windows to press a red button or pass a card across a card reader. The same mentality as those who would never pull a weed out of their own garden because they wouldn't want to break a fingernail.

You wouldn't need full time personnel. You'd need part-timers.

That is a MUCH better idea than some of the others I've read posted here - some of which have too much ongoing cost, commotion and are overkill considering the small size of the problem.

Having said that, I still don't remotely see TV or the Districts spending the time or effort attempting to solve an issue that is presently so minimal. From their POV it would be making a mountain out of a mole hill - which isn't a good way to run anything.

Hmm. I sense some disdain for your fellow Villagers. Not sure why, 99% of the people I meet here are lovely. Obviously YMMV

$4???? That's $4 WHOLE DOLLARS???? Too Large?????

Yeah, I guess some people would have to only order 1/2 of a Big Mac each month. If how much it affects any one individual is the argument, then what about school taxes???? Not too many Villagers with kids in school.

This will likely not be an issue unless and until an unauthorized person gains access and harm is caused to an authorized person. The subsequent legal actions and civil penalties will cause a paradigm shift in perspective and budget priorities to prevent same from occurring again. At the very least mitigating culpability and responsibility. Not sure if a CDD has deep pockets or can be held liable, but the Developer, who initiated the CDD structure, could be held liable - and personally so if punitive damages are awarded. Just sayin...

It's the same reason hotels go to such effort (and expense) to prevent unauthorized person(s) from accessing their building, amenities, hallways, and rooms.

Exactly my point---better to stop a smaller problem now than a larger problem in the future. I wish the same philosophy could be applied to Airbnbs

Have you not been reading the comments about the annual amenity fee increase?

School taxes are also rising too quickly but they have nothing to do with pool monitors and are not under the control of the AAC/VCCDD or PWAC/SLCDD.

But they are under control of the school board. And income taxes are under the control of Congress. And food prices are basically supply and demand. Prices go up. Is your point not to address a problem??? Or not to address it until it is out of control. How would you feel about your wife alone in a neighborhood pool when 4 teenage males come in???? Comfortable?????

My amenity fee was $145 in February of 2014, now it's $195, a 34% increase. Compare that with food, gas, housing etc. In the same time the value of my home has more than doubled, so I wish people would stop whining, especially about $4/month

We can discuss any number of things but this thread is about the use of (or preventing use of) Villages facilities.

And yes, I would be completely comfortable with that situation. It would be odd since our pool is rarely empty, I would likely be with her, and I haven't seen a teenager in the area in quite a while, but I would be comfortable.

One might wonder where that example of 4 teenage males in a neighborhood pool came from (other than the same thought process that somehow connected the topic of facilities with food prices). I don't believe any of the comments on here mentioned 4 teenage males in a neighborhood pool happening. She and I *have* discussed the situation mentioned in this thread, workers using the restroom, and we both agree this concern says more about the fearful woman than it does about the use of the restrooms.

There have been dozens of posts from Villagers who have been at an amenity only to have them invaded by freeloaders. And I haven't even touch on the abuse of golf courses after hours by residents and non-residents alike. Ostriches only believe there is no problem by burying their heads in the sand

Thank you for pointing out the ambiguous wording in my post. I have tightened it up a bit.

Are you accusing me of being one of your ostriches? You might want to look back at my posts - I am one who has questioned the low count in the statistics. Sure there are non-residents and non-guests in some of the pools some of the time and maybe there are pools where this is a bigger problem than others but what is the real magnitude of the problem and what is the real cost to implement some of these ideas?

What would you label someone who swings a sledgehammer to kill a fly?

If that fly was going to grow up to be Mothra or Godzilla, I'd call him a hero with foresight.

At least the subject apparently has been discussed at a recent PWAC meeting

If by "your fellow Villagers" you mean people who pretend they're the Wicked Witch of the West and will absolutely melt when it comes to rolling down their car window to pass a card across a sensor, then sure.

I think that the "commune" mentality of a few indicates they may be better off in a public living situation which absolutely provides for the exposure to every and any situation when using public facilities.

The Villages is a pay for use community with definite limitations and I don't understand why that is so difficult for some to grasp. If one wants to live with the public facilities and access, it is readily available but why choose a pay for use community at that point and try to make it public?

There are options for everyone but moving into a restricted community and then trying to rewrite the rules is ridiculous.:loco:

So, I just checked on the Villages website, and their current count is "over 70,000 homes." No idea when they calculated that, but let's run with it, and make it an even 70k.

70,000 homes * 195/month (I'm paying $198, why do you get 3 bucks discount? WTH)...

Is $13,650,000. Per month. Thirteen million, six hundred fifty thousand dollars, per month.

Times twelve months, since there happens to be exactly that many in a year.

Result: One hundred sixty-three million, eight hundred thousand dollars, for one year. $163,800,000. For one year.

Do we have any annual report showing their revenue, expenses, and so on? The most current one I can find is for 2021, and none of the expense/revenue sheets for any district isolates revenue exclusively from paid amenity fees as a line item.

They do show that they have investment balances, and net balances for the end of the year at over $75M for one of the districts.

It's clear to me that none of them are hurting for revenue, none of them are struggling to pay bills and still have a positive balance. Districts of COURSE have to have some padding, to cover for emergencies and planned future projects.

But I'd be interested to know how much more, or less, they each have "in the bank" than they did in 2021, now that they're splitting over $164 million among them, just for this past year alone.

Not everyone is at the same amenity fee for several reasons including the prevailing rate being set higher than most of the current amenity fees. Your estimate calculations are high by about $30M.

To see actual numbers, look at the budgets of the CDDs that receive and spend the amenity fees - the SLCDD and VCCDD. There you can see their revenue, expenses, and so on. Combined, they expect to take in $138M in amenity fees this year which is 90% of the total amenity division revenue.

My friend's son, who is an assistant pro in South Florida and went to 4 years of golf management school, and I have been questioning the same about the championship courses. Average greens fees, exclusive of cart rental and pro shop merchandise, taking in to consideration enhanced/resident/guest rates and time of year is about $62. There are about 1.1 million rounds on champ courses/year or about $68+ million in revenue. To keep an 18 hole course in excellent (not Augusta National but excellent) condition costs around $1 million/year. we now have the equivalent of 19 1/2 18 hole courses, so 19.5 M /year. Now, throw in building maintenance, utilities, staff and miscellaneous overhead as well as major course renovations and what? maybe double that, or even 250%? So let's say $50M---where does the other $18M go? Especially since course conditions are often "questionable". Brian99 knows more about this than I, perhaps he could weigh in, but my friend's son is very knowledgeable and has never been able to make the math work either

Profit to the owner of the courses? What do the numbers look like for a Florida course outside the Villages?

Salaries and equipment (cart leases, lawn machines, aeration and fertilizer, etc.)?

ID card checks
 

It’s obvious Villages Slumlords who do rentals wouldn’t care for verification at pools and rec centers. People would have to pre apply just so they could use the pool for a week. No one wants another hoop to jump through.

I think you missed that part of my post

We are building our own golf course and asked for help.