Sorry Advogado, I just don't buy it.

No one in their right minds would think the the Daily Scum is actually there to cover news. And the Sentinel should absolutely cover the story - although she is up to Part IV which I think is a bit much. The "major news" isn't that the Sun ignored this - it is the heavy handed techniques used against the folks at Relay. That is deplorable.


Of course newspapers publish stories to increase circulation and therefore sell (more) advertising...but they have a responsibility to report the truth - and to not willingly distort it.

One foundation of yellow journalism is overuse of hyberbole - at which Ms. Ritchie is so effective. Who are Morse's "hench men"? And her expose on the bond issue with the IRS predicted that Villagers would have to pay thousands of dollars of their own money without providing any support for these "facts."

All I am saying is that the developer is not as bad as she paints him, nor as angelic a father figure as others depict. He is a business man (and sometimes a greedy one) looking to make money.

True, but where are the opposing viewpoints in any of these articles she has written? We see emails from folks against Moffitt but I have not seen any emails from those in favor of it. Nor have I seen quotes from folks who travel to Tampa for cancer treatment and how they view Moffitt coming to TV. Those additions to the writing would seem to me to offer a more objective viewpoint.

Exactly right!

I find it hard to justify reviling Lauren Ritchie as an example of "slanted or biased journalism" and then hold up refutations of her opinions published in the Daily Sun (all the news deemed fit to print by the Morris family) on the "opinion page" as factual reporting. Ritchie does seem to revel in news that in her mind is negative to the Villages and the founding family, but without her voice all we would get is the pitiful excuse of "news" eminating from the Villages media. As several have said, it is best to review all the sources and do some digging of one's own, in order to find the truth. None of this makes me less interested in settling in TV, but is, nonetheless, interesting and enlightening.

A lot has been said about Richie's Village bashing. Has no one noticed the bashing taking place on the editorial page of The Sun?

This thread brings to mind the old adage: "It all depends on whose ox is being gored."

Ritchie Bashing
 

Its all so confusing as to whom is friend and whom is foe?

Sources of news about The Villages and the Developer
 

With respect to your statement about Ms. Ritchie's articles on the IRS investigation: I have read all publicly available documents generated during the investigation. Have you? If you had, you might share some of Ms. Ritchie's outrage. Let me assure you that Ms. Ritchie's facts are correct, as is her concern about the potentially huge adverse impact on Villagers if the IRS sustains its position. (I think, however, that the impact would occur in a different way than her analysis indicates, but that is beside the point here.)

Again: Has anybody found any material factual inaccuracies in her reporting? You don't seem to be able to come up with any, although you clearly don't like the packaging in which she delivers the facts-- and I can accept that. Unfortunately, however, if it were not for Lauren Ritchie and the POA Bulletin, Villagers would have absolutely no way of obtaining news that reflects unfavorably on actions by the Developer or on The Villages, itself.

I agree wholeheartedly that the Sun is not a source of objective info on TV. It is essentially a marketing newsletter. We do not subscribe. For news we read the Sentinel and other publications on line and in weekly newsmagazines. The New York Times covered the IRS bond issue - in a way that presented the issues and was "fit to print.".

I do not agree that Ms Ritchie deals only in facts. I will ask again. Who are the Morse family's henchmen and what have they done? There are no facts that I can see supporting such a statement.

Henchman is a strong term, with a precise meaning. From dictionary.com:

1. an unscrupulous and ruthless subordinate, especially a criminal: The leader of the gang went everywhere accompanied by his henchmen.
2. an unscrupulous supporter or adherent of a political figure or cause, especially one motivated by the hope of personal gain: Hitler and his henchmen.
3.a trusted attendant, supporter, or follower.

That last of these may be what she intended?

Regarding the bonds. The Sentinel archives do not reach back that far. But Ms Ritchie posted this on TOTV..."this IRS investigation and about the way that the developer has used the community development districts to his benefit -- at terrible expense and liability to Villages residents. "

What expense and what liability? Potential, yes. Actual, no (to date). So again, another case of hyperbole with no support.

I realize that she is a columnist and not a "reporter." But keep in mind that free speech has it's limits - no one has the right to yell "fire" in a crowded theatre. IMHO, that is all Ms. Ritchie is doing.

[QUOTE=katezbox;330100...Regarding the bonds. The Sentinel archives do not reach back that far. But Ms Ritchie posted this on TOTV..."this IRS investigation and about the way that the developer has used the community development districts to his benefit -- at terrible expense and liability to Villages residents. "

What expense and what liability? Potential, yes. Actual, no (to date). So again, another case of hyperbole with no support.[/QUOTE]

If you will recall, in 1998 it was necessary for Villages residents to sue the developer Morse because of misuse of funds that were supposed to go towards maintence of Villages facilities. The class-action lawsuit contended monthly amenity fees paid by every homeowner in the community had been misused by The Villages of Lake-Sumter Inc., the Village Center Community Development District and developer H. Gary Morse.

It was considered a long-shot case, but the residents won. Morse and the corporations behind The Villages agreed in a civil court settlement to pay $40 million over 13 years to cover improvements and repairs to recreation centers, swimming pools and other facilities. I would say this was a pretty good example of the developer using the CDD to his benefit. If the residents hadn't sued, he'd still be enjoying the use of the amenity fees.

Cabo, don't know what happened to your post and link. It was there (obviously) when I went to check the link and gone when I was starting to reply. This is not going to make sense to many, but it will to you:

Read the whole thing -- a lot of vitriole and hyperbole, not much facts given. The author of the blog either assumes we know all of the facts, is afraid to post the facts because they're not accurate or has no clue of the facts himself. One important thing to remember is that this is simply a blog -- it is not a Lady Lake site. It is not a Lake County site. It is a blog by a concerned citizen.

I can't comment on much of what he wrote because I simplly don't know the facts. I live in Sumter County; can't vote in Lake County; have a tendency to only follow local issues that directly affect me (not one of my better traits, I'm afraid).

Given all of that, I'd say the blog has about as much merit as the hyperbole in Ms. Ritchie's columns: some true facts interpreted towards the author's views with a lot of venom tossed out toward the opponent (subject of the column/blog).

Good point.:BigApplause:

I thought I remembered another reason and a lesser amount for this lawsuit. Can you tell us where this information can be located? Would it be in the POA archives?

Did you move into your second home in TV thinking this?

Oh Please. The point of the lawsuit was that the older northern part of TV thought they were not getting a fair share of the amenity fees, that the funds were going disproportionately to facilities for the newer southern villages. The lawsuit never claimed that Morse was using the fees for his personal benefit.

Please try to differentiate between people who love the community (almost all of us) and those who have misgivings about the way the developer operates at times. It is possible to love what has been created while still expressing concerns about matters that affect us.

Excellent reply :BigApplause:

GREAT points!!!! It's obvious that there will be the "nay-sayers and the yay-sayers" no matter what.....It's too bad that "some" have to try to find the negative in everything---giving no thoughts on how good they have it!

Great point. When your mind is made up it is easy to conform the "facts" to your view. What this subject needs is more light( facts ) and less heat.

Thank you Mikeod for your courtesy. For those who are interested, and please don't shoot the messenger, the link to the actual class action settlement notice is here: http://www.thevillagesfl.us/classactionsettlement.htm It claimed monthly amenity fees paid by The Villages' 70,000 residents had been misused by The Villages of Lake-Sumter Incorporated, the Village Center Community Development District and developer H. Gary Morse. The claim was upheld in court with a $40 million settlement.


Here's another link to a Tampa newspaper story which gives a few more details. Of course, the settlement was reached with confidentiality clauses and the Morses' not admitting any wrongdoing. The story was carried in all the major news outlets. http://www.sptimes.com/2008/03/10/St...develope.shtml

Gracie, no I did not know of the lawsuit when I purchased here, although I don't see why you would be interested in that or what it even has to do with anything?

I love the lifestyle here in The Villages as much as the next person, but let's face it, the Developer didn't act responsibly when he let those facilities decline and didn't provide for the required maintenance. He had to be forced into it by a lawsuit. It is a matter of public record.

Well Taj, those SOB Morses got caught and paid up. I am not going to worry about what they are planning now to hoodwink all of us and take our money because we have a lot of watch dogs who will. I know I can count on the people here who are permanently disenchanted about something to protect me.

Taj - I agree that this was a long shot - and it worked. I applaud the POA for working for us. As you say, he didn't do right and ws caught out. I don't argue that the Morses are perfect - just that they built a better mousetrap.

I think that many seem expect more from the developer than a good home and wonderful lifestyle and view the Morse family as paternaistic. I see them as businessmen.

Lastly, I applaud Lauren Ritchie for bringing "Relaygate" to a larger community. I just don't think a four part article full of innuendos and hyperbole is necessary or helpful.

:mademyday::mademyday::mademyday::welcome::welcome ::welcome:

Well said

The basis of the class-action lawsuit
 

I wish that you were right in your understanding of the basis of the class-action lawsuit. However, I'm afraid that you are totally mistaken on the point. The class-action lawsuit had nothing to do with a north-versus-south allocation of funds. The truth is much more troubling, and it raises major concerns about the past and present actions of the Developer.

In a nutshell: The thrust of the lawsuit (as well as the IRS's allegations in its pending investigation) was that the Developer sold amenities to the Villages Center Community Development District, which the Developer controlled, at an artificially inflated price. This alleged overpricing left the Center District without sufficient funds (from receipt of the amenity fees) to continue to provide amenities at the promised level. I.e., The Villages amenities system, which is the reason that we all bought here, was starting to come unraveled because of the Developer's actions. Another poster to this thread listed a website for the settlement agreement. You can get a basic description of the IRS investigation by checking prior Property Owners' Association Bulletins on the poa4us.org website.

Time will tell whether the $43 million class-action settlement will be adequate to keep the system operating.

Welcome.
I agree espressing concerns is one thing.....but some of these people go on and on and on with the same drivel. Nothing new just bringing up the same "concerns". Where do they get the delight in constantly bashing? And what does it really accomplish?

(Drivel: To talk stupidly or childishly.)

Who decides what is drivel and what is not? When members want to post here, I don't consider their opinions to be drivel. I respect their right to have an opinion and to post it here without fear that their comments will be categorized by the self righteous.

JLK

Kudos to "The Nice Administrator."

Agree with your statement concerning everyone's freedom to express an opinion here .....................curious about the capped item at the end.

You too seem to have fallen under the dreaded "self righteous" label. We all do at one time or another. Think about it.

That is the type of response I expected.

chuckster..... ".......the capped item at the end." of the above quote are the initials of the writer, Jan who co-owns and co-manages (extremely well) this TOTV website.

Class Action
 

Advogado is correct concerning both the class action suit and the IRS's investigation of the bonds issued in 2003. Whether the IRS allegations prove true is a test of time. However, as to the class action suit there was more. To begin with the lawsuit only benefited those north of 466. When the Developer and the POA jointly announced the settlement it was accompanied with an admonition that those who wanted to opt out to proceed on their own needed to submit their decision in writing. However, what the Developer and POA did not disclose, and what was disclosed by the Orlando Sentinel (Lauren Ritchie) was the fact that the POA leadership which filed individually were separately offered and accepted $50,000 each and that the POA attorney was separately paid $6.7 million for 15 months work. This created a need for the POA to conduct a March 18, 2008 meeting to explain the settlement. During that meeting the POA attorney kept repeating that she could not go into detail because a confidentality clause was included in this settlement. Perhaps POA members should have been assembled before the settlement to voice their opinions, concerns and otherwise seek complete understanding of the proposal's details before it was settled? I will leave that discussion for the legal minds???

One member has questioned whether the settlement amount is sufficient. Obviously, it would depend on how wisely the money is spent. For instance the AAC used a portion of it to reconstruct cartpaths. I do not know but would hope that the AAC made an attempt to co-opt the Developer and his sub-contractors to contributing to this project since the cartpaths were poorly designed and posed safety concerns their intended use initially. Again I will leave that discussion to the legal minds because I do not know the legal ramifications? This is my opinion and I could be wrong about some of these details and would welcome and invite member(s) for any editorial comments

Yet, when I express my opinion.....I am attacked as being self righteous.

self-right·eous–adjective
confident of one's own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

Seriously?

Aren't you the one who said (and I cut and paste to prove) "I'm wondering why it's necessary to assign a demeaning name to people..."

And you just called a member of your own forum 'smug' and 'intolerant'.

Poor form TH.

Cabo and redwitch:

I would like to commend you for your articulate and intelligent posts.

If one does not agree with another's point of view, it's nice to "agree that we disagree" respectfully and intelligently.

When The Villages are completed, do you think a Home Owners Association will be implemented.

When our development was being built, the developer maintained the amenities and upon completion the homeowners took over.

Thank you

Advogado and Rubicon - thank you for posting information regarding the $40,000,000 class action lawsuit that Village residents won against The Villages CCDD and Developer Gary Morse. I like to see people posting the facts.

You are quoting a definition from the dictionary, not my words. I posted it merely as a convenience to those who feel that they should put themselves into that category. This would be a "self diagnosis" devoid of me naming anybody specifically. I put myself into that category. Anybody else is welcome to join me. :evil6:

Pretty sure it was directed at Bogie since that is who you quoted. But whatever, it's your show.

:angel:

I went to church today!
 

Let peace and good will prevail on earth. Live in harmony. Respect every person.

:wave: