[DougB]

Originally Posted by JP

Ok, I'll disclose where I heard this rumor from. I was talking to the shuttle driver that was driving us in the villages van to the airport and they had heard this "rumor" straight from one of the architects mouths that was designing the mall. Only time will tell.

There you go, it wasn't the janitor at publix nor the server at Denny's. It was the Village van shuttle driver. It's TRUE!

[dominojc]

I've heard the same rumors and also the comment on what a detriment it might be to our unique little town center stores. Hope villagers will still support those.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Mack184

Which of course means that the people who live in Sumter county who are not in TV will hate the Villagers even more than the already do.

I think that so much B.S.!

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by dominojc

I've heard the same rumors and also the comment on what a detriment it might be to our unique little town center stores. Hope villagers will still support those.

These things just get better and better as they unfold!

Please enlighten us as to what could be viewed as a "detriment"? And what have you heard about TV that one state..."Hope villagers will still support those."?

btk

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Mack184

Tell you what..I learned this early on. They might smile in your face and say thank-you, much like the farmers near the Hamptons in NY smile at the people out there, but behind your backs they DO NOT like us.

Many blame TVers for higher taxes, more congestion and so on and so forth. I also learned that when I go out seeking something outside of "the bubble" that if I don't wear the standard local "uniform" of white nikes, white socks, shorts and a snappy T or polo I get treated MUCH differently. If I put on my jeans, my Wolverine loggers and an old T-shirt and drive my pick-up and they think I'm a local, the treatment is very different. And in fact, I was told at two different places where they didn't think I was "one of them damn Villagers" that they automatically raised the prices if they thought that's where you came from.

Some may think that TV is good for them. Many, many, many do not. I was also told by one of the nearby radio station managers that they NEVER mention The Villages on air unless it's completely unavoidable, because their audience hates them.

This not true from my experience!

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by Mack184

Tell you what..I learned this early on. They might smile in your face and say thank-you, much like the farmers near the Hamptons in NY smile at the people out there, but behind your backs they DO NOT like us.

Many blame TVers for higher taxes, more congestion and so on and so forth. I also learned that when I go out seeking something outside of "the bubble" that if I don't wear the standard local "uniform" of white nikes, white socks, shorts and a snappy T or polo I get treated MUCH differently. If I put on my jeans, my Wolverine loggers and an old T-shirt and drive my pick-up and they think I'm a local, the treatment is very different. And in fact, I was told at two different places where they didn't think I was "one of them damn Villagers" that they automatically raised the prices if they thought that's where you came from.

Some may think that TV is good for them. Many, many, many do not. I was also told by one of the nearby radio station managers that they NEVER mention The Villages on air unless it's completely unavoidable, because their audience hates them.

If this is in fact true, don't you think you should advise your fellow Villagers just who "outside the bubble" wishes to rip us off. If we knew when we went into a store we could ask about this and put a stop to it. I really have a problem when people post negative things and don't name who they have a problem with. How are we supposed to deal with it if we don't know who you are talking about???

[dominojc]

Heard the rumor regarding Macy's, Trader Joe's..larger franchise type stores...all I meant was we have so many small retail stores in the town centers I hope they are not hurt (financially) by the influx of above mentioned retailers.

[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by justjim

Mack: I know many people in Sumter County are grateful for TV because they have more opportunity for employment. TV certainly changed Sumter County almost like Disney changed Orange County. Some people don't like change....

You say that like it was a good thing. To those of us that grew up in nice, sleepy Orlando in the time of BD .... Before Disney, not so much. I can assure you that the % of people like me that did so and that think the change in Centro Fla from the Mouse was a positive one is very very low.

As for the employment provided to the fine folks of Sumter Co by TV. It is overwhelmingly fairly low wage "service industry" type jobs. I would bet the most of the jobs brought by TV do not provide an income level sufficient to live in a TV type community years from now.

[ilovetv]

In reading the county budget, I'd say Sumter County is in a very healthy position considering the rapid growth it has experienced in recent years...and millage has gone down, not up.

"The Cash Balance Forward are reserves and other cash carried over from the previous fiscal year as beginning fund balances. The figure of $56,314,160 includes unspent revenues from the previous fiscal year, reserves for emergencies, and proceeds of borrowing for capital projects that were not completed during the year. It also includes the difference between fund assets and liabilities at the end of the year."

MAJOR REVENUE SOURCES
Category Amount

Ad Valorem Taxes $42,165,067
Sales, Use & Other Taxes 13,206,223
License & Permits 23,282,851
Intergovernmental Revenue 14,210,592
Internal Service 3,921,446
Other Sources 4,060,173
Miscellaneous Revenue 790,120

SubTotal Revenue $101,636,472

Transfers - In 21,807,360
Cash Balance Forward 56,314,160

Total Revenue $179,757,99


"Through efficient cost management, the projected Operating Cost per Capita in Fiscal Year 2011/2012 ($1,073) is comparable to that in Fiscal Year 2003/2004 ($1,030)."

Sumter County Board of County Commissioners
Citizens Guide to the Fiscal Year 2012/2013 Adopted Budget:
http://sumtercountyfl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3836

And, millage has gone down over the past decade:

http://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/916

[Mack184]

Originally Posted by gomoho

If this is in fact true, don't you think you should advise your fellow Villagers just who "outside the bubble" wishes to rip us off. If we knew when we went into a store we could ask about this and put a stop to it. I really have a problem when people post negative things and don't name who they have a problem with. How are we supposed to deal with it if we don't know who you are talking about???

No..I don't. Because since they don't know that I'm "one of those" I'm going to take advantage of it. It's not a matter of posting negative information, it's just saying that many of people who live in Sumter and the surrounding country areas outside of TV don't think we're such swell people, and in the largest sense, I can agree with them. The arrival of TV turned their quiet county upside down, and they didn't ask for it.

Also..we live here for other reasons than retirement. Neither my wife or I are retired. I've said it before that even though we live here we are not especially TV fans. We would not choose to retire here.

I worked in Indianapolis for a couple of years and lived outside of the city in a town called Avon in Hendricks county Indiana. At the time, Avon and Hendricks were the fast-growing county in Indiana, and those locals HATED everybody who wasn't a local. Why? Same reason as Sumter. They had a very quiet county with low taxes and minimal costs for services. Then came the "outsiders" mostly well-off who quadrupled their school district size overnight, required massive amounts of municipal services and shot their property taxes through the roof. While Sumter doesn't have the school district problems because of TV, they have all the other problems, and many of them resent it. And..I don't blame them.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Mack184

Tell you what..I learned this early on. They might smile in your face and say thank-you, much like the farmers near the Hamptons in NY smile at the people out there, but behind your backs they DO NOT like us.

Many blame TVers for higher taxes, more congestion and so on and so forth. I also learned that when I go out seeking something outside of "the bubble" that if I don't wear the standard local "uniform" of white nikes, white socks, shorts and a snappy T or polo I get treated MUCH differently. If I put on my jeans, my Wolverine loggers and an old T-shirt and drive my pick-up and they think I'm a local, the treatment is very different. And in fact, I was told at two different places where they didn't think I was "one of them damn Villagers" that they automatically raised the prices if they thought that's where you came from.

Some may think that TV is good for them. Many, many, many do not. I was also told by one of the nearby radio station managers that they NEVER mention The Villages on air unless it's completely unavoidable, because their audience hates them.

Well now, that may be true, but that is how things are. When we moved to West Chester, Ohio in the seventies most of the seniors graduating from high school and going to college were going to be Agricultural majors, not that there is anything wrong with that. A bunch of "city slickers" kept moving in and there was hue and cry at the local PTA when we started volunteering in classrooms and tried to begin upgrading the educational system. Well these many years later the education system is vastly better and there are houses where the fields of corn were and things have changed. The folks who lived there then, many of them are still living there now and I don't know if they think it is a benefit to have several grocery stores and malls and a lot of new churches and not have to drive for a good distance to get all of these things. I know that here, just like everywhere change happens. Sometimes it is good change and sometimes bad change and it depends who you ask. I hope we aren't a bunch of "ugly" seniors and we try to represent our age group in a positive way or the folks around us who lived here first will have good cause to not like us. I suspect that there are more than a few who are acting uppity when they have no cause.

Since I myself don't see how the change can't but make things better, I feel no remorse for being part of the change and I try to be a good ambassador for the "wrinklies".

[SALYBOW]

To all you guys that think we don't need those things. Don't you wear clothes, send wedding presents, eat good food, etc. We need a Trader Joes because I am tired of making trips back to Ohio to go there. Great food, low prices. We do need that!!!

[billethkid]

We have been her almost 10 years. We probably know as many non residents from the surrounded area as we do residents of TV.
I have never ever heard of any such disenchantment with what TV has brought to the area or caused......until this thread!

I personally think there may be pockets of that, just like anywhere else on the planet. I think isolated or minority incidents are too often extrapolated to represent a general condition......which of course do not represent the reality.
And then the extrapolation is intellectualized to a point of trying to have others believe the extrapolation!

The reality is Sumter county as well as the other counties that house TV are much better off as a result of TV and it's residents.....that is the general reality that truly exists.

btk

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by billethkid

We have been her almost 10 years. We probably know as many non residents from the surrounded area as we do residents of TV.
I have never ever heard of any such disenchantment with what TV has brought to the area or caused......until this thread!

I personally think there may be pockets of that, just like anywhere else on the planet. I think isolated or minority incidents are too often extrapolated to represent a general condition......which of course do not represent the reality.
And then the extrapolation is intellectualized to a point of trying to have others believe the extrapolation!

The reality is Sumter county as well as the other counties that house TV are much better off as a result of TV and it's residents.....that is the general reality that truly exists.

btk

What btk said.

[SusanOfWoodbury]

Yipee for Traders Joe's, I could care less about any other stores... oh wait!!! maybe a good ice cream store with fair prices.