:ho: I am an actual property owner in Sumter county and can say I definitely agree with the view stated. Growth is inevitable and is what makes this country great!!!

Growth is designed, not inevitable and not necessarily good. And we get to pay for It too.

Without the growth much of what many of us found to be attractive about TV might not be here!!

Congestion....waiting for traffic....so it takes more minutes to get from point A to point B....sit back and enjoy the fact you are on this side of the grass at your/our ages....it sure beats most alternatives.

No. It is inevitable here in Florida and particularly with around ten thousand baby boomers retiring every day for the next 12 or thirteen years it is a sure bet many of them will head to Florida. If The Villages doesn't build, someone else less good at it will. And someone less good at it will manage those areas.

I am satisfied with the devil I know.

Villages traffic is not bad compared to ______________.


New York, Chicago, LA, Dallas, Miami, Naples, Orlando............the list goes on and on. Florida congestion is a way of life.

Reading some of the responses to this thread, I have to wonder why would anyone move too an overtaxed, overcrowded, overpopulated, over developed, traffic gridlocked town/city they are obviously not happy in?
There are some peculiar people out there! :shrug:

Some people do not feel victimized by circumstances?

I agree. In 1983 we purchased a home in Southwest Florida. Population, at that time, was about the same as TV is now, 122,460. Today, the county we lived in has a population of about 740,000. If you think traffic is bad in TV land, then you're going to be in for a rude awakening in the future.

Growth did not pay for itself, as developers were elected to the Commission, and they immediately cut impact fees, which meant, those who were already living there, had to pay higher taxes to support the growth. It used to be that in season, (usually November thru April15th) congestion was very bad and forget eating out, as the restaurants were always booked. Now, more people are living there year round, so season is also year round.

Let me put this into perspective. Imagine traffic being backed up from Buena Vista west to either Lowe's on 466A or west to Publix on 466.

Managed and smartly planned growth, with those who create the impact, paying full price for that impact, aka personal responsibility, might work so that overcrowding doesn't become a detriment.

Another contributor to "congestion", waiting, etc is the age group here tends to do much of their activities around very specific/peak time frames.....such as eating early (4-6)....doctors appointments in the AM....early golf t times....early movies....and so on.

When one observes the pattern of "congestion " outside those peak times, TV and surrounding amenities/accommodations are fairly under utilized.

We flex a little avoiding the peak times and avoid the so called congestion.

I say so called because even during the peak times it is not nearly as bad as the truly congested areas one could choose to live in.

In my humble opinion!

Perhaps it is silly of me to suggest that folks read the report itself to see what was produced on the Impact Fee Study!

Looks to me that the impact fee for the Retirement Community (detached home) rises TO $972 FROM $901

Agree, and also wonder why there isn't a traffic jam as all those who think we are overtaxed, overcrowded, overpopulated, over developed, traffic gridlocked town/city leave. Wait, and those that believe the Developer is responsible for everything and is greedy should be right in there also. :)

Yes because of course everyone who has an opinion that conflicts with the "perfection of paradise" can afford to pack up and move out.

I feel that Florida in general mismanages its tax revenue and the towns and counties containing the Villages is no exception. I totally believe the Villages is overdeveloped. They should have stopped when Morse said they were going to stop.

I don't believe the developer is responsible "for everything" but they are not innocent bystanders in every single situation that might possibly involved them.

Traffic isn't too bad, all things considered, but it gets pretty congested in spots along Morse and Buena Vista, at least in the northern half of TV.

I think there is corruption in facets of all government and corporations, to some extent. It is inevitable, when you give one person or a family of persons and their personal friends, family, and other close associates, ultimate authority over a town, a business, a country. It attracts the best and the worst. If you feel this can't possibly be true, there's a bridge that still doesn't actually go anywhere I'd love to sell you.

That doesn't mean people who have differing opinions should leave. It means they should communicate and stop pretending issues don't exist. They do. And they can be addressed politely and diplomatically. But only if everyone is willing to accept that issues exist. When one rejects the possibility, nothing can be resolved.

Thank you. Very well said. :bigbow:

I agree with you. It's the developers who push for the higher density and lower impact fees. Also, the salaries of County Commissioners are tied to the number of people living in a county.

Those who tell others to move, and who also don't believe growth will ruin a good thing, most likely haven't lived through massive development. Coming from a south Florida county that is overpopulated (740,000 people) I can assure you traffic is not a problem right now in TV land. It will become a problem, if it's not managed well, with more roadways being planned now. Let us not forget, that as TV land grows, so too will the undeveloped lands outside of TV grow. I lived through massive growth, and it's one reason I moved to TV. Let's do it right.

Harold Schwartz started The Villages to make money....he was an entrepreneur whose goal was profit. He started in the 50's selling thousands of acres in New Mexico and Florida by mail order. Mr. Schwartz also operated several radio stations, including two in Mexico. I don't view him as someone that wanted to do good for retirees, he wanted to provide something for retirees to make a profit. He passed that on to his son and on the the grand kids and now on to the great grand kids. He wouldn't have stopped building and neither will his family. He would be proud.

Everyone has their opinion and definition of issues. I assume you believe that issues exist and view, with disdain I also assume, those that don't believe they are significant or that they exist at all. I have lived and worked all over this Country and frankly, all the issues that you perceive conflict with the perception of paradise are insignificant here when balanced against what we enjoy. I sometimes wonder where people came from where there wasn't growth, costs didn't escalate or taxes on all levels increase. If that was an expectation then Mr. Schwartz lied.

The fact, as you state, not everyone has the means to pack up and move is probably correct, but that doesn't mean the business should accommodate that segment and deny others that want to move here and have the ability do it. That requires growth. I'm also surprised that the "I have mine, nobody else should get theirs" even exists. That theory also assumes that if the Morse's didn't expand nobody else would buy that land and develop it and we would be dealing with multiple visions of developers. I agree that levels of corruption (your word but not sure of definition) exist in any profit focused entity. If you want to eliminate that motive that is another discussion.

Florida is a destination for those that want to move from where they live to get away from cold, snow, high costs, relatives plus other more economic reasons. This State is growing at a rate that is being encouraged by everyone that sees either personal or governmental financial gains.

All the perceived issues will only go away when people decide they don't want to move here. That is the ultimate growth control. When people stop buying, growth, congestion, taxes, cost increases, job shortages and all those things that are perceived as issues will also stop.

End of minor rant