[patbbb]

Originally Posted by Cedwards38

In my entire time living in The Villages, I've met one couple who say they do not like living here, yet they still live here, so go figure. I wouldn't take the discussions on TOTV as a indication that people are disenchanted with this community. Those are often about a specific situation, and last for a specific period of time, and certainly not everyone agrees. A place can be fantastic and still not be perfect. And if it isn't perfect, then it's up to those of us that love it and enjoy it to try to make it so.

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.

[batman911]

Complaining is not the same as being unhappy. My wife complains about slow play on the golf course, rude people, and anything that is not perfect to her taste (including me) but she would not leave The Villages for anything. Happy as a lark here. We had a saying in the Navy, "A grumbling (word changed) sailor is a happy sailor", and i have found it to apply to TV as well. Complaining about imperfection does not directly translate to unhappy. I believe most residents are usually to busy playing to post complaints on this forum, I know I am except when it rains too much to play pickleball.

[Flora13]

I am very discontented. I has become so crowded that people don't wave to each other anymore. During Season forget about going out to eat! Also, it has become so expensive to shop, dine or even have a few cocktails with friends to catch up. I almost never do anything inside The Villages anymore I go outside where the prices are friendlier. Streets = crowded, golf courses = crowded, restaurants = crowded. Not much left to like except Life Long Learning College.

[Bonny]

I'm surprised it took this long to get to the "greed of the developer" !!. We knew Harold and used to chat with him once or twice a week usually at Cafe Ole. He would be very proud of the Villages !!! If he was still here, I doubt it would be much different than it is now.
He had a vision of how big this place would be and the opportunities. As with every business person in the world, Harold enjoyed making money while he created this awesome place. Same with the Morse family. And to all of them, a great big

[Bonny]

To those who think it's too crowded and not friendly, find another place to live. Why would anyone stay somewhere they weren't happy. I don't get it !!!

[Villager Joyce]

Originally Posted by Flora13

I am very discontented. I has become so crowded that people don't wave to each other anymore. During Season forget about going out to eat! Also, it has become so expensive to shop, dine or even have a few cocktails with friends to catch up. I almost never do anything inside The Villages anymore I go outside where the prices are friendlier. Streets = crowded, golf courses = crowded, restaurants = crowded. Not much left to like except Life Long Learning College.

You have been a member a long time for this to be your first post. How long have you lived in TV?

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by Flora13

I am very discontented. I has become so crowded that people don't wave to each other anymore. During Season forget about going out to eat! Also, it has become so expensive to shop, dine or even have a few cocktails with friends to catch up. I almost never do anything inside The Villages anymore I go outside where the prices are friendlier. Streets = crowded, golf courses = crowded, restaurants = crowded. Not much left to like except Life Long Learning College.

Just curious what places you are going to where you get cheaper cocktails?

[bomanm]

The solution I keep hearing is, if your unhappy, move. These aren't apartments, you don't break your lease and just move. Maybe the rest of you just pick up and move like a bunch of ants but I stay put. I just don't tolerate inflated egos. That is what this community has drawn. I just shake my head and walk away from that kind of behavior. Move yes, step aside from the jerk.

[golfing eagles]

If you're happy (99% of us), stay happy. If you're the 1 % unhappy, explore your options. No need to try to recruit anyone to your side.

[Bonny]

I guess I just wonder why people who are somewhat new in the last few years complain about how many people there are. They must have seen it before they bought here, or noticed that people weren't waving to them as they looked around at the houses..

[Walt.]

Originally Posted by bomanm

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 still haven't figured out the obsession with smiling and waving at strangers and reading negative things into their failure to reciprocate.

"Am I just meeting a lot of people too good to wave back or are there a lot of unhappy people?"

Just like every big city? Spend a few days in Miami and say that...

[John_W]

If you want a wake-up call of big city living, just drive down the turnpike about 55 miles and exit onto 441 north about a mile on the right will be Florida Mall. We made the mistake visiting this past Saturday. I guess with the rain, everybody decided to go there. We've been to Florida Mall about a dozen times the past four years, but this past Saturday was the worse.

First we drove around for several minutes in a downpour just to find a parking spot, so were several dozen other cars on every side of the building. We finally found a space outside of Dillards which we would normally never park at to enter the mall. If you go into Dillards in Ocala or Gainesville you would usually find nobody there. This Dillards had crowds like they were giving stuff away. It's probably one of the most expensive department stores around, it makes Macys look cheap.

Once we got through Dillards and into the mall, it was worse than Black Friday, which we have done, it was worse than Christmas season. You'll also find that if English is your first language, then you're a minority. I've figured out that since Puerto Rico is a short plan ride away from Orlando, most of the people in PR most visit there monthly along with tourist from every South American country.

The old food court has been closed and they have built a new one that opened in June, it is huge and yet was still packed and tables were hard to find. One of the negatives is Dairy Queen did not make it from the old food court to the new one, maybe the rent was too high. There must be 30 places to get food and yet everyone had a huge line.

After making our walking trip through Florida Mall we couldn't wait to get on the road and back to TV. From now on, the Oaks Mall in Gainesville will be our permanent big mall away from here. It has many of the same stores, and have 5 anchor stores and is almost never crowded except at Christmas time.

If the crowds weren't enough, Florida Mall even has it's own hotel attached to the mall. Also nearby are two huge outlet malls on each end of International Drive.

[outlaw]

I wonder if the posters that insist they are happy are really in denial. I'm not saying they are. I'm just wondering if they are. Could it be they are disappointed, and they can't admit to themselves that they made a mistake, and may even feel trapped with a mortgage that is upside down? Maybe the posters that are being critical of TV, or honest about their feelings regarding TV, are actually the ones that are totally free and happy with their life because they are not concerned about making a mistake or being wrong about something, but in fact, embrace different perspectives and changes in their own opinion about things? Or maybe not...just wondering.

[scotlandqueenie]

After renting here for just six weeks I bought a house. I really loved it. I am home on Long Island right now awaiting the soon-to-be birth of my first grandchild and will stay for awhile until papers are finalized. Although I will miss my family I cannot wait to start the next chapter in my life in The Villages.

[Grill Meister]

I am going on 11 years in TV and I love it. I would love, however, to have the atmosphere returned to what we experienced when I moved in. The developer was doing all they could in the way of amenities and entertainment to really see that we were living a fairy-tale lifestyle. Unfortunately, that attitude has changed quite a bit. When we moved in, the logistics were such that we could get around to all the places we wanted to drive with little impunity......now?, watch out! The golf courses were in immaculate condition....WOW....now?

I feel that the traffic problems will be solved when more merchants establish south on Hwy44, which will eliminate residents' south of 466A having to travel north for dining and shopping.

And....it is still "Florida's Friendliest Hometown"....that is until you get in the way of some golf cart driver.