I agree with angiefox! We've lived here 7.5 years & moving here was the best decision of our lives! There will always be issues & problems, no matter in which community you reside, but looking back on all our previous residences, The Villages comes as close to our ideal as is possible in an imperfect world. Also, Angie just so happens to be one of the many wonderful new friends I've made since moving here! ;-) Ang! LOL!

Some folks are unhappy where ever they are. Don't ruin things for the rest of us.

5 years &I still love TV

If people "choose" to live in the Fruitland Park area, they will know before they buy, they may have to drive a car.
As for the crusaders turning in statues, no one would even have to worry about that if they were following the rules of our deed restrictions.

A quick analysis reveals we have two groups; malcontents and Stepford couples. So, on average, we're pretty normal.

We have been at The Villages 2 years and we love it. I do have to admit it is more fun after the snow birds leave. I have found some of them to be very rude but that would be found any where people exist in crowded situations like our squares.

My husband and I built a home in Gilchrist East 2 years ago and would come to TV about every 3 months for 10 days. We permanently moved to TV July 1....4 weeks ago. In all our visits and the short time we've lived here we haven't met anyone who doesn't love it here. A lady I spoke to the other day said "when we go on vacation we can't wait to get back". How awesome is that? If someone is unhappy here they have a choice....move!!

That is great to be so optimistic. When I drive and walk around glancing & observing people I do not see anyone smiling or waving @ each other unless they are in their on group's. That use to be once upon a time here. Everyone is always in a rush and pushy. Just like every big city. The Villages is no longer different. Wake up.

I see people smiling, waving & giving a friendly nod all the time.

TV is like a big city? Wow...love it or hate it I cannot see this comparison at all. I'm not sure who's the one asleep.

It's a Golf Cart Community.

Either way, Colony Plaza will be swamped with hundreds more carts or cars, though I doubt they will take carts.

And hopefully, they will follow the rules, like stop signs, 15 MPH speed limits and such and avoid the dreaded 8" frog.

This is the first time I have ever said this...if you believe this, perhaps it is time to move elsewhere.

I'm guessing you've never lived in a large (really large) city. To say that TV is no different from New York, Boston, etc is really ridiculous...at best

Like I always say, some people just like to stir the pot to get a rise out of people.

The story is told of a traveler who, on his way to a city, asked a resident from the city what the city was like, if the people were friendly, etc. In his response, the resident asked the traveler what the people were like in the city from which he was traveling. He said they were a mean, stingy, unhappy lot. The resident of the city said I think you’ll find those here to be the same.
Another traveler happened to stop and ask the same resident the same question, to which he replied with the likewise. But this time the traveler said the folks in the city which he had left were warm, friendly and generous. The resident of the city replied I think you’ll find those here to be the same.

I have found the Villagers--less the one or two percent--to be as happy as they have ever been and delighted at their decision to move here.

“No matter where you go, there you are.”

Why must we fight for improvements?
 

For the record- I am a Villager resident for well 10 years and agree with the original post. While I'm happy living here for the most part, the original developer, Mr. Harold Schwartz, treated us residents as the most important and put us first. Bless him for the lifestyle he created and he was entitled to every dollar of the millions which he was rewarded.

His successors appear to have placed money making up top. The facilities- rec centers, athletic fields, golf courses, etc. are insufficient to accommodate the the number of residents they've brought here with our help. One often cannot get into an activity because of the overcrowding, nor get a reasonable tee time. The building continues without addition of sufficient golf holes or other facilities, unless we can force same thru our local CDD Boards or the POA. Many of the residents are unaware of actions by the developer over the years which negatively affected the community. There were good reasons why the developer agreed to pay $40 million plus to settle the law suit. Examples of his greed are the wall constructed in the middle of the night blocking cart access to Lowes & the East Medical Campus, the order restricting protesters from the street in front of the sales office in Spanish Springs, lack of cooperation on the siding and roofing failures, etc., etc. The POA Bulletins document these and other problems over the years for those interested in pursuing the subject!

Because of how the bonding was set up by the developer for his monetary advantage, we have paid almost ONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS in legal fees alone, to date, fighting the IRS suit which still has not ended. This amount excludes the cost of thousands of hours expended for staff time required. Further there are numerous examples of how he set up to have us pay for maintenance of his commercial endeavors such as the retention pond entirely on the Lopez Legacy golf course.

Yes the developer has done many good things. But, each of us must weigh whether we should have to fight so vigorously for the things for which we pay.