Ritchie Bashing
 

As I recollect this thread all began with those pro and con to Ritchie's articles pertaining to the Developers' activities. I am in many respects neither pro or con. I do try and form my conclusions based on the intent of those speaking or writing and on the facts as they are presented. If as an individual you hear the same critic about something you do or fail to do that it an indication that you might want to pay closer attention to what is being said. and if the people advancing that critic have nothing to gain by taking the time and courtesy to assist you then you might want to listen.

Well that is how I view Lauren Ritchie. The concerns regarding the Developer have consistently revolved around his lack of transparcency, his ability to maximize profits and his knack for getting residents to fund his projects. think back and you will see that this is his profile. His business acumen is on spot and from that aspect I can't fault him. It is the egregious manner in which he operates such as the breach of our convenant in order to sell property to Freedom Pointe, to his pulling the rug from under disable residents who relied on an indoor swimming pool that remained with the individuals who purchased the original Fitness Center. Granted attempts were made to correct this issue after the fact but nonetheless not without much protest from affected residents . The IRS bond issue and the Amenities lawsuit have already been addressed. While mimimal, the controversey with the disappearance of the bison from Lake Sumter Landing . What upset people more was not their removal but the reason he gave as lawsuits. The fact remains that he had all the intentions in the world of building homes on that plot of land. In fact he has intentions of building on every single plot he can squeeze something on. It his right and its not personal its business

I challenge any resident to find one note of discord concerning the Developer from the Daily Sun, Villages Television or radio, the Villages Homeowner Association which he monetarily contributes and whose president is anAlliance Hospital Board member. The VHA was started to compete and and hopefully eliminate the POA. All of the foregoing enterprises, save the POA, are part of the mass marketing efforts of the Developer.

The fact is that the Developer is so too big to fail. He doesn't have to ask, imply or hint because so many business people make their living directly or indirectly from him that they don't dare say no. The question I have is does that also apply to the politicians and administrators around here?

So I welcome Lauren Ritchie articles and believe that all she is doing is writing about what she has read from IRS filing, court records, village residents, others such as with Moffitt etc. And if she didn't report it most resident would be left in the dark about what is really going on here. What saddens me are those residents who feel a need to defend The Villages. The Villages doesn't need defending as millions are being spent to relocate people here from around the world.

This is my opinion and I may be wrong and so I welcome editorial comments from fellow members who may information that would alter my view.

Rubicon, truly beautifully said. Thank you!

It is worth mentioning what the POA had to say about one of the administrators, in her role during the sale, last summer of the Villages utility.


......."It is clear from reading the meeting minutes
and from the amendments made to the
contract of sale that things have changed in
The Villages. The District manager and her
staff have done a good job representing the
interests of our residents. Another good sign
is that the NSCUDD board, as reported in
their meeting minutes, was very actively engaged
in this process, asking key questions,
insisting on detailed explanations and having
lively discussions over the issues. We extend
our appreciation to the NSCUDD board and
to Ms. Janet Tutt and her staff for a job well
done"......(From the current POA bulletin)

Another County weighs in on Sentinel and Ritchie
 

There is a Lake County Government blog called the Right Side of the Lake. It makes several references to Lauren Ritchie and the Orlando Sun. The blog suggests in strong terms that Ritchie and the Orlando Sentinel are surrogates for the "anti-growth/anti- business movement" in that county. It alleges that no one has done more harm to Lake County then the Sentinel and Ritchie. The blog does cite some specifics. It attributes to Ritchie this comment on a certain amendment. "Amendment #4 would stop companies from swooping down in Lake County just to make a profit and it would encourage only local people to do business here.” Link below.

"......it would encourage only local people to do business here." If true, the comment the blog attributed to Ritchie, brought to mind my tongue in cheek observation in the OP. [I]"For balance, I guess if I was born and raised here, I may have some resentment about what progress has taken away. A quiet, idyllic countryside dotted with watermelon patches, horse farms, cattle grazing peacefully and fishing holes that never heard the whine of an outboard motor. A lifestyle that insulates you from car, truck and traffic noises. A lifestyle that keeps you from the pollution of progress. Damn Walt Disney and Gary Morse."[/I] (From Cabo's OP) At best, it suggests a noble motive for being anti-business, anti-growth and anti-Villages. I may not agree, but I do understand those that would hold that view. The counterpoint by Ritchie's opposition is compelling. It states that Lake County doesn't have the revenues to progress without growth and new revenue sources.

Before I comment further, let me say that while professionally presented, this blog is just that, a blog of some one's opinion. It should be viewed through the prism of skepticism. Objectivity needs to be factored into the equation and agendas need to be recognized. However, what is noteworthy to me is the similarity in attack styles by the paper and its columnist. If you suspend belief briefly, replace the Lake County targets with the Villages and Morse, you will realize the attack tactics are eerily similar if not clones. Striking at least. A careful read of the article reveals much.

To peak your interest enough to read the blog in its entirety, one of the sub-heading in bold print defines a certain reporter as a Hypocrite and give copious detailed opinion to support the position. Warning, "this ain't bean bag". It's hardball and interestingly enough, has nothing to do with the Villages or the Morse family. So sit back with smug, detached objectivity and make your own assessments.

I cannot attest to the claims made by the article. What I do see are stunning similarities in attack styles that suggest an anti-business and anti-growth agenda. I respectfully request that before commenting, please read the rather lengthy article in it's entirety.

A much larger concern is the impact such elevated, agenda driven journalism will have on the prosperity of my investment in the Villages. At what point does it have its intended effect......creating second thoughts about investing in the Villages. In my OP, I gave a litany of positive impacts the Villages has had on the people of Lake, Sumter and Marion counties. The positives get no coverage because they don't facilitate the agenda. In fact they counter it. I have acknowledged that the developer is not without fault. On balance, even his detractors seem to acknowledge he has done more right than wrong. The missing component in this equation is, I hate to say this, "fair and balanced" reporting.

In fact, the most fair and balanced information venue to date is TOTV.

http://lakecountygov.info/2010/03/31...e-hypocrite-4/

We beat the frost and had an enjoyable 18.

P.S. Saw the King's Speech last night. Great movie.

Have a good evening.

Cabo, you must truly be a renaissance man. To come up with another lenthy post, complete with research - and play 18 holes and a movie. I suspect a little help has come your way, perhaps it's Mrs. Cabo? I only played nine on an executive and had too little time to be so verbose and witty.
Right Side of the Lake, I wonder what political leaning they might have - oh year, it's in their name. Not exactly the fair and balanced reporting I'm looking for, but I found some of their archived material amusing. On the subject of Ms. Ritchie, they said "the Orlando Sentinel is being led down the path of failure by the bankrupt ideas of Lauren Ritchie". Wow, that certainly is a lot of power she wields at the newspaper considering she only does commentary on the local section. Evidently she's powerful enough, or she wouldn't have made it to "Hypocrite #4" on this blog - I can only imagine who the top three are!

Now, fair and balanced would be wonderful but the only thing those of us who think there is a problem with the fund-raising have is Lauren Ritchie's article. It's not going to come from the Sun, nor this so-right-leaning-I-feel-I-may-tip-over blog.

So the only thing Morse can do is attack the credibility of Ritchie and the Sentinel will well-placed and timed articles, which he can have published at his whim.

..

You say "It appears to me that the Morse family is contributing the land and construction." I don't think you can call it a contribution when the developer builds a building then rents it out to the future occupant (Moffitt). Sounds like it is one heck of a lucrative business deal. The developer still owns the land and the building.

just for entertainment
 

shadow where are you?

Several days ago, I saw a posting from The Shadow that was less than flattering to Morse. Within 15 minutes, the posting was deleted by administration of the site and The Shadow has not been seen nor heard from since. Personally, I don't think the remarks Shadow made were any more inflammatory than some I have seen - perhaps it was the target of his remarks that got him deleted.

The post that got deleted was more personal than about Moffitt et. al.

As you can see from the posts - all sides of the coin are allowed to present their case.

Mrs. Cabo appreciates the honorable mention you gave her, but, she has distinguished herself without need to coat tail my excursions and dalliances into the dynamics of human nature. She has a masters plus thirty in Education Administration with the thirty coming in Learning Disabilities and Exceptional Children. Mrs. Cabo has been a licensed pilot since 1980. She also was two pounds off the Florida State record for blackfin tuna. We both enjoy riding our Harley throughout the Villages and Central Florida. Mrs. Cabo crews with me when we fish the Northeast bluewater canyons from NJ to Hatteras in our sportfisherman. We annually chase tune, marlin and other pelagic species as well as rare denizens of the deep. She's also a 22 handicap golfer but working on her game. She has ridden in a NASCAR race car at 170 mph. She was 64 and a perfect size 4 when she crossed that off her bucket list. She really looked cute in that fireproof suit and helmet. She is a much better writer then I am but doesn't give me the "help" you suspect. Is that enough Renaissance for now?

I digress. Perhaps you can cite the part where Morse attacks "the credibility of Ritchie and the Sentinel with well-placed and timed articles". I missed that. The blog article in my post had nothing to do with Morse or The Villages. You seem to be mixing up Morse with the blog. I believe I cited the fragile suspect integrity of the blog article quite clearly. In that regard we are redundant.

We are in complete agreement about the dearth of balanced, objective reporting available to Villagers.

Thank you for asking about Mrs. Cabo. Have a good evening.

It's one's own filter that gives meaning to a post. There is always many sides to every story. I sure hope Shadow isn't banned. :sad:

You got that right!:smiley:

Nicely put Larry. I too hope the Shadow continues to post.

..

This site has no connection to the owners of The Villages. This site is privately owned. The owners of this site make their own determination about the posts here.

If, in their opinion, you go too far, your posts will be removed and if you continue, you will be removed.

I am glad they protect us.

Morse, Moffitt, Ritchie and Villages Bashing
 

Well done, Cabo.

Criteria for removal
 

Despite the temptation to do otherwise, I have tried to refrain from personal criticism. However, just out of curiosity does anybody know what the standards of the administrators are for removal of posts and members are? Do the standards apply only to criticism of the Morse family or do they also apply to criticism of others, like, for example, Lauren Ritchie? Because both are public figures, in the interests of a vigorous debate, I would hope that posters would have a fair amount of latitude in expressing their opinions and that the Morse family would not get special treatment.

what happened to shadow?
I liked him.
JJ

This is the first time I ever heard of the Morse family getting special treatment here. i certainly don't give the family any.

Nobody is gone for criticizing the Morses here, either, nor for criticizing Lauren Ritchie.

yes!!!!!

An investment is not a contribution
 

Yeah. The Daily Sun sure made it appear that the Developer was making a contribution, when in fact, it was an investment.

The question that I still have is what the deal is between Moffitt and the developer regarding the Developer's fund-raising campaign for Moffitt. Maybe everything is above-board and truly arm's length. Maybe not. Certainly the Developer has some skin in the game, at the very least.

I struck out (not to my surprise, I will admit) with my request to the Moffitt Center for the details about its arrangements with the Developer. However, a little transparency would be nice since Moffitt is asking for our donations. Certainly, the misrepresentations in the Daily Sun and the Developer's attempt to shake down the American Cancer Society / Relay for Life certainly should cause one to be a little suspicious about what is going on.

In commenting on the subject, one should keep in mind that the controversy is not about whether Moffitt should come here. The controversy arises as a result of the Developer-backed fund-raising drive and the tactics used to raise those funds. If Moffitt, using its own funds, were simply going to establish an office here, hire one radiologist, and rent from the Developer, we wouldn't have Lauren Ritchie articles and a hundred or so posts in this Forum.

Follow the Money
 

Tony, I read the Shadow's post and saw the red kettle. I immediately tried to post a reply, quoting the Shadow in my post. Not only was my post never put on the board, but the Shadow was deleted by the time I finished. Having seen the post in question, I did not find it offensive or inflammatory. It was just the Shadow's opinion about Morse and his ethics. It was no worse than what has been said about Lauren Ritchie in this thread.

[QUOTE=Advogado;330860]Yeah. The Daily Sun sure made it appear that the Developer was making a contribution, when in fact, it was an investment.

The question that I still have is what the deal is between Moffitt and the developer regarding the Developer's fund-raising campaign for Moffitt. Maybe everything is above-board and truly arm's length. Maybe not. Certainly the Developer has some skin in the game, at the very least.

I struck out (not to my surprise, I will admit) with my request to the Moffitt Center for the details about its arrangements with the Developer. However, a little transparency would be nice since Moffitt is asking for our donations. Certainly, the misrepresentations in the Daily Sun and the Developer's attempt to shake down the American Cancer Society / Relay for Life certainly should cause one to be a little suspicious about what is going on.

In commenting on the subject, one should keep in mind that the controversy is not about whether Moffitt should come here. The controversy arises as a result of the Developer-backed fund-raising drive and the tactics used to raise those funds. If Moffitt, using its own funds, were simply going to establish an office here, hire one radiologist, and rent from the Developer, we wouldn't have Lauren Ritchie articles and a hundred or so posts in this Forum.[/QUOTE

From Wikipedia: The society’s allocation of funds for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2005 lists 70% of funds for Program Services (Research 14%, Prevention 20%, Patient Support 20%, Detection and Treatment 16%). The remaining 30% are allocated for supporting services (Fundraising 22%, and Management, General administration 8%) meeting the Better Business Bureau's Standards for Charity Accountability (At least 65% to program services and no more than 35% to overhead and fundraising expenses).[7]

Should "relay" pay the ACS 30% of the funds raised in The Villages: with the donations not going here?

[quote=same;330864]Clarification: Moffitt is NOT "asking for our donations" as you mentioned above. It's the developer's health organization who are asking for donations to the fund they own and control, and in turn, the developer will own all of the medical apparatus that you paid for and is housed in the building that the developer will be leasing to Moffitt. Your donations are paying for equipment that the developer will own and profit from it's use. Moffitt will own NOTHING on the Sharon Morse site for Moffitt.

The ACS
 

[quote=same;330864]Since you quote my post, I guess your question is addressed to me. I'm probably being dense, but I'm afraid I really don't understand what you are driving at.

Could you clarify your point in asking if Relay should pay ACS only 30% of the funds that the Relay specifically raised for ACS? What happens to the other 70% in your hypothesis? I'm not trying to defend ACS, which I know no more about than does the average person, but what is wrong with ACS getting 100% of the funds raised for it in The Villages, New York City, or any place else?

Just so you know where I'm really coming from on this matter: My wife is a breast-cancer survivor and has participated in the Relay. I find the Developer's actions regarding this year's Relay, at very best, disgusting-- and maybe worse, depending on the Developer's deal with the Moffitt Center.

Structure of the Moffitt arrangements
 

[quote=barb1191;330887]While Moffitt may not directly be asking for our donations, there must exist some arrangements between Moffitt and the Developer regarding the fund drive. Could you post the details on exactly what will happen to the funds being collected? For example: Who specifically is going to own the now-infamous radiation-treatment machine, whatever kind it turns out to be? Thanks.

BKCunningham, where are you?

Bump. The new Moffit Cancer Center

Bump. Answers please!

Ms Richie has been on vacation for the past week. I have seen nothing in the Sentinel about her bashing anyone recently. Usually her columns are pretty interesting and keep me informed of the other side of the story.

Similar to the POA newletter that I get in my driveway.

As far as I am concerned I need to hear from both sides of the problem to
make a clear decision.

Well said Z!