and why don't the supporters of the vha present any facts to demonstrate that it is really a true homeowners' association and not merely a front organization of the developer?
In any event, in response to your request, here is just a partial list of the poa's accomplishments (copied verbatim from the poa4us.org website):
the lawsuit settlement - villagers achieved a friendly class action lawsuit settlement with the developer in 2008 valued at $43 million. The key points of the settlement were: Provision for reserve funds for eventual repair and replacement of our facilities north of hwy. 466; provision for renovation of the recreation trails north of hwy 446; creation of the aac (amenity authority committee) which allows residents elected by residents to make decisions about the expenditure of amenity funds north of hwy. 466; and payoff of the paradise recreation center renovation debt.
defeat of the sumter county hospital tax - we opposed the creation of this taxing district which would have taxed sumter county residents about $200-$300 per home for use by our hospital and also given 20% of the tax off the top to the developer's foundation.
expansion of the hospital - after the defeat of the sumter hospital tax, the owner of our hospital, the leesburg regional medical center, said it would delay construction of the expansion. We called this morally wrong to delay expansion of our life-saving hospital. After a series of hard-hitting stories in the bulletin, lrmc finally relented and proceeded with the expansion.
hospital emergency room - we noticed continuing poor service and performance in our hospital's er over the years. We documented over 125 instances of serious problems in the er. We publicized the problems. In response, lrmc brought in a new ceo of the hospital, a new director of the er, dedicated more resources and staff to the er, hired more nurses, established better training programs, and brought in three villagers to sit on the board of the hospital's parent organization.
moffitt cancer center - we advocated bringing this cancer center to the villages for what we believed would be one of the crown jewels in the medical facilities of the villages. We organized a letter-writing program, researched the demographics, argued for bringing the center here, and voiced our hopes to the appropriate decision-makers.
vinyl siding - sloppy work and installation procedures characterized the building effort of the contractors for homes in the villages south of hwy 466 in the 2005-2008 time period. Credit has to go to ray micucci and his wife lori for spearheading the inspection of over 1,500 homes and prodding the work of the warranty department and various contractors to repair the problems.
activity policy reversal - the center districts voted to restrict residents from gathering to protest anything. A liability insurance policy for $1 million was also required 30 days in advance of any protest gathering. The poa opposed this action, calling it a violation of our constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, and argued against it in the bulletin. The center districts backed down and rescinded the rule.
paradise center - the original recreation center on the east side of hwy 441/27 was deteriorating and an absolute disgrace. We did a survey, organized residents, pleaded with the vccdd to renovate the center, advocated renovation in the bulletin, and were eventually successful in getting this $5 million project off the ground.
irs/bonds - we are waiting on this one. But, what we did do was caution restraint rather than wild speculation, and we identified the developer as the only one to benefit financially from the issuance of the bonds as tax exempt. If we get the negative outcome, we trust that the developer will do what is necessary to protect residents from any adverse impact.
performing arts center - we began advocating for this center early in 2010 and gave this idea the publicity it needed which helped secure the support of many villagers. We presented the facts on the undesirability of the church on the square as a performing arts center. We will continue our support until the dream becomes a reality.
conflict of interests by district employees - we documented the fact that some center district employees were in line to benefit financially from certain dealings with the developer. We viewed this as a conflict of interests. As a result, one center district employee was re-assigned, and any dealing like this in the future will be scrutinized for any potential conflict of interests problems.
forgotten $200,000 billing - somehow or another, a vccdd bill to the developer for about $200,000 for expenses related to his use of the savannah center was never issued. A poa director, irving yedwab, noticed the problem and we publicized the situation in the bulletin. The developer did pay up once the bill was issued.
sexual offended database - we published the state of florida sexual offender database for our area in the bulletin and brought it to our meetings for review. Some opposed this move; but, we felt it appropriate to publicize names and addresses so that residents could judge for themselves how best to react to any nearby offenders.
purchase of common property - the then district manager also thought it unnecessary to publish details explaining the various common property purchases by the center districts from the developer. We analyzed many of these deals and published detailed explanations in the bulletin. Unfortunately, the district manager's reluctance to publish details has caused huge misunderstandings on the part of residents which continue to confuse to this day.
center district financial statements - we were the first organization to publish the financial statements of the two center districts. Prior to that the district manager said that it was not important to provide that information for residents. Thankfully, the center districts now routinely publish this information and includes it on their website (
village community development districts)..
bob evans restaurant - the developer wanted to build a bob evans restaurant on the east side of hwy. 441/27. He used a heavy-handed approach with near-by residents to try to force them to approve a zoning change from residential to commercial. We publicized the issue in the bulletin and the local opposition to this plan. The developer finally relented and the restaurant was located on hwy. 466.
violence on the squares - we reported in the bulletin on several instances of violence on the squares. As a result, center district administration worked with local law enforcement to provide a heightened law enforcement presence on the squares.
poa surveys - we conducted five surveys through the bulletin over the years detailing attitudes about life in the villages. Some of the actions were later addressed by the developer and the center districts.
wind mitigation - we publicized the details of this state program to save residents literally hundreds of dollars annually on their home insurance for older homes.
